Blancpain Villeret Sapphire Diamond

Blancpain turned 250 in 1985 and apparently decided cake wasn't enough.

For its anniversary year, the manufacture introduced its first women’s full-calendar moon-phase watch, bringing one of the complications central to Blancpain’s mechanical revival into a smaller format. This particular example takes the celebration considerably further, dressing the entire watch in diamonds, sapphires and 18k yellow gold.

At 27mm, there is an impressive amount happening within a very small footprint. The dial is almost entirely pavé-set with diamonds, surrounded by another row of alternating diamonds and sapphires before reaching a bezel formed from large baguette-cut blue sapphires. Yet the calendar remains surprisingly legible. Month and day sit in twin apertures at 12, while a central pointer tracks the date from 1 through 31. At six is Blancpain’s wonderfully expressive moon, peeking through its aperture with the slightly mischievous face that has become a signature of the manufacture.

The complication itself deserves some attention. Blancpain’s complete calendar moon phase became an important part of the brand’s mechanical revival during the early 1980s, when complicated mechanical watches were hardly the obvious direction for a Swiss manufacturer to pursue. Here, that same idea was miniaturized into a thin case and paired with an automatic movement. There is genuine watchmaking underneath all those stones.

The bracelet may be the best part. Made by Gay Frères and signed accordingly on the inner clasp, each broad yellow-gold link is pavé-set with diamonds and connected by pairs of baguette sapphires running vertically down the bracelet. The blue stones continue uninterrupted into the bezel, framing the watch in sapphire from almost every angle. It is extravagant, but remarkably coherent.

Condition makes this example particularly compelling. The case and bracelet remain exceptionally sharp with only minor handling marks, while the clasp and bracelet retain the tightness rarely encountered on heavily constructed vintage jewelry watches. The caseback is engraved “Blancpain No 8,” adding another intriguing detail to what was already an unusual anniversary-era piece.

Originally conceived as a women’s watch, its 27mm diameter feels considerably less prescriptive today. With nearly 6.9 inches of bracelet, it deserves to be tried by anyone comfortable wearing a small watch and a very large quantity of gemstones.

Blancpain had 250 years to celebrate. They didn't exactly underdress for the occasion.