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65-580: Blancpain SA ( French pronunciation: [blɑ̃pɛ̃] ) is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer , headquartered in Paudex / Le Brassus , Switzerland . It designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells prestige and luxury mechanical watches . Founded by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain in Villeret, Switzerland in 1735 (disputed claim ), Blancpain is the oldest registered watch brand in the world. Blancpain has been

130-537: A subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group since 1992, and is regarded as a top-tier watch brand. It is best known for its Fifty Fathoms diving watch introduced in 1953 (disputed claim ), and its 1735 Grand complication wristwatch , introduced in 1991. Jehan-Jacques Blancpain started making watches in 1735 in Villeret, Switzerland . He founded the Blancpain brand, setting up his first workshop on

195-638: A 'made in Switzerland' designation can be affixed to a product and when it cannot. Appropriate criteria have only been developed by individual cantonal courts up until now. Products are, however, sold which are not 100% Swiss-manufactured. In such cases, the actual legal practice is based on the rules laid down in Article 48 of the Trademark Law and a 1968 ruling issued by the trade court of St. Gallen, reiterated in 1992. These court rulings outline

260-638: A Swiss movement, is assembled and controlled in Switzerland by the Manufacture d'horlogerie and when 60% of its manufacturing costs are Swiss. The legal standards for the use of "Swiss made" on a watch are a very minimum standard, and the Swissness of a watch is largely dependent on the brand and its reputation . A watch is considered Swiss, according to the Swiss law, if: If a watch movement

325-422: A criterion of value-added for the movement. A watch is considered to be Swiss if its movement: a. Α been assembled in Switzerland and; b. Has been started, adjusted and checked by the manufacturer in Switzerland, and; c. Is of Swiss manufacture for at least 50 per cent of the value of all constituent parts, but without the cost of assembly and; d. Is subject to legal technical inspection in Switzerland according to

390-578: A degree in business at HEC Lausanne (also known as the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne ). Upon graduation, he spent time in the Vallée de Joux , absorbing the culture of watchmaking , where he met Jacques Piguet , who was running the movement factory Frederic Piguet . Through Jacques' father, he met Georges Golay, chairman and CEO of Audemars Piguet , where he

455-459: A falling out with McLaren owner Ron Dennis . TAG Heuer subsequently joined Red Bull Racing , becoming namesake to their Renault engines. Similarly in 2014, Biver was named as the head of the watches and jewelry division of the LVMH conglomerate managing other brands including TAG Heuer, Zenith , and Hublot. In 2018, Biver announced his resignation as head of the watches and jewelry division of

520-562: A foreign license will still be Swiss in origin, while a product manufactured abroad using Swiss recipes or Swiss methods will still be foreign in origin. Practically, the Federal Council Ordinance of December 23, 1971 to regulate the use of the SWISS appellation for watches was partially revised on June 17, 2016 at the request of the industry, in order to strengthen the protection of the geographical indication. According to

585-414: A good or service may be designated "Swiss made" if: Most often associated with watches or timepieces made in Switzerland, Swiss law considers a watch to be Swiss made if its technical development is carried out in Switzerland, its movement is Swiss, if its movement is cased up in Switzerland, if the final inspection of the watch is conducted by the manufacturer in Switzerland, at least 60 per cent of

650-461: A requirement in this case. The draft also stipulates other provisions concerning the definition of Swiss constituent parts and assembly in Switzerland. With a rate of 80%, the FH proposed to lay particular emphasis on the mechanical watch. With these proposals, objectives in terms of protecting the Swiss made label should be attained. The proposed criteria also take into account the place of manufacture and

715-602: A sparse number of court opinion on the topic can be found; in particular, the decision of the Commercial Court of St. Gallen according to which the value of the Swiss portion of the manufacturing costs including raw materials, sub-assemblies, accessory parts, salaries, and general manufacturing costs but excluding operating expenses, must be at least 50% and the "essential manufacturing process" which must have taken place in Switzerland. Exactly how "essential manufacturing process" should be understood has been illustrated by

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780-461: A strength, Biver and Piguet rebuilt the brand on the concept that "Since 1735 there has never been a quartz Blancpain watch. And there never will be." Blancpain quickly became one of the most respected traditional watch brands, achieving a turnover of CHF 50m. In 1992, the brand was sold to SMH Group (now known as Swatch Group ) for CHF60m ( USD 43m), having been initially purchased for CHF22,000. Biver remained CEO of Blancpain until 2003. Upon

845-600: A two-storey factory by the River Suze and made use of water power to supply the electricity needed for its production processes. By modernizing its methods and concentrating on top-of-the-line products, Blancpain became one of the few watchmaking firms to survive in Villeret. In 1926, the Manufacture entered into a partnership with John Harwood and started marketing the first automatic wristwatch. The year 1932 saw

910-446: A watch if: A movement is considered to be Swiss if: Jean-Claude Biver Jean-Claude Biver ( French pronunciation: [dʒɑ̃ klod bivɛr] ; born 20 September 1949) is a Luxembourg -born Swiss businessman, executive and cheesemaker . He previously served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of TAG Heuer . From 2014 until 2018, he was the president of LVMH 's watchmaking division until his retirement after 43 years in

975-483: Is considered Swiss whose movement is Swiss, whose movement is encased in Switzerland and whose final control by the manufacturer takes place in Switzerland. Conversely, the Swiss manufacturers of parts destined for foreign watches from then on were authorized to visibly indicate that their products come from Switzerland. These innovations were intended to improve the transparency as regards the source of products. Consumers were expected to clearly recognize from what countries

1040-454: Is intended for export and will not be cased-up in Switzerland, but it otherwise meets the criteria to be considered a Swiss movement, the watch may say "Swiss Movement" but it may not say Swiss made nor “Swiss Movt” on the watch case or dial. A watch that says "Swiss Quartz" is supposed to be manufactured in Switzerland according to the legal criteria above-stated. However, it is often improperly used by foreign manufacturers to merely indicate that

1105-418: Is that the original characteristics of the goods are lost through the manufacturing process, and the possible application of the goods is different from that of the basic materials of foreign origin used in their manufacture. In addition, the origin of goods is determined by the place where they are produced, not by where the idea for producing these goods was conceived. A product manufactured in Switzerland under

1170-465: Is the more common, but on some older watches, for example, the word "Swiss" appears alone on the dial at the six o'clock position. There are two sections of the Swiss law that pertain to the use of the name Swiss made. The first law, which applies to all types of Swiss products, is the "Federal Act on the Protection of Trade Marks and Indications of Source". Its article 50 provided the authority for

1235-743: The Blancpain Endurance Series , Blancpain Sprint Series , Blancpain GT Series until 2019 when the sponsorship was discontinued, Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series , ADAC GT Masters and Reiter Engineering 's GT1 and GT3 cars until Reiter mostly stopped racing Lamborghinis. The Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize is a literary prize established by Blancpain and The Imaginist literary journal in 2018 to "“discover and encourage outstanding young writers under

1300-618: The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH (FH) a trade organization. 30 companies have opposed such efforts under which the lobbying group IG Swiss made. Many are afraid to share their identity but Ronnie Bernheim, co-CEO of Mondaine , has been outspoken on this issue, and defends "Swissness more as a promise than a physical manifestation". Mondaine admits that it uses non-Swiss dials and cases though Bernheim has declined to disclose their country of origin. In 2007,

1365-518: The Swatch Group , and in July 2010, Frédéric Piguet SA, also owned by Swatch Group, was merged into the firm Blancpain SA. Currently, Blancpain is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH . One of Blancpain's company slogans is "Blancpain has never made a quartz watch and never will." According to their commercial slogans, the company has never produced quartz watches in

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1430-588: The quartz movement." In 1980, even prestigious Swiss watch brands had "a proportion of 70% more or less quartz movements in their collection;" since then, the Swiss watch industry has staged a "remarkable recovery", with 2008 exports valued at CHF 17 billion. Since 2022, Biver is the chairman of JC Biver , his own luxury watch manufacture based in Givrins, Switzerland , which he launched together with his youngest son Pierre Biver . Therefore, Biver can now officially also be seen as watch manufacturer. Biver

1495-489: The European Union. A higher value criterion would not have allowed Switzerland to meet its international commitments and was, therefore, refused. The most popular items by far to have the "Swiss made" labels are Swiss watches. Almost all Swiss watchmakers, with the notable exception of old Breitling timepieces, label their watches prominently on the dial. By convention, the words are fully capitalized, positioned on

1560-549: The FH plans to seek political action on a proposal which introduces a new aspect to the definition of Swiss made, in the form of a value criterion. Accordingly, any mechanical watch in which at least 80% of the production cost is attributable to operations carried out in Switzerland would be considered as a mechanical Swiss watch. For other watches, particularly electronic watches, this rate would be 60%. Technical construction and prototype development would moreover need to be carried out in Switzerland. Raw materials, precious stones and

1625-563: The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, the intention is to “guarantee satisfaction of the consumer who, when buying a Swiss made watch, expects it to correspond to the quality and the reputation of Swiss watchmaking tradition and therefore to be manufactured in Switzerland and to incorporate a high added value of Swiss origin.” According to that ordinance, the geographical indication Switzerland or Swiss can be used on

1690-682: The LVMH for health reasons ending 43 years in the watch industry. Every year, Biver produces approximately five tonnes of cheese at his farm in the Swiss Alps . Biver produces cheese for only a few weeks every summer during which the alpine meadows flower , rendering "a flowery taste to the milk and subsequently, to the cheese." Because of the cheese's exclusivity, Biver refuses payment, offering cheese only to his friends and family, and to particular restaurants of his choosing. Biver stated that by refusing payment, he can remain in absolute control of

1755-676: The SSIH. The company set up production at Le Brassus , in the Joux Valley , and from then on traded under the name of Blancpain SA . In 1992, the SSIH purchased Blancpain back for 60 million Swiss Francs . At that time, Blancpain had annual sales of 50 million Swiss Francs. Jean-Claude Biver remained as CEO of Blancpain until 2002. Marc Hayek, the grandson of the Swatch Group's founder and chairman, Nicolas Hayek (1928–2010), has run Blancpain since 2002. Later, SSIH became known as

1820-508: The age of 45.” The winner receives a cash award of 300,000 RMB and the finalists receive 20,000 RMB. Swiss watch Swiss made is a label or marking used to indicate that a product was made on the territory of Switzerland . It is also a geographical indication protected under different Swiss and international laws and treaties. According to the Swiss Federal Act on the Protection of Trade Marks and Indications of Source,

1885-520: The battery would be excluded from the production cost. The Swiss movement in the existing ordinance already has a value criterion, namely the rate of 50%. Considering that here, too, the definition needs reinforcing, the draft amends these value criteria. For mechanical movements therefore, the rate would be at least 80% of the value of all constituent parts. For other movements, particularly electronic movements, this rate would be 60%. Technical construction and prototype development in Switzerland would also be

1950-659: The birthplace of Blancpain, the Villeret collection has been a flagship line of the company since 1980s. The collection not only includes wristwatches with simple and elegant designs, but also include watches with complications such as triple calendar, moon phase, and carousel. Blancpain is known for its Fifty-Fathoms watch, produced in collaboration with the French Navy ’s Nageurs de Combat (combat swimmers) led by Captain Bob Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, and worn by Jacques Cousteau . From 1958, Fifty-Fathoms

2015-436: The bottom of the face, split by the half-hour indicator if available, curved along the bottom edge as necessary. Watches made in other countries typically indicate their country of origin on the back of the watch, except for very few well-known high-end manufacturers. Besides watchmakers, Swiss software companies are marking their software with the "Swiss made" software label to declare the origin of their products. In principle,

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2080-536: The brand had been dissolved and totally absorbed by Omega, even the factory, was repurposed to serve Omega's jewelry department. In 1982, Omega withdrew from Villeret, Switzerland , abandoning the former Rayville factory completely. In 1983 the current iteration of Blancpain was born when SSIH sold the Rayville-Blancpain name to Jacques Piguet, son of Frédéric Piguet and director of the company of that name, and Jean-Claude Biver , at that time employed by

2145-517: The company's "dazzling" recovery. Over Biver's ten years at Omega, its sales had almost tripled. Biver briefly exited the watchmaking world in 2004, before joining Hublot as CEO and board member. At Hublot, he has emphasized "the fusion of tradition and future." Hublot was bought by LVMH in 2008, following a fivefold increase in sales from 2004 to 2007. Even in the late-2000s recession , Hublot has been considered to be very successful, with sales down 15% up to November 2009, compared with 30% for

2210-423: The conditions for the legal use of the designation "Swiss Made" and similar designations, especially for goods not manufactured in Switzerland in their entirety. In pertinent part the case law holds: Products are considered Swiss products if they are fundamentally local products or if they have been completely manufactured in Switzerland. In the case of products that have been only partly manufactured in Switzerland,

2275-624: The enactment of the second law, the Ordinance on the Use of «Switzerland» or «Swiss» for Watches , relating specifically to Swiss watches. The text of either law is available not only on French, German or Italian, the principal official languages of Switzerland, but also on English. Currently the aforementioned Swiss legal standards permit watch brands or watchmakers to label watches Swiss made under certain legally defined circumstances. These standards have changed over time and were not always codified in

2340-645: The end of the 1950s, Rayville-Blancpain was producing more than 100,000 watches per year. To make it possible to meet the continually growing demand, the firm became part of the SSIH , joining such brands as Omega SA , Tissot and Lemania . In 1971, the company's annual production reached the historical peak of 220,000 watches. During the quartz crisis of the 1970s, SSIH was forced to reduce its output by half and to sell off part of its assets. In 1975 SSIH transitioned Blancpain from watch brand to movement manufacturer for Omega and quartz pocket watch maker for Moeris. By 1980

2405-416: The end of the family's management of the firm, which had lasted for over two centuries. On the death of Frédéric-Emile Blancpain, his only daughter, Berthe-Nellie, did not wish to go into watchmaking. The following year, the two members of the staff who had been closest to Frédéric-Emile, Betty Fiechter and André Léal, bought the business. As there was no longer any member of the Blancpain family in control of

2470-589: The entire Swiss luxury watch business. Biver has retained the brand's exclusivity through methods such as restricting supply in the face of large demand, citing that "people want exclusivity, so you must always keep the customer hungry and frustrated." Biver became the CEO of TAG Heuer in December 2014. The company's thirty-year cooperation with the McLaren motorsport team came to an end in late 2015, after Biver had

2535-459: The firm, the two associates were obliged by law as it stood at the time to change the company name. The firm would be called Rayville S.A., succ. de Blancpain , "Rayville" being a phonetic anagram of Villeret. Despite this change of name, the identity of the Manufacture was perpetuated, and the characteristics of the brand were preserved. Betty Fiechter remained director of Blancpain until 1950, when her nephew, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, joined her. At

2600-442: The following two examples: For a woven scarf to be considered a product of Swiss origin because of a particular coating it has received in Switzerland which stiffened the fabric (although this clearly is an important characteristic of the quality) is insufficient. In the eyes of the customer, the quality of the woven fabric is such an important characteristic of the product that fabric can only be indicated as being of Swiss origin if it

2665-399: The industry, because it is considered too lax, but also in legal circles, where the view is that it no longer fully meets the legal mandate specified in the companion law on trademarks . The first Ordinance on the Use of «Switzerland» or «Swiss» for Watches published in 1971 mainly defined the Swiss movement and did not give specific criteria for the watch as a whole. However, it had already

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2730-550: The industry. Since 2014, he served as chief executive, board member, and minority shareholder of Hublot , a Swiss luxury watchmaker . Biver has been successful at Hublot, and was previously successful in rejuvenating the Blancpain and Omega brands, both currently owned by Swatch Group . Biver is also known for his own exclusive cheese . Biver's leadership in the Swiss watch industry has been credited as "single handedly [ sic ] ... saving [the industry] from

2795-508: The ink regulating system). That is why these parts of a fountain pen are not considered subsidiary parts. Thus, a fountain pen may not be marked as a Swiss product if only the nib has been manufactured in Switzerland. The current legislation contains only very generally formulated conditions which must be met for using a ‘made in Switzerland’ designation. With the exception of watches, no concrete criteria exist regarding when and by whom

2860-463: The law defines a Swiss watch, the definition of which is dependent on certain aspects of its movement. The law then goes on to define under what circumstances a watch movement may be considered Swiss made. The law then sets forth the conditions for the use of the name Swiss on watches, on watch cases, on watch movements, on watch dials and on replacement watch parts. In sum, a watch is considered Swiss when it has been developed in Switzerland, it uses

2925-467: The manufacturing costs are incurred in Switzerland. These legal criteria are stated in the Ordinance on the Use of «Switzerland» or «Swiss» for Watches. Besides the "Swiss made" requirements, the indication «Swiss movement» may be placed on watches that contain a Swiss movement. The word «movement» must be written in full and must be of the same typeface, size and colour as the designation «Swiss». In addition to "Swiss made", under Swiss law watches may carry

2990-465: The name "Switzerland", as well as designations such as "Swiss", "Swiss quality", "Made in Switzerland", "Swiss made" or others containing the Swiss name, can only be used for products manufactured in Switzerland. This also applies to the translation of any of these terms into any other language. The conditions for using "Switzerland" or "Swiss" for products are defined very generally in the Trademark Law as follows: The origin of goods shall be determined by

3055-448: The national law, so older watches which bear the mark Swiss made may not necessarily meet the current legal definition. On the other hand, they might well exceed the current legal definition of Swiss made, which remains a minimum threshold. The Ordinance on the Use of «Switzerland» or «Swiss» for Watches first defines a "watch" (as opposed to a clock) by the dimensions of its movement in its Article 1, Definition of «watch». Thereafter,

3120-475: The origin of components, thereby complying with the law on trademarks which serves as the legal basis of the "Swiss made" Ordinance. However, it will be up to the Federal Council to reach a final decision on the matter. The minimum rate of 60% was finally chosen for all type of watches in 2016 by the Federal Council as it corresponds to the rate used in the free-trade agreement between Switzerland and

3185-440: The origin of the intellectual property embodied in the product and the special circumstances in the respective industry must also be taken into due consideration. Accordingly, there are two conditions that must be fulfilled for goods to be legally labelled as being of Swiss origin: The "most important part of the manufacturing process" is that part of the process that results in a completely new product. The determining factor here

3250-402: The past and has stated in its advertisements that it never will, nor have they ever produced watches with digital displays. In comparison to a large watchmaker like Rolex , which makes about 2,000 watches a day, Blancpain produces fewer than thirty watches per day. Each watch is made by a single watchmaker . The Villeret collection is marketed as Blancpain's most classic collection. Named after

3315-527: The place of manufacture or by the origin of the basic materials and components used. The Federal Council can specify such conditions if it is justified by general economic interests or by the interests of individual sectors. Up until today, this has only been done – after a protracted debate concerning the highly controversial interests in the watch sector – with the “Swiss-made” ordinance for watches (the Watch Ordinance). Besides this regulation, only

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3380-437: The quartz movement is of Swiss origin. Use of the Swiss made label for watches is covered by an ordinance of the Federal Council dated 29 December 1971. The Swiss standard is often pejoratively referred to as the 60% Rule. However, it has its basis in real life economics. Again, the law merely sets forth a minimum standard. The Swiss Made Ordinance has, for a number of years, been subject to many criticisms, particularly inside

3445-478: The rule applies that the Swiss portion of the production cost (including basic materials, semi-finished products, accessories, wages and production overhead excluding distribution costs) must be at least 50%. However, this 50% portion is not the sole criterion for determining the Swiss origin of a product. The origin of the essential components and the manufacturing process through which a product obtains its characteristic features, and – in borderline or doubtful cases –

3510-514: The sale of Blancpain, Biver joined the board of directors of Swatch Group, where he was charged with turning around Swatch's Omega brand. Biver's main influence was in the product and marketing fields, employing techniques such as product placement (notably in James Bond films) and celebrity sponsorships (including testimonials from Cindy Crawford , Michael Schumacher , and Pierce Brosnan ). Biver left Omega in 2003, having presided over

3575-540: The system in force. The Swiss Federal Council modified the ordinance regulating the use of the "Swiss" name for watches in May 1995. This revision was explained in a press release entitled On foreign parts for watches . This was said to bring the requirements of Swiss watchmaking industry a rubric like those of the European Union. In essence, the revision made it possible to affix indications of "Swiss made" on foreign watchcases and dials intended to equip Swiss watches. A watch

3640-460: The traditional craft workshop into an industrial undertaking capable of serial production. By replacing the crown-wheel mechanism with a cylinder escapement, Frédéric-Louis introduced a major innovation into the watchmaking world. In the second half of the 19th century, as industrialization took hold, the prices of watchmaking products were falling and many workshops were fated to close down. To face up to American competition, in 1865 Blancpain built

3705-410: The upper floor of his house at Villeret, in the present-day Bernese Jura . This part of the history is disputed. According to Perezcope, there is no evidence that Jehan-Jacques Blancpain and the following two generations were watchmakers. In 1815, Frédéric-Louis Blancpain, the great-grandson of Jehan-Jacques, who was head of the family business at the time, modernized production methods and transformed

3770-416: The various constituent parts of the watches came. However, the revisions were not intended to reduce the protection the name "Swiss made". Indeed, the high requirements which are imposed with a Swiss watch were said to remain unchanged. From time to time, namely in 2003 and more particularly in 2007, there were efforts made to strengthen the definition of "Swiss made". These efforts are normally spearheaded by

3835-599: The words " Suisse ", " produit suisse ", " fabriqué en Suisse ", " qualité suisse " or simply the English translation, "Swiss" if the legal criteria stated in the abovementioned Ordinance are met. Outside of the jurisdiction of Switzerland, the same legal requirements for the use of the terms "Swiss" and "Swiss Made" may apply, notably for watches in the European Union , United States and Hong Kong as certification/collective marks “SWISS” are registered. The wording

3900-415: Was actually woven in Switzerland. In fountain pens , the nib is an important element. But the quality of the fountain pen also primarily depends on the quality of the other parts. According to experience, more repairs are made on the holder than on the nibs for the fountain pens. For this reason, consumers pay attention not only to the quality of the nib but also to the quality of the holder (the feed system,

3965-496: Was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa from Business School Lausanne in 2012, in recognition of his contribution to the success of the Swiss watchmaking industry. Upon return to the Valley de Joux in 1981, Biver and Jacques Piguet purchased the rights to Blancpain , a watchmaker that had gone out of business in the 1970s. Blancpain had a long history but had been rendered obsolete by the development of quartz watches . Using this as

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4030-678: Was born on 20 September 1949 in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg to Jacques Biver (b. 1924), who was the proprietor of a shoe store, and Denise Biver ( née Zeien), originally from the Burgundy region in France. He spent his initial years at 2 Rue du Capucins in the old town of Luxembourg City . At the age of 10, he moved with his family to Switzerland , attending school in Saint Prex . He later studied at Collège des Morges, and earned

4095-438: Was formally adopted in the late 19th century and is unique in that most other countries use the phrase "Made in (Country Name)". The most obvious place where the label is found is on Swiss watches. The Swiss laws permit the use of the words "Suisse", "produit suisse", "fabriqué en Suisse", "qualité suisse" or the translations, "Swiss", "Swiss made", "Switzerland", only on watches manufactured in Switzerland. The label "Swiss Made"

4160-453: Was offered a job as sales manager for Europe . In a year of working for AP, he was able to learn the "art of watchmaking," though he left after a year, thinking he could do better elsewhere. He left Audemars Piguet to become product manager at Omega , a major multinational brand, leaving Omega after a year to return to the manufacture d'horlogerie of the Vallée de Joux. Jean-Claude Biver

4225-557: Was standard issue of the US Navy's combat divers and United States Navy SEALs . The watch has a water-resistant level up to 91 meters. Blancpain is famous for being the creator of one of the most complicated mechanical watches ever made, the Blancpain 1735, which is a true grand complication ( Tourbillon , minute repeater , perpetual calendar , split chrono ), a limited edition of 30 pieces only, production of just one piece per year. Blancpain sponsors Motorsport programs including

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