IF ONLY WALLS COULD SPEAK - Blancpain

set it to the current day, date, month, leap
year position and moon phase. Thus,
Blancpain’s hopes to enhance the elegance
of the Villeret line by removing the correctors
from the side of the watch depended
upon finding an alternative location for
them.
If not the sides, where?
The possibilities were inherently
limited; only the
dial and back of the watch
remained as choices for corrector
locations. Obviously, the only hidden location
would be the underside of watch. But
how could correctors be placed there and
still manipulate the calendar plate of the
movement, which is located just under the
dial?
Blancpain’s solution, now the subject of
patent, was ingenious and a first for
watches. The correctors are placed under
the lugs, completely out of sight when the
watch is worn. The general idea for this
innovation came no less than from one of
the 1735 watchmakers in Le Brassus. The
Blancpain 1735 is the world’s most complicated
automatic wristwatch: minute repeater,
perpetual calendar, split-seconds
chronograph and tourbillon. This watchmaker,
one of but two who build the
1735, had the inspiration that correctors
IT IS RARE THAT THE INNOVATION OF
could be placed under the lugs, requiring
no changes in the movement, but cleaning
up the lines of the watch.
But even more was gained than cleanliness
of line. Traditional correctors push
directly upon movement components in
order to accomplish a change in an indication
(day, date etc.). Blancpain’s hidden
correctors push as well upon movement
components, but they do so by means of a
lever arm. Look closely at the photo of
prototype case showing the corrector. The
knob of the corrector, which is hidden
under the lugs, is attached to a rotating
shaft, which in turn has a small arm that
A NEW WATCH LIES IN WHAT IS NOT SEEN
RATHER THAN WHAT IS SEEN.
actuates the movement. That small arm
provides leverage. Whereas previously correctors
required a small tool to make a
change, now with the aid of the small
knob and the lever the owner can use the
correctors with but a push of the fingernail.
There was more than a little magic
and subtlety involved in the development
Detail of the corrector
and its integrated spring
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