With this year being the 70th anniversary of Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms and what that collection means to the watch industry, it is easy to overlook yet another of Blancpain’s novelties for the year, the Ladybird. The new, colourful designs may appear to be a collection of watches that have been given new colours and a sparkling array of diamonds in order to appeal to female fans. In truth, however, Blancpain’s Ladybird collection is not simply adapted from a man’s watch with the size reduced. It was designed with the expertise of the centuries-old Blancpain brand, but specifically for women.
When you look at the history of Blancpain, women have been a major part. In 1933, they were the first Swiss watchmaking company to have a female CEO and owner after Betty Fiechter purchased Blancpain following the death of Frédéric-Emile Blancpain. A few years before that, they had already created one of the world’s first automatic wristwatches for women under the name Rolls. This opened the door to further innovations in women’s watches. In 1956, when the Ladybird debuted, the movement was the smallest one ever created.
The novelties found within the latest Ladybird collection don’t quite break any records, but what it does is offer a vibrant range of colour variations including midnight blue, peacock green, forest green, lilac or turquoise set on a backdrop of textured mother of pearl on the dial. The strap matches the colour of these Roman numerals. A total of 70 diamonds have been set on the dial, to go with the indicator for the moon phase or small seconds. On the case of 34.9mm, 59 additional diamonds totaling 2 carats are set. This gives the watch a very elegant appearance.
The watch does not lack mechanical power. Calibre 1163, which powers the small seconds model and 1163L, the version with moon phases indicator both have a 4-day power reserve. They also come with a silicon balancespring. Through the transparent caseback, enthusiasts will notice that the movement is finished with the Côtes de Genêve decoration. The self-winding gold oscillating mechanism also has circular open-worked patterns on its gold weight.
Specs
MOVEMENT Calibre 1163 (or 1163L)
CASE 34.9mm red or white gold
STRAP Dark midnight blue or forest green.
PRICE As low as MYR 121,000
Click here to read more about luxury watches.