BLANCPAIN

Blancpain was founded in Villeret in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain. His great grandson took the company over in 1815 and turned the workshop into a manufacture. In 1926 Blancpain launched an automatic wristwatch which was a real feat at that time. The brand faced difficulty during the 1970’s but it was eventually run by Jean-Claude Biver who saved the company and sold it to the Swatch Group when the brand became profitable. Jean-Claude Biver decided to create great complications in order to give Blancpain more credit in the finest watchmaking industry. Today the most famous collections are the Villeret (which is a the most classic collection) and the Fifty Fathoms (diving watches).