The Blancpain Villeret Squelette 8 Jours

As far as Skeleton watches go, this timepiece from Blancpain has set the bar very high – not only with design but also with sheer technical mastery. Just looking at this model, it is easy to see that it will be one of the greats for this year with its ornately decorated gears and pinions.

Above all of this though is a feeling that Blancpain has achieved this without the greatest of effort. The Blancpain Villeret Squelette 8 Jours is the embodiment of class from a brand that is world renowned for its daring in the horological arena.

Naturally a watch such as this is cased in a precious metal. This time Blancpain gives the honor to 18kt white gold, which is polished to a gleaming finish. Its size comes in 38mm – considered diminutive by today’s standard of bigger is better. The crown is ridged allowing for the effortless winding, and setting of this watch. The slightly rounded lugs make for a comfortable fit. Securing the Villeret Squelette 8 Jours to the wrist is a black alligator leather strap with 18kt white gold clasp.

As this is a skeletonized movement – the manually wound Calibre 1333SQ, both sides of the watch are fitted with transparent sapphire crystal revealing the highly decorated, satin finished movement. The pink jewels stand out brilliantly against the dark finish. For legibility of the time, Blancpain uses black steel, leaf shaped hands to indicate the hours, minutes, and seconds.

This movement is equipped with a titanium balance wheel, and a Breguet balance spring overcoiled to ensure maximum precision. This model carries an impressive 8 days of power reserve made possible by the three series coupled barrels. As it stands, the Villeret collection from Blancpain stands to be one of the hottest lines from Baselworld this year.