Chapter 1
It is perhaps normal for a watch house to reflect on the nature of time. Isn’t it something very personal? Isn’t it embodied in unforgettable events, even short moments which time gives us, and which become part of who we are? A Blancpain is your companion for these journeys through life and time.
In 1735, in the small village of Villeret located in a remote corner of the Swiss Jura mountains, school master and farmer Jehan-Jacques Blancpain—during the winter months, when the snow made working in the fields impossible—devoted himself to the chronicling of time as he embarked on the career of watch- making. This new endeavor cemented Blancpain’s primacy as the world’s oldest watch brand and marked the beginning of its storied history woven through seven generations of the Blancpain family, two generations of the Fiechter family, three generations of the Piguet family and more than two decades under the leadership of Marc A. Hayek.
This nearly three-century march of time has witnessed Blancpain’s expansion of the boundaries of the watchmaking art: exceptional refinements of all of watchmaking’s grande complications, creation of complications never before seen in wristwatches, development of the world’s first true diving watch, revitalizing artistic crafts, and much more. At the same time as it has innovated, Blancpain has kept alive the finest traditions of hand finishing.
As it looks to the future, Blancpain has committed itself to its responsibility as a steward of the planet. Through its Ocean Commitment, Blancpain supports a broad range of ocean preservation efforts which have meaningfully made a difference in the protection of this vital environmental resource.
Passion for diving and a deep love of the ocean were the inspirations for the creation of the first Fifty Fathoms, which debuted in 1953. The profound insights and innovations embodied in that watch not only made it the world’s first true diving watch, but also came to define the diving watch genre for the entire industry ever since. Immediately seen as an essential for divers, the Fifty Fathoms opened up the underwater world for leading militaries and scientists alike.
Its evolution is guided today by the same passion and understanding, as Blancpain’s CEO Marc A. Hayek is a devoted diver who has personally presided over every detail of the Fifty Fathoms collection for more than two decades.
Accompanying the evolution of the modern Fifty Fathoms collection is Blancpain’s dedication to ocean preservation embodied in its multi-faceted Ocean Commitment program. Through sponsorship of leading scientists, environmental organizations, underwater photographers, and ocean protection conferences, Blancpain and its partners have succeeded in the creation of protected ocean areas while at the same time raising the public’s awareness of the need for action.