Baselworld 2016: Villeret Quantième Annuel GMT Steel

Baselworld 2016: Villeret Quantième Annuel GMT Steel

The Villeret Quantième Annuel GMT appears for the first time with a stainless steel case, which combines with the white dial and black leather strap to infuse this model with an aesthetic that is both contemporary and classic.

The new Villeret Quantième Annuel GMT, now fitted with a stainless steel case, enriches the Blancpain collections with the first annual calendar GMT model available in this metal. Playing with contrasts, the clear sapphire case back reveals the yellow gold winding rotor adorned with a guilloché motif. The hands as well as the hour-markers match the material of the watch case. The dial layout has been designed to facilitate the order of annual calendar readings. The day, date and month are thus smoothly read off one after the other.

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) is a term used to refer to watches with dials featuring a second time-zone (dual-time) display. The Villeret Quantième Annuel GMT is equipped with the self-winding 6054F caliber. This movement requires only one date adjustment per year, between February and March. For the rest of the year, the watch automatically moves from the 30th or the 31st to the first day of the following month. A small 24-hour counter appearing at 8 o’clock on the dial serves as the reference time. The GMT display local time is provided by the central hours hand to which the date is linked.

The case is fitted with Blancpain’s exclusive patented under-lug correctors. The ingenious idea behind this system was to place the correctors under the lugs so that they can be operated by hand without any need for a correcting stylus, as well as remaining hidden from sight when the watch is worn. The one at 1 o’clock enables simple manual adjustment of the day of the week; while the other at 5 o’clock adjusts the month. Fast GMT and date corrections, along with time-setting, are all handled via the crown.

This stainless steel timepiece is equipped with an alligator leather strap lined with Alzavel calfskin, while a triple-blade folding clasp ensures optimal user-friendliness.