4
Blancpain
Ref. 5335-1418
An elegant and extremely fine yellow gold minute repeating perpetual calendar wristwatch with bracelet
- Estimate
- CHF18,000 - 26,000€19,200 - 27,700$21,000 - 30,300
CHF43,180
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Blancpain
- Year
- Circa 1991
- Reference No
- 5335-1418
- Movement No
- 48
- Material
- 18K yellow gold
- Calibre
- Automatic, cal. 5335, 39 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- 18K yellow gold Gay Frères for Blancpain bracelet, max length 185mm
- Clasp/Buckle
- 18K yellow gold Blancpain deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 34mm Diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
If there is one brand that exemplifies best the rebirth of mechanical watchmaking in the 1980s, it is undoubtedly Blancpain. In 1981, Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet (the owner of the Frederic Piguet movement manufactory) bought the rights to the name Blancpain (who had more or less gone out of business in the 1970s) and made it into one of the greatest power houses of the end on the century. The two men set out to create what they called the 6 Masterpieces: full calendar with moonphases, perpetual calendar, chronograph, minute repeater and tourbillon, and by the end of the 1980s they started combining these complications.
The 5335 combines a perpetual calendar and minute repeater, and even though Patek Philippe takes credit for creating the worlds very first wristwatch combining these complications with their reference 3974 both models came out the same year in 1989. However, as of going to print of the catalogue, recent documentation shows that reference 5335 may have been launched in 1987 but further research is necessary.
Interestingly the case of both the Patek Philippe reference 3974 and that of the Blancpain 5335 were made by the man considered to be the greatest casemaker of all time: Jean-Pierre Hagmann, whose initials are featured inside the lugs of the present watch.
The minute repeating slide of the ref 5335 is slightly hidden beneath the case and does not protrude leading one to think the watch is a simple perpetual calendar (were it not for the “repetition minutes” printed on the dial).
The present example is offered in excellent condition and accompanied by a superbly lavish gold bracelet.
The 5335 combines a perpetual calendar and minute repeater, and even though Patek Philippe takes credit for creating the worlds very first wristwatch combining these complications with their reference 3974 both models came out the same year in 1989. However, as of going to print of the catalogue, recent documentation shows that reference 5335 may have been launched in 1987 but further research is necessary.
Interestingly the case of both the Patek Philippe reference 3974 and that of the Blancpain 5335 were made by the man considered to be the greatest casemaker of all time: Jean-Pierre Hagmann, whose initials are featured inside the lugs of the present watch.
The minute repeating slide of the ref 5335 is slightly hidden beneath the case and does not protrude leading one to think the watch is a simple perpetual calendar (were it not for the “repetition minutes” printed on the dial).
The present example is offered in excellent condition and accompanied by a superbly lavish gold bracelet.
Blancpain
Swiss | 1735As the watchmaking brand with the earliest founding date, Blancpain remains close to tradition, concentrating on classical mechanical watches. Established in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the Le Brassus manufacturer today continues to innovate with the development of high-quality calibres and is proud of their heritage, having never made quartz watches. One of the firm's greatest successes was the Fifty Fathom wristwatch introduced in 1953 — the vintage models of which are now highly coveted by collectors. The earliest dive watch available to the market, Fifty Fathom came out a year prior to Rolex's Submariner. Another key model is the Air Command from the 1960s, considered one of the most mythical collector's watches due to their extreme rarity. Today, the firm specializes in creative innovated complicated timepieces.
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