Manufacturer: Blancpain Year: Circa 1990 Movement No: 00139 Case No: 22 Material: 18k gold Calibre: Manual, cal. 23, 19 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Black Blancpain crocodile strap Clasp/Buckle: 18k gold Blancpain buckle Dimensions: 33mm diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Accessories:Blancpain black leather pouch and additional Blancpain black crocodile strap.
Catalogue Essay
Blancpain’s caliber 23 was introduced in 1989 as an alternative to the centuries old tourbillon design in which the tourbillon carriage shaft was attached between two bridges. Their ‘flying design’ allowed for the removal of the top bridge, and the entire mechanism was supported by the bottom bridge. This new designed allowed an unobstructed view of the entire escapement, and allowed the manufacturer to create one of the thinnest tourbillon movements. A second feature was their eight day power reserve.
An exceptional watch with a history making movement, the present timepiece is a fine example. Its clean classic lines and thin case have an understated elegance for a complicated timepiece.
As 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.