209
Blancpain
Villeret
A special order and possibly unique set of two wristwatches, each with emerald-set bezels, along with eight additional bezels in total
Full-Cataloguing
- Made upon special order as a set of "his and her's" wristwatches
- Currently mounted with emerald bezel - often the most prestige gem-stone available inside any watch catalog
- Accompanied by 8 additional bezels, 4 per wristwatch (gold, baguette diamond, sapphire and ruby each)
The ultimate "his and hers" pair of timepieces, the present lot is a possibly unique set of Blancpain watches. Made upon special order, it comprises two watches adorned with baguette-cut emeralds on the bezel. Emeralds are among the most exclusive gemstones used in high-end watches, reserved almost entirely for top-tier clients due to their rarity, exceptional value, and the meticulous craftsmanship required to set them perfectly.
As an extraordinary bonus, each timepiece comes with four interchangeable bezels: one in gold, and three others set with baguette diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, respectively. This allows the wearers to change the bezel color and combination at will, offering endless possibilities to vary their style according to mood or occasion. Numbered 1, this set is believed to be the only known example, made for a most distinguished and exclusive client.
Access to such a set in the 1990s was typically reserved for an ultra-elite circle of clients and long-standing private collectors whose relationships with the brand spanned decades. These pieces were offered discreetly through private appointments, invitation-only previews, or bespoke commissions, ensuring that ownership remained as rare and distinguished as the timepieces themselves.
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.