Blancpain

Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain in Villeret, Switzerland, Blancpain is officially the world’s oldest continuously operating registered watchmaking brand. For nearly three centuries, the brand has been defined by its unwavering commitment to traditional mechanical watchmaking.

Blancpain’s landmark historical contribution to modern watchmaking came in 1953 with the launch of the Fifty Fathoms, widely regarded as the first modern dive watch. Developed in collaboration with French Navy combat swimmers, it introduced the features that would define ISO dive watch standards: a unidirectional rotating bezel with a graduated scale, a black dial with high-contrast luminous indexes, and a water-resistant case guaranteed to withstand depths of up to 50 fathoms (approx. 91 meters).

A defining principle of the brand’s philosophy is its famous historical motto: "Blancpain has never made a quartz watch, and never will." During the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, the company remained exclusively committed to complex mechanical movements, standing out for its ultra-thin models and perpetual calendars with moon phases.