There’s a quiet revolution happening in the watch world, and it doesn’t involve flying tourbillons or perpetual calendars that can calculate leap years until the sun burns out. It’s simpler than that: Blancpain has made the Villeret Ultraplate smaller, and somehow that feels like a big deal.
The Geneva maison has introduced a 38mm version of its beloved Villeret Ultraplate – sitting alongside the existing 40mm – and the message is refreshingly straightforward: not every wrist is the same, and the best dress watch is the one that actually fits yours.
The Right Watch for the Right Wrist
The Ultraplate has always been Blancpain’s argument that restraint is a virtue. Ultra-thin automatic movement, minimal fuss, maximum elegance. The new 38mm keeps everything that made the 40mm great – calibre 1150 with its impressive 100-hour power reserve, silicon hairspring, Haute Horlogerie finishing visible through the sapphire caseback – and simply packages it in a case that sits more discreetly on smaller wrists. At just 8.35mm thick, this watch will slide under a shirt cuff without complaint.
The redesigns introduced last autumn now reach the 38mm: solid 18ct gold Roman numerals with satin-finished tops and polished bevels, the JB monogram replacing the traditional XII (a nod to Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the founder), slender Super-LumiNova hands for those late-candlelit dinners, and a generously sized date window at three o’clock. Through the caseback, you get a glimpse of an open-worked oscillating weight – yellow gold on steel models, red gold on gold ones. A lovely touch.
Something New in Salmon
Here’s where things get interesting. For the first time in Villeret’s history, the collection wears a sunburst salmon dial. And yes, it works beautifully. The dial shifts between copper, rose, and gold depending on the light – the sort of effect that makes you keep tilting your wrist at dinner. It comes in a stainless steel case with black-treated 18ct gold numerals and an anthracite nubuck strap. The contrast between the warm dial and the cool steel case is genuinely appealing, and the dark numerals give it an edge that pure dress watches sometimes lack.
For those who prefer their Villeret in quieter tones, the gold-toned opaline dial is right there alongside it – the classic choice that has anchored the collection for decades.
Boutique Exclusive Worth Seeking Out
One reference deserves a special mention. Available only through Blancpain boutiques, it pairs a stainless steel case with solid 18ct yellow-gold numerals, a gold-toned opaline dial, and an olive-green nubuck alligator strap that is saddle-cut and hand-stitched. The combination of steel and yellow gold is deliberately unconventional for Villeret – a house that usually plays things safe on the colour front. The olive strap makes it even more unexpected. It’s the kind of watch that makes collectors do a double-take, then immediately ask where to buy it.
The Moon and the Ladies
Blancpain hasn’t forgotten that the moon phase is basically their signature complication – they built their reputation on it back in 1983, when they produced the smallest complete calendar moon phase of the time in just 34mm. Alongside the Ultraplate launches come two Villeret Phases de Lune in 29.2mm, featuring a blue ceramic disc with an applied, domed 18ct gold moon that has its own distinctive face. Diamond-set bezels and indexes add sparkle. The calibre 913QL inside allows calendar adjustments at any time without risk to the movement – a genuinely useful practical detail.
The Practical Stuff
Both the Ultraplate and Phases de Lune benefit from Blancpain’s tool-free strap and buckle system – you can swap straps with a fingertip. The alligator straps come in beige, anthracite, honey, blue, and olive green. Prices start at CHF 9,600 for the steel Ultraplate and CHF 15,300 for the steel Phases de Lune. Both come with a five-year warranty.
In a world full of watches desperately trying to be noticed, the Villeret Ultraplate 38mm makes the opposite argument: the best watch is the one you forget you’re wearing – right until someone across the table notices it first.
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