Blancpain celebrates four decades of friendships at the table with a new video series starring its partner chefs – a quiet reminder that precision is not only the watchmaker’s art, but also the cook’s. The maison points to a community tallying more than 100 Michelin stars and opens the series with a throwback film tracing the origins of this culinary chapter in its DNA.
The first episode revisits archival moments and milestones – a measured reel rather than a trailer – to frame why Haute Horlogerie and Haute Gastronomie often speak the same language: discipline, seasonality, and the courage to keep things simple.
Blancpain also expands its Swiss circle. In Geneva, Olivier Jean, Executive Chef at The Woodward Hotel and two-star L’Atelier Robuchon, preaches simplicity, seasonality and respect for ingredients. Trained under Alain Ducasse and Jo”el Robuchon, he became the group’s youngest Executive Chef at 27 and still cooks with the clarity that line cooks envy and diners notice.
Sharing the same address, pastry chef Titouan Claudet brings geometry, elegance and a dose of childhood memory to the finish line. Recently named Gault & Millau Switzerland Pastry Chef of the Year 2025 and La Liste Pastry Talent of the Year 2025, he draws on nature, art and even watchmaking for form and restraint.
In Basel, Peter Knogl of Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl holds three Michelin stars. His French-rooted cuisine blends Mediterranean and Asian inflections, and his admiration for watchmaking is explicit – perfection arrives only when every part aligns with calm purpose. In Crissier, Head Sommelier Charline Pichon at the three-star Restaurant de l’H’otel de Ville de Crissier curates pairings with precision and sensitivity, recent recipient of the Michelin Sommelier Award 2025 and Gault & Millau Sommelier of the Year 2026.
It is tempting to view this as marketing garnish. Yet the parallels are plain enough. A good movement is legible, robust and thoughtfully finished. A good dish or pairing is the same – intention first, flourish second. If this series sticks to voices over slogans, it might show why some crafts age well and trends do not.
Leave a Reply