Introducing: The Blancpain Villeret Quantie?me Complet GMT

February 20, 2018

The triple calendar with moonphase is Blancpain's flagship complication. Sure, they make more complex watches with many times more components, but it's this practical complication that is the brand's best seller (performing even better than the Fifty Fathoms and Bathyscaphe dive watches). Here we have that watch with the addition of a 24-hour hand for tracking a second timezone. The Villeret Quantie?me Complet GMT is available in both steel and red gold configurations, but technically the watches are the same and the big news is the addition of the under-lug correctors for the calendar functions that have been seen in the non-GMT versions of this watch for a while. The central GMT hand is meant to track home time and the crown can be used to jump the main hour hand forward and backward in one-hour increments for easy adjustment when traveling. The calendar functions are all tied to local time as well. Why This Watch Matters While this travel-friendly version of the Villeret Quantie?me Complet has been around for a decade and a half (it first debuted in 2002), only now is it getting upgraded to have the same important convenience factors found in the more basic model. Those under-lug correctors for the calendar functions are a much bigger deal than you'd think and now elevate this model back to an even playing field. Initial Thoughts I've always been a fan of both triple calendar watches and GMT watches, so the combination of the two definitely gets my attention. Blancpain has done a nice job here keeping the dial clean and the indicators clear and easy to read. This is the kind of watch that could suffer from legibility problems, but I don't see any reason to think that would be an issue here. There's also something about the red gold model on the beads of rice bracelet that I find strangely alluring, though it would almost certainly be the steel model on the alligator strap that I'd wear most in reality. The Basics Brand: BlancpainModel: Villeret Quantie?me Complet GMTDiameter: 40mmThickness: 11.8mmCase Material: Stainless steel or red goldDial Color: White (stainless steel), Opaline (red gold)Indexes: Applied Roman numeralsLume: NoneWater Resistance: 30 metersStrap/Bracelet: Alligator strap, stainless steel bracelet, or red gold bracelet The Movement Caliber: In-House Caliber 67A5Functions: Hours, minutes, month, day, date, moonphase, GMTDiameter: 27mmThickness: 6mmPower Reserve: 72 hoursWinding: AutomaticJewels: 28Additional Details: Has under-lug correctors for the calendar functions Pricing & Availability Price: Coming SoonAvailability: Spring 2018For more click here.