Vladimir putin age

Swiss luxury watchmaker founded in

46°34′47″N6°12′47″E / °N °E / ;

Blancpain SA (French pronunciation:[blɑ̃pɛ̃]) is a Swissluxurywatchmanufacturer, headquartered in Paudex/Le Brassus, Switzerland.^[3] It designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells prestige and luxury mechanical watches.^[4][5] Founded by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain in Villeret, Switzerland in (disputed claim ^[6]), Blancpain is the oldest registered watch brand in the world.^[4][7][8][9] Blancpain has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group since , and is regarded as a top-tier watch brand.^[9][10]

It is best known for its Fifty Fathoms diving watch introduced in (disputed claim ^[11]), and its Grand complicationwristwatch, introduced in ^{[12][13][14][15]}

History

Early history

Jehan-Jacques Blancpain started making watches in in Villeret, Switzerland.^[4][5] He founded the Blancpain brand, setting up his first workshop on the upper floor of his house at Villeret, in the present-day Bernese Jura.^[4][5] This part of the history is disputed.

According to Perezcope, there is no evidence that Jehan-Jacques Blancpain and the following two generations were watchmakers. ^[16]

In , Frédéric-Louis Blancpain, the great-grandson of Jehan-Jacques, who was head of the family business at the time, modernized production methods and transformed the traditional craft workshop into an industrial undertaking capable of serial production.

By replacing the crown-wheel mechanism with a cylinder escapement, Frédéric-Louis introduced a major innovation into the watchmaking world.^{[citation needed]}

In the second half of the 19th century, as industrialization took hold, the prices of watchmaking products were falling and many workshops were fated to close down.

To face up to American competition, in Blancpain built a two-storey factory by the River Suze and made use of water power to supply the electricity needed for its production processes. By modernizing its methods and concentrating on top-of-the-line products, Blancpain became one of the few watchmaking firms to survive in Villeret.^{[citation needed]}

Re-organization

In , the Manufacture entered into a partnership with John Harwood and started marketing the first automatic wristwatch.^[5] The year saw the end of the family's management of the firm, which had lasted for over two centuries.^[4] On the death of Frédéric-Emile Blancpain, his only daughter, Berthe-Nellie, did not wish to go into watchmaking.

The following year, the two members of the staff who had been closest to Frédéric-Emile, Betty Fiechter and André Léal, bought the business. As there was no longer any member of the Blancpain family in control of the firm, the two associates were obliged by law as it stood at the time to change the company name. The firm would be called Rayville S.A., succ.

de Blancpain, "Rayville" being a phonetic anagram of Villeret.^[4] Despite this change of name, the identity of the Manufacture was perpetuated, and the characteristics of the brand were preserved.^{[citation needed]}

Betty Fiechter remained director of Blancpain until , when her nephew, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, joined her.^[4] At the end of the s, Rayville-Blancpain was producing more than , watches per year.^[4] To make it possible to meet the continually growing demand, the firm became part of the SSIH, joining such brands as Omega SA, Tissot and Lemania.

In , the company's annual production reached the historical peak of , watches.^[4] During the quartz crisis of the s, SSIH was forced to reduce its output by half and to sell off part of its assets. In SSIH transitioned Blancpain from watch brand to movement manufacturer for Omega and quartz pocket watch maker for Moeris.

^[17] By the brand had been dissolved and totally absorbed by Omega, even the factory, was repurposed to serve Omega's jewelry department. ^[18] In , Omega withdrew from Villeret, Switzerland, abandoning the former Rayville factory completely. ^[19]

Recent development

In the current iteration of Blancpain was born when SSIH sold the Rayville-Blancpain name to Jacques Piguet, son of Frédéric Piguet and director of the company of that name, and Jean-Claude Biver, at that time employed by the SSIH.^[5] The company set up production at Le Brassus, in the Joux Valley, and from then on traded under the name of Blancpain SA.

In , the SSIH purchased Blancpain back for 60 million Swiss Francs. At that time, Blancpain had annual sales of 50&#;million Swiss Francs.

Blancpain vladimir putin biography book Scott Gehlbach, a professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin—Madison , has claimed that since , Putin has systematically punished journalists who challenge his official point of view. Moscow continued to participate in the joint consultative group, because it hoped that dialogue could lead to the creation of an effective, new conventional arms control regime in Europe. Other decrees concerned education , housing, skilled labor training, relations with the European Union , the defense industry , inter-ethnic relations, and other policy areas dealt with in Putin's program articles issued during the presidential campaign. In office 26 March — 24 May

Jean-Claude Biver remained as CEO of Blancpain until Marc Hayek, the grandson of the Swatch Group's founder and chairman, Nicolas Hayek (–), has run Blancpain since ^[4]

Later, SSIH became known as the Swatch Group, and in July , Frédéric Piguet SA, also owned by Swatch Group, was merged into the firm Blancpain SA.

Currently, Blancpain is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH.^[20]

Motto and slogan

One of Blancpain's company slogans is "Blancpain has never made a quartz watch and never will."^[5]

Watch manufacturing

According to their commercial slogans, the company has never produced quartz watches in the past and has stated in its advertisements that it never will, nor have they ever produced watches with digital displays.^[5] In comparison to a large watchmaker like Rolex, which makes about 2, watches a day, Blancpain produces fewer than thirty watches per day.

Each watch is made by a single watchmaker.^[21]

Important inventions and patents

• In , created the world's smallest moon-phases display.^[5]
• In , created the world's thinnest self-windingchronograph and the smallest minute-repeater movement at the time.^[5]
• In , created the world's thinnest split-second chronograph at the time.^[5]
• In , produced the world's first self-winding tourbillon and perpetual calendar, with an eight-day power reserve.^[5]
• In , patented the system of under-lug correctors.^[5]
• In , patented the "rail effect" stone-setting technique.^[5]
• In , created the Tourbillon Semainier, an unprecedented combination of complications with a seven-day power reserve.^[5]
• In , produced the world's first movement with a one-minute flying carousel and hour power reserve.^[5]

Notable models

Villeret

The Villeret collection is marketed as Blancpain's most classic collection.^[22] Named after the birthplace of Blancpain, the Villeret collection has been a flagship line of the company since s.^[23] The collection not only includes wristwatches with simple and elegant designs, but also include watches with complications such as triple calendar, moon phase, and carousel.^[24][25][26]

Fifty Fathoms

Blancpain is known for its Fifty-Fathoms watch, produced in collaboration with the French Navy’s Nageurs de Combat (combat swimmers) led by Captain Bob Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, and worn by Jacques Cousteau.^[5][27] From , Fifty-Fathoms was standard issue of the US Navy's combat divers and United States Navy SEALs.^[28] The watch has a water-resistant level up to 91 meters.^[5]

Grande Complication

Blancpain is famous for being the creator of one of the most complicated mechanical watches ever made, the Blancpain , which is a true grand complication (Tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, split chrono), a limited edition of 30 pieces only, production of just one piece per year.

Notable patrons and owners

Artists

Celebrities

Politicians

Blancpain sponsors Motorsport programs including the Blancpain Endurance Series,^[35]Blancpain Sprint Series, Blancpain GT Series until when the sponsorship was discontinued, ^[36]Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series, ADAC GT Masters^[37] and Reiter Engineering's GT1 and GT3 cars until Reiter mostly stopped racing Lamborghinis.

The Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize

The Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize is a literary prize established by Blancpain and The Imaginist literary journal in to "“discover and encourage outstanding young writers under the age of ” The winner receives a cash award of , RMB and the finalists receive 20, RMB.^[38]

See also

References

External links