The Ladybird Colors watch by Blancpain is a triumph of both jewellery and watchmaking. An art to which the secrets are rarely revealed. All the more reason to follow SoBARNES into the inner sanctum to observe these artisans whose skills have become legendary.
As of 1930, Blancpain played a pioneering role in the history of feminine watchmaking with the first self-winding wristwatch for women, the Rolls. In 1956, the brand presented the Ladybird, equipped with the smallest round movement of the time. Today it has unveiled its descendant, the Ladybird Colors, featuring a white mother-of-pearl dial adorned with slightly rounded applied gold Arabic numerals, sized to form an asymmetrical hour circle crowned by the number 12. And we’re excited to announce that Blancpain has accepted to unveil the secrets of this new jewellery watch:
Like any self-respecting jewellery watch, the Ladybird Colors boasts a high-end gemsetting. Before placing the gems, the gemsetters hollow out the material using scorpers to create a thin clean-cut band of precious metal (fillet) on either side of the diamonds. This step, known as “recutting”, is important as it influences the brilliance of the model by producing a mirror effect. The diamonds are then positioned one by one in a precise alignment so that their facets reflect the light in unison. The artisans then push back the beads formed from the precious metal over the gems to hold them in place. Steps that must be carried out with great accuracy to avoid damaging the stones. And which only the most experienced gemsetters are able to achieve.
The 34.9-mm diameter case in red or white gold is thus set with 59 diamonds. And it goes without saying that the mechanical movement is a marvel of engineering.
And for the SoBARNES detail that’s sure to impress: the hour and minutes hands are shaped like hollowed-out sage leaves – a signature Blancpain attribute!
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Infos : Blancpain.com
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