Why no love for Blancpain?

[EdwardC]

I've been looking for an annual calendar and I think Blancpain makes good pieces in that category. In general it's not a popular brand.. But quality is there. How come there's no love for this brand?

[Heff]

Plenty of love for the brand. You are on a Rolex forum though my dude.


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[_speedmaster_]

You'll find a decent amount of fans here on this forum (myself included).

If you are asking more generally amongst the non-WIS population, I think it mainly comes down to two factors. They generally don't do themselves any favors by only producing 40mm sport models in very limited quantity (45mm FF and 43mm Bathyscaphs aren't for most people's wrists). Secondly, they are generally pretty terrible at marketing, be it through traditional means or through social media (Swatch do them a disservice in this respect). They make great products (like the annual calendar you mentioned), but nobody knows about it.

[T3F]

Originally Posted by _speedmaster_

You'll find a decent amount of fans here on this forum (myself included).

If you are asking more generally amongst the non-WIS population, I think it mainly comes down to two factors. They generally don't do themselves any favors by only producing 40mm sport models in very limited quantity (45mm FF and 43mm Bathyscaphs aren't for most people's wrists). Secondly, they are generally pretty terrible at marketing, be it through traditional means or through social media (Swatch do them a disservice in this respect). They make great products (like the annual calendar you mentioned), but nobody knows about it.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

If they made that black ceramic Bathyscaphe in 40-41mm, I would already own one. I’m thinking about the Barakuda LE, but I’m still slightly on the fence with it and am not overly inclined to put down $14k for one without seeing it first.

The prices are also quite high for watches that, to my eye, are very rugged. I know the movement quality justifies it, but I’d honestly prefer slightly worse finishing and a lower power reserve (would help with thickness also) if it brought the price down.

Lastly, the FF line needs good bracelets. The sailcloth straps look nice and are good options to have, but on a dive watch, a good bracelet is nearly a necessity for me (and I think many others).

It’s a really cool brand that makes some awesome watches, but they haven’t quite nailed the execution yet. I’ll definitely add one at some point, but I’m still not 100% in love with anything in the current lineup.

[EdwardC]

I am most impressed by their ability to have corrected at the back of the watch for date, day and month. So no need for a pin. No other brand does that and I'm amazed.

[Frits1980]

I have a love/hate relationship with Blancpain. I realy do not understand their sportmodels sizes. Why make a 43 and 38 Bathyscape. Both sizes alienates the market. 43 is to big for most and 38 to small. Why not make it 41 so all guys can wear it and a 36 for women. Not to mention the FF. Make it in 42 on a bracelet, incl the sailcloth strap and a toolkit. Use some movie/celeb/athlete for marketing. Now That could be a bestseller.

[scarlet knight]

Originally Posted by Frits1980

I have a love/hate relationship with Blancpain. I realy do not understand their sportmodels sizes. Why make a 43 and 38 Bathyscape. Both sizes alienates the market. 43 is to big for most and 38 to small. Why not make it 41 so all guys can wear it and a 36 for women. Not to mention the FF. Make it in 42 on a bracelet, incl the sailcloth strap and a toolkit. Use some movie/celeb/athlete for marketing. Now That could be a bestseller.

How many people work there 365 days a year for decent money and cannot get this simple correction effectuated?

[brandrea]

Lots of love here, just can never seem to quite pull the trigger.

IMO you need to but at the right price as secondary prices take a hit. Perhaps that has changed from when I last seriously considered one.

[p_mcgee]

I was at the Blancpain boutique in midtown Manhattan & asked the guy the same thing, why no 40mm or even 42mm Fifty Fathoms (aside from special editions like the Milspec).

He said the dealers have been asking for that for years, he could sell a boatload of those & Blancpain has promised but not delivered. He explained that when it came out the FF was considered an oversized watch & apparently in the reissue they jacked up the size to keep it oversized.

[Alimamy]

Originally Posted by p_mcgee

I was at the Blancpain boutique in midtown Manhattan & asked the guy the same thing, why no 40mm or even 42mm Fifty Fathoms (aside from special editions like the Milspec).

He said the dealers have been asking for that for years, he could sell a boatload of those & Blancpain has promised but not delivered. He explained that when it came out the FF was considered an oversized watch & apparently in the reissue they jacked up the size to keep it oversized.

I asked the same thing to the store manager at the Watchtime event last year. Nice and knowledgeable guy. I was wearing a 38mm Bathyscaphe at the time and now have the 43mm

I am kind of new to this, but trying to understand the brand myself. In addition to what's been mentioned about sizing, I think there is the element of the Brand's revival that might affect reputation. The 50s tool watches from Blancpain were not haute horology, that all seemed to start with the Biver/Piguet restoration of the brand name and the renaissance of high end mechanical watchmaking in the late 80s and 90s.

Tim Mosso pointed out recently that it kind of makes more sense that Omega would be the high end haute horology brand of swatch group, given the history of Omega.

Belonging to the Swatch group may be a negative? You can see some sharing of technology and even design with Omega. But also a positive for servicing and future longevity for the brand.

I can't bring myself to pay the mark-up for the 40mm Fifty Fathoms limited editions. I think Hayek will protect the people who bought them by reserving that size for the limited editions, though. The OCIII is a great looking watch.

I wish I understood more about finishing. But the quality of the watches, their performance, and the aftermarket support for servicing at a reasonable price seems to be in place.

[OJONES]

Originally Posted by Alimamy

Tim Mosso pointed out recently that it kind of makes more sense that Omega would be the high end haute horology brand of swatch group, given the history of Omega.

I like Mosso, but that doesn't make any sense, because Omega just aren’t anywhere near that product category.

[_speedmaster_]

Originally Posted by OJONES

I like Mosso, but that doesn't make any sense, because Omega just aren’t anywhere near that product category.

To clarify, he said to spin off Blancpain, Breguet, GO and JD so Swatch Group could focus on Omega. He didn’t mean it as putting Omega far up market.

Not saying I agree. But I do think Blancpain get lost in Swatch Group. To me, it makes little sense to have them and Breguet, and it’s clear as day that Blancpain get essentially no piece of the marketing budget allocation.

[DGB]

Originally Posted by _speedmaster_

To clarify, he said to spin off Blancpain, Breguet, GO and JD so Swatch Group could focus on Omega. He didn’t mean it as putting Omega far up market.



Not saying I agree. But I do think Blancpain get lost in Swatch Group. To me, it makes little sense to have them and Breguet, and it’s clear as day that Blancpain get essentially no piece of the marketing budget allocation.

+1
100% agree


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[Frits1980]

Originally Posted by p_mcgee

I was at the Blancpain boutique in midtown Manhattan & asked the guy the same thing, why no 40mm or even 42mm Fifty Fathoms (aside from special editions like the Milspec).

He said the dealers have been asking for that for years, he could sell a boatload of those & Blancpain has promised but not delivered. He explained that when it came out the FF was considered an oversized watch & apparently in the reissue they jacked up the size to keep it oversized.

40mm for the FF would indead be to small. I own the mil-spec and bathy 43mm. The FF in 40mm wears smaller then a pre-ceramic sub. But in 42 maybe even 43 it would still be oversized but now wearable for the average wrist. The 43mm Bathyscape is pretty spectacular if you look at it closely but the open dial, thin bezel paired with the damn 43mm makes it look like a fashion watch at first glance.


As for quality. Case/finishing and movement are top notch. Close to AP quality i would say. But the devil is in the details and there are some sloppy errors with the bracelet, bezel and the painted dials/hands could be better imo

[PeqFB]

I have a Blancpain in my collection and it's one of my favorite watches. Quality is definitely there. I do wish it was a hair smaller though.

[AK797]

It's a Rolex and thus sporty forum so lots of love for the FFs but less for the dressier models.

[DGB]

It is all about marketing, when JC Biver revived the company, they started very strong, to be the top of the range of luxury watches, but he sold it to Swatch Group later on.
Swatch having many brands did not managed the marketing of Blancpain like Biver had, they chose Breguet as flagship.
Nevertheless Blancpain quality and complications are top notch, much above Omega or Rolex,
Marketing is king.
I recently purchased a perpetual calendar, absolutely love it.
Ultimately it is all about what you love, not what the other want you to have.


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[kultschar]

Sizing puts me off if I’m honest. They look great

[Soarer]

I love my Blancpain FF and GMT. Even though they are older models from Trilogy series, quality and finish is top-notch. I may give up my Rolex watches, but not my Blancpain!

[Justindo]

I really like Blancpain a lot and they make great quality watches and I have considered them but I don't own any, mainly due to their large sizes. I would certainly consider a Fifty-Fathoms at 40mm but the current models are just too large for my wrist. I really like some of their Villaret dress watches as well but, again, they are a bit too large at 40-42mm. With the trend going toward smaller watches, Blancpain would be wise to consider shrinking their sizes a couple mm.

[improviz]

The FF wears a bit small for its size, so 40mm would probably be a bit too much so imo. I think in 42-43mm size it would be perfect, but 45.5 is too large for most folks (I can get by with it, but it could stand to be a few mm smaller imo).

[Uppersouth]

My wrist measures 7.5” and the 5015 really sits well on my wrist. This was my first experience seeing them in the metal and I must say I’m impressed. I wish I hadn’t tried on the rose gold version! It’s got me thinking about robbing the kid’s college funds! Lol!


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[Justindo]

Originally Posted by Uppersouth

My wrist measures 7.5” and the 5015 really sits well on my wrist. This was my tfirst experience seeing them in the metal and I must say I’m impressed. I wish I hadn’t tried on the rose gold version! It’s got me thinking about robbing the kid’s college funds! Lol!


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That looks great on you!

[memps]

my triple date- lovely & discreet
Love this thing
real contrast to my submariner

[Uppersouth]

Originally Posted by Justindo

That looks great on you!

Thanks man! The satin rose gold looked amazing with the brown leather strap.

[Swaye]

I just put out a full deposit on the new FF Barakuda. Probably the best looking dive watch ever made to my eye. Finish is beyond reproach, and they have the technical details right - 100 hour power reserve, display caseback (and something actually worth displaying), gold rotor, exceptional finishing, etc. All in a 40MM size. Darn near the perfect watch. I even like the vintage strap design. Suits it perfectly.

That said, did have to gulp a bit to lay out 15K for a diver on strap...as someone previously stated they make you pay up to get the FF in 40MM because they know the market is hungry for it. Still, top level piece and just a beauty to look at (imho).

[_speedmaster_]

Originally Posted by Swaye

I just put out a full deposit on the new FF Barakuda. Probably the best looking dive watch ever made to my eye. Finish is beyond reproach, and they have the technical details right - 100 hour power reserve, display caseback (and something actually worth displaying), gold rotor, exceptional finishing, etc. All in a 40MM size. Darn near the perfect watch. I even like the vintage strap design. Suits it perfectly.

That said, did have to gulp a bit to lay out 15K for a diver on strap...as someone previously stated they make you pay up to get the FF in 40MM because they know the market is hungry for it. Still, top level piece and just a beauty to look at (imho).

Agree, 'kuda was a great looking release from BP (I would've kept my allocation if it had been a touch more different than my Milspec, but alas). Everything you said about their quality and finishing is spot on. As far as sport watches go, they are right up there with AP's RO in my opinion and above offerings from Rolex and PP (I honestly don't get the PP nautilus/aquanaut hype).

[Swaye]

Originally Posted by _speedmaster_

Agree, 'kuda was a great looking release from BP (I would've kept my allocation if it had been a touch more different than my Milspec, but alas). Everything you said about their quality and finishing is spot on. As far as sport watches go, they are right up there with AP's RO in my opinion and above offerings from Rolex and PP (I honestly don't get the PP nautilus/aquanaut hype).

Agree with everything you said, and this is as a total Rolex fanatic.

[cdnwatchguy]

I love mine and receive many compliments on it so....there is love here.

[denmanproject]

I love the FF and was very close to pulling the trigger but went another way, this new one has me looking at the brand again!