Blancpain L-evolution Automatique 8 Jours
Achieving above-average reliability and outstanding performance were the avowed terms of reference of the Blancpain movement design engineers and master-watchmakers in undertaking development of the new Calibre 13R5. A daunting challenge on a par with those regularly self-imposed by the Manufacture in Le Brassus and brilliantly taken up by the guardians of an age-old, constantly improved wealth of expertise.
- Automatique 8 Jours
The result is bound to earn unanimous approval : with a case slightly more elongated than that of its predecessors, the decidedly sporty Automatique 8 Jours model in the L-evolution Collection is an anthem to modern progress penned with the ink of tradition.
With its generous 43.5 mm case and its black face enhanced by oversized 9 and 3 o’clock numerals, the Automatique 8 Jours cuts an athletic figure in the rarefied spheres of mechanical horology – a restricted zone to which this exceptional sports champion gains full access thanks to a “special pass” in the form of its exceptional proprietary movement.
You don’t change a winning formula
Calibre 13R5 picks up the intrinsic qualities of the exclusive hand-wound Calibre 13R0, starting with the unique system of regulating screws for the titanium balance. In order to vary the active length of the balance-spring, and thus the balance speed of oscillation, most mechanical movements are fitted with a two-arm mobile organ known as an “index”. In its quest for performance and precision, Blancpain has chosen another approach : the rate is controlled by means of inertia-blocks placed around the balance rim or “ felly ”. The Manufacture has equipped these micrometrical gold screws with square heads to facilitate adjustment.
A quarter-turn of two diametrically opposite screws results in a gain or loss of thirty seconds per day. This considerably heightens the level of precision and avoids any risk of movement operation being disrupted by jolting or jarring.
Calibre 13R5 is equipped with three barrels for an exceptional 192-hour (8-day) power reserve, with a high-density gold rotor ensuring highly efficient winding, as well a flat balance-spring to guarantee perfect isochronism. The final touch of technical perfection lies in the fact that the date adjustment can be performed at any time – including around midnight – and in both directions. Such an operation is impossible on most mechanical movements, which could be damaged in the process.
Such an exceptional ‘engine’ deserved an exceptional watch. The Automatique 8 Jours model enshrines a set of sophisticated and daring elements. The dial is extremely complex in its own right. Its delicately cut-out design features a broad central opening revealing a baseplate adorned with Côtes de Genève. Two additional apertures, a date window at 6 o’clock and the power-reserve display at 12 o’clock, create an impressive structural depth effect. Finally, the two oversized Arabic numerals at 3 and 9 o’clock accentuate the three-dimensional nature of this high-tech dial.
The equally dynamic and appealingly compact sports-style case is fitted with new detachable lugs, a feature that facilitates the insertion of metal bracelets. The Automatique 8 Jours is available in steel or red gold versions teamed with a rubber-lined black or brown strap in alligator leather and a triple-blade folding clasp. (Blancpain press)