Blancpain’s Villeret Ultraplate has always been the house’s quiet counterpoint to the dive watches and pilot chronographs that often take up more space in the conversation.
The latest 38mm models lean into that role with warmer dial colours, carefully adjusted details and a case size that feels far more in tune with how many collectors now want a dress watch to wear.
It’s still formal enough for tailoring, but the new combinations make it feel less ceremonial and much easier to imagine as an everyday watch.
At a glance
- Blancpain has refreshed the Villeret Ultraplate 38mm with new dial executions and a lightly reshaped case.
- The collection includes stainless steel and 18k red gold models, powered by the automatic Calibre 1150 with a 100-hour power reserve.
- The watches join the permanent collection, with prices starting at CHF 9,600 in steel and rising to CHF 19,700 in red gold.
A 38mm Villeret built around discretion
The Villeret line takes its name from the village where Jehan-Jacques Blancpain established his workshop in 1735, and it remains the brand’s most classically minded family.
Within that collection, the Ultraplate is the cleanest expression of the idea, a slim automatic watch with hours, minutes, seconds and date rather than a display of complications.
The 38mm case is the key decision here.
At 8.35mm thick and 43.35mm from lug to lug, the Ultraplate is proportioned to sit low and close, with enough presence to feel substantial but not enough to overwhelm the wrist.
The dimensions are unchanged, though Blancpain has subtly reshaped the case to bring it closer to the look of the 40mm versions that remain in the catalogue.
A polished finish, stepped bezel and restrained profile keep the watch firmly in dress-watch territory without making it feel old-fashioned.
Salmon and opaline dials soften the mood
The most noticeable changes are on the dial.
For the first time in the Villeret collection, Blancpain pairs a sunray-brushed salmon dial with a stainless steel case, creating the most contemporary of the new references.
The tone sits between copper, rose and gold, and it’s matched with an anthracite nubuck alligator strap that prevents the watch from becoming too warm overall.
The other three models use a smooth opaline dial in a light gold tone, giving the watch a softer and quieter character.
One stainless steel version uses 18k white gold hands and markers, while the 18k red gold model carries matching red gold dial furniture.
A boutique edition adds a sharper twist, combining the light gold dial with a steel case, 18k yellow gold accents and an olive-green strap.
The dial architecture has been adjusted rather than reinvented.
The Roman numerals are now resized for better balance, made in solid gold, with satin-finished upper surfaces and polished bevelled edges.
At 12 o’clock, Blancpain replaces the traditional Roman numeral with the JB monogram, a discreet nod to Jehan-Jacques Blancpain.
The leaf-shaped hands remain suitably slender, though they now carry a fine line of Super-LumiNova, and the enlarged date aperture at 3 o’clock gives the watch a useful daily-wear function.
Calibre 1150 gives the slim case real substance
Inside is Blancpain’s automatic Manufacture Calibre 1150, visible through a sapphire caseback.
The movement is only 3.25mm thick, which helps explain how the watch remains so slim, yet it still delivers a 100-hour power reserve.
It runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour, uses a silicon hairspring and is built from 210 components with 28 jewels.
The finishing is traditional rather than flashy, with Geneva stripes and polished bevels.
Steel models receive a yellow gold openworked rotor, while the red gold model uses a colour-matched oscillating weight.
Each version comes on a nubuck alligator leather strap in beige, anthracite, honey or olive green depending on the reference.
A folding clasp is fitted, and Blancpain includes a tool-free interchangeable strap and buckle system, a practical touch on a watch that otherwise keeps its technical details politely out of view.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Blancpain |
|---|---|
| Model | Villeret Ultraplate 38mm |
| References | 6224N-1135-55B, 6224N-1142-55B, 6224N-A-1142-55B, 6224N-3642-55B |
| Case size | 38mm diameter, 8.35mm thickness, 43.35mm lug to lug |
| Case material | Polished stainless steel or 18k red gold |
| Crystal | Sapphire crystal front and caseback |
| Water resistance | 30 metres |
| Dial | Sunray-brushed salmon or light gold-toned opaline |
| Hands and markers | 18k white gold, red gold or yellow gold, with Super-LumiNova line on the hands |
| Movement | Blancpain Manufacture Calibre 1150 automatic |
| Movement details | 28 jewels, 210 components, 26.20mm diameter, 3.25mm thickness |
| Frequency | 21,600 vibrations per hour |
| Power reserve | 100 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds and date |
| Strap | Nubuck alligator leather in beige, anthracite, honey or olive green |
| Clasp | Folding clasp matching the case material |
| Availability | Permanent collection, with the steel model featuring yellow gold dial accents reserved for Blancpain boutiques |
| Price | From CHF 9,600 in stainless steel, CHF 19,700 in 18k red gold |
The appeal of the Villeret Ultraplate 38mm is that it doesn’t try to make a dress watch feel louder than it needs to be.
With these warmer dials, measured case proportions and a serious long-power-reserve movement, Blancpain has made its most understated Villeret feel more relevant without disturbing its essential calm.
