Blancpain’s latest Ladybird Tribute is a compact collection with a very specific point of origin.
Created to mark the centennial of Marilyn Monroe’s birth, the seven-piece series looks back to a diamond-set Blancpain cocktail watch that once belonged to the actress, then translates its architecture into contemporary jewellery watchmaking.
It’s a small, highly focused release, but one that sits at the intersection of Hollywood history, mid-century design and Blancpain’s long experience with miniature movements.
At a glance
- Blancpain has introduced the Ladybird Tribute as seven unique pieces inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s historic diamond-set cocktail watch.
- Each watch uses a 35 x 16 mm 18K white gold case set with 85 diamonds and is powered by the manual-winding Caliber 510.
- Each unique piece is priced at CHF 41,000, with a caseback engraving tied to one letter of the name MARILYN.
A Hollywood watch with Art Deco bones
The historical Blancpain watch that anchors this project is believed to have been made between the late 1940s and early 1950s.
It returned to public attention in 2016, when it appeared at a Los Angeles auction as part of the estate of Lee Strasberg, who had held a portion of Monroe’s personal belongings.
Blancpain acquired the watch for US$225,000, bringing it into the Maison’s permanent museum collection.
Its design is unusually architectural for a jewellery watch of its era.
The platinum 950 case is long and rectangular, set with 71 brilliant-cut diamonds and two marquise stones, and its vertical proportions call to mind the upward thrust of American Art Deco and mid-century New York architecture.
The dial is equally disciplined, with an opaline surface, yellow gold applied hour markers and a vertically arranged Blancpain signature.
A double safety chain completes the object as a cocktail watch in the truest sense, where bracelet, jewel and timekeeper are treated as a single composition.
From Monroe’s platinum piece to a modern Ladybird
The Ladybird Tribute doesn’t attempt to reproduce the vintage watch exactly.
Instead, Blancpain has kept the essential geometry and jewellery language, then rebuilt the idea around a modern movement and a more contemporary case construction.
Each of the seven pieces is made in 18K white gold, measuring 35 mm long by 16 mm wide and 6.50 mm thick.
The rectangular profile remains slim and formal, while the diamond setting is more expansive than on the historical watch.
Blancpain uses 85 diamonds across the case, intermediate links, lugs and buckle, for a total of 1.360 carats.
The dial keeps the opaline finish and yellow gold applied markers, preserving the warmth and contrast of the earlier design rather than pushing the watch into a fully monochrome white-metal look.
Colour distinguishes the seven unique pieces.
Each watch is paired with an exclusive strap colour and carries an engraving on the caseback corresponding to one letter in MARILYN.
The slim Caliber 510 inside
The original Monroe-owned watch was fitted with an FHF 59 baguette movement, a tiny mechanism of roughly 0.85 by 2.09 cm that belonged to an important generation of ultra-thin calibres made for jewellery watches.
Its signatures also place it in a particularly interesting Blancpain period, with “Blancpain” marked on the ratchet wheel and “Rayville Watch Co.” on the lever bridge.
For the Ladybird Tribute, Blancpain turns to its in-house Caliber 510.
Introduced in 2020, the manual-winding movement is 2.60 mm thick and suits the narrow proportions of the watch without making the case feel overbuilt.
It runs at 3 Hz, or 21,600 vibrations per hour, and is assembled from 128 components with 23 jewels.
The 52-hour power reserve is practical for a watch likely to be worn selectively, and the sapphire exhibition caseback gives the modern movement a more visible role than the hidden mechanics of many historical jewellery watches.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Blancpain |
|---|---|
| Model | Ladybird Tribute |
| Production | Seven unique pieces |
| Case size | 35 x 16 mm |
| Case thickness | 6.50 mm |
| Case material | 18K white gold |
| Gem-setting | 85 diamonds, 1.360 carats total |
| Dial | Opaline with yellow gold applied hour markers |
| Movement | Blancpain Caliber 510, manual-winding |
| Movement thickness | 2.60 mm |
| Frequency | 3 Hz, 21,600 vibrations per hour |
| Components | 128 components, 23 jewels |
| Power reserve | 52 hours |
| Caseback | Sapphire exhibition back with individual MARILYN letter engraving |
| Water resistance | 30 metres |
| Price | CHF 41,000 |
The appeal here is not simply Monroe’s name, even if that cultural link will inevitably draw attention.
What makes the Ladybird Tribute more compelling is the way Blancpain treats the historical watch as a design study rather than a prop, using its proportions, diamond geometry and delicate scale to create seven contemporary pieces with genuine watchmaking substance.
For collectors drawn to jewellery watches with provenance, miniature mechanics and a strong visual identity, this is one of Blancpain’s more intimate tributes to its own mid-century history.
