1990s Blancpain Villeret Flying Tourbillon

Adding a Blancpain was bound to happen at some point with the way my collection has evolved as of late. The obvious choices were any of the six masterpieces introduced during the 1980s under Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet. Traditional sizing, high-end watchmaking, and interesting variations — what’s not to love?

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While the perpetual calendars and the split-seconds chronographs are the popular choices, the flying tourbillons have always spoken to me more, both visually and mechanically. Yes, Breguet invented the tourbillon, and Audermars Piguet created the first series-produced tourbillon wristwatch, but it was Blancpain and Vincent Calabrese who developed the first flying tourbillon wristwatch you see here. Oh, and they casually added a 288-hour power reserve and kept the movement extremely thin at 4.85mm!

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Mechanical achievements aside, this flying tourbillon is just damn fun to look at. The over-sized viewing window gives the restrained design a touch of whimsical and exuberance that, to me, makes it a standout amongst the other five masterpieces. Given the choice between platinum and yellow gold, I honestly feel that the latter exudes a richness that’s entirely commensurate with just how special this level of watchmaking is.

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I’m thrilled to add this masterpiece to my collection, and believe they are still slept-on relative to the other tourbillons of the same era. Therein lies the excitement of collecting for me right now — finding these incredible pieces that should be worth exponentially more if not for the logo on their dial or the size of their case. They may finally have their day though as collective interest moves from steel sports watches into dressier and more design-focused pieces — a refreshing change I very much welcome