Blancpain Villeret Half-Time-Zone

Blancpain released the world’s first watch with second timezone that can be adjusted with 30 minute increments! The name of this watch is the Blancpain Villeret Half Time Zone or (in French) Villeret Demi-Fuseau Horaire.

It’s still a long time before the official release during Baselworld 2011, but Blancpain already sent the press release of this classic beauty with a unique complication. Strange enough it took me until January of this year, when I was in India for vacation, to realise not all time zones are one hour apart. There are time zones with 30 minute increments. So for the first time ever, there’s a wrist watch with second time zone complication that can actually indicate the exact time in those time zones!

At Baselworld 2010 Blancpain launched the new Villeret collection with the new Villeret Moonpase. The Villeret Half-Time-Zone is a second model in the new Villeret collection and personally I think it’s so much better than the L-Evolution they released at Baselworld 2009.

All functions of this watch can all be adjusted by a few turns of the crown. Only the pusher on the head of the crown serves to select fast correction or half time-zone adjustment mode, which is indicated by the indicator between the 4 and the 5.  The reference time indicator is placed at the 12 position and the hands to indicate the time on your location is positioned in the centre. At the six o’clock position is the date and at nine o’clock is the day and night indicator for the reference time zone (usually home).

The Villeret Half-Time-Zone features a half-hunter case in red gold fitted with two sapphire crystals, a diameter of 40mm and tickness of a little over 12mm.  This very nice sized watch can be strapped on the wrist on an alligator strap with a width of 22mm between the lugs. When the case-back lid is opened, the beautiful rotor with guilloche finish of manufacture calibre 5254DF can be admired.