jkingston
356
Let me weigh in as well.
Nov 01, 2011,15:07 PM
I am rather disappointed to see the charge of quality of Blancpain being "horrible". Let's examine this statement (which is backed by no specifics at all). Do you measure quality of the movements? Blancpain is a 100% manufacture. Every single movement is in house. How many "quality" brands can say that? Blancpain has introduced a huge range of new movements over the last 4 years: all of them with free sprung balances, most of them offering extraordinarily long power reserves with 3 mains spring barrels. 17 new movements in the past 4.5 years. How many brands equal that? Is it the range of complications that you quarrel with? Blancpain offers essentially all of the major complications, all in-house: tourbillons, carrousels, minute repeaters, equation of time, perpetual calendars, annual calendar, complete calendar/moon phase, chronographs, split second chronographs, several varieties of GMT and, of course, combinations of these complications. How many brands can match that statement? And there are other innovations as well: correctors hidden under the lugs, secure calendar movment, secure minute repeater movement.
Are your criticisms directed at the X Fathoms? It offers features and performance that have never been in a mechanical diving watch before: 90 minute depth gauge (no mechanical watch has gone beyond 80 before): high precision depth measurement (within 30 cm at 15 m) (other mechanical diving watches make no such claim); 5 minute count down counter (only included in one other watch); long power reserve of 5 days with manufacture movement (longest offered elsewhere is 45 hours and almost all other depth gauge watches use outhouse movements); sapphire bezel (robust and beautiful); liquid metal membrane (a technology in no other mechanical dive watch); grade 5 (medical grade) titanium case; strap integrated directly into the case.
I will dismiss out of hand your use of the word "mafia" as a form of internet intemperance. But if you are objective about it, you would see that by being part of the Group, Blancpain has been blessed with resources and the ability to invest that would not have been possible otherwise. Perhaps you prefer a watch brand that invests nothing, buys 7750 movements, and spends all of its money on advertising.
Jeff