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Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Phases de Lune 29mm Automatic Mens Watch White
Ref. 17480256
The Villeret collection takes its name from the village in the Vallée de Joux where Blancpain was founded, and everything about it is built to honour that continuity. This moon phase reference carries one of the oldest watch complications — a 59-tooth wheel beneath the dial turning a disc through the 29.5-day lunar cycle — and frames it in the double-stepped case that has defined the Villeret line from the beginning. At 29.2mm in 18k red gold, this sits at the intimate end of the range, and the 10.35mm depth keeps it close enough to the wrist to disappear beneath a cuff. The opaline dial is set with eight diamonds at the hours, the bezel holds a further 48, and red gold Roman numerals fill the remaining positions — a dial that is fully dressed without crowding itself. Calibre 913QL, made in-house, includes a silicon hairspring and Blancpain's secured-movement system, which locks the mechanism against accidental displacement when the crown is engaged — a small engineering decision that says something about how the watch is expected to be used and kept over decades. The caseback is transparent sapphire, so the 174-component movement is visible from either side.
- Reference
- 17480256
- Brand
- Blancpain
- Case size
- 29mm
- Case thickness
- 10.35mm
- Case material
- Rose gold
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- White
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 913QL
- Functions
- Moonphase
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Ex-display
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 40 hours
- Gem set
- Yes
Learn more about Blancpain
Jehan-Jacques Blancpain registered as a watchmaker in Villeret in 1735, which makes Blancpain the oldest name in the industry by registration date. The dial still carries JB 1735.
The claim comes with an asterisk the house is candid about: production stopped during the quartz crisis. The name was dormant until Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet bought it in 1983 and relaunched it on a defiantly contrarian promise — there has never been a quartz Blancpain, and there never will be. In a market then convinced mechanical watchmaking was finished, this proved commercially astute as well as romantic.
The technical high-water mark of the modern era came in 1991 with the 1735 Grande Complication, which combined a tourbillon, perpetual calendar, moon phase, minute repeater, and split-seconds chronograph in one wristwatch.
Blancpain's other lasting contribution is the Fifty Fathoms of 1953, developed with French combat divers and predating the Submariner. It established the vocabulary of the dive watch — rotating bezel, high legibility, real water resistance — and remains the collection most buyers know.
The Swatch Group acquired the brand in 1992. The Villeret line continues the classical side of the house: round cases, double stepped bezels, and complications presented without ornament.
- 1735
- Jehan-Jacques Blancpain registers as a watchmaker in Villeret.
- 1953
- The Fifty Fathoms establishes the modern dive watch.
- 1983
- Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet revive the dormant brand.
- 1991
- The 1735 Grande Complication is released.
- 1992
- Acquired by the Swatch Group.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Watches Under 37mm (1,579), Automatic Watches (1,324), Leather Strap Watches (941), Dress Watches (468), Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (100) and Solid Gold Watches (76).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 29mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
- 40-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 17480256 | 278573-6017 | 49528D11A631-CB6A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £13,200 | £12,000 | £11,700 |
| Case size | 29mm | 30mm | 30mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 40 hours | 42 hours | 42 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 40 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths at £13,200, ex-display. No UK retailer we track lists this reference new.
Is this available new?
Not from the UK retailers we track. This reference is listed as ex-display only, at £13,200 from Goldsmiths. Ex-display watches are unworn shop stock rather than second-hand — sold below the recommended retail price, and with the manufacturer’s guarantee intact.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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