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Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate 38mm Stainless Steel
Ref. 6224 1127 MMB
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Stepping up in Blancpain's range
Villeret Quantieme Phases de Lune 29mm Automatic Mens Watch White£13,200
Fifty Fathoms Automatique 38mm Mens Watch Black£14,200
Fifty Fathoms Automatique 42.3mm Mens Watch Black£15,500
Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune 43.6mm Mens Watch Green£17,100
Fifty Fathoms Automatique 42.3mm Mens Watch Black£17,100
The Villeret Ultraplate exists to answer a single engineering question: how thin can an automatic watch be while remaining structurally honest rather than fragile? The Calibre 1150, built in the Vallée de Joux, stands at 3.25mm — a measurement that would typically force compromises in rigidity or power delivery, but Blancpain addressed both by coupling two mainspring barrels in series, which sustains a 100-hour reserve and keeps energy consistent through the full discharge cycle rather than tailing off. There are no borrowed movements here; this is work done at the source. At 38mm with a lug-to-lug of 43.35mm and a total case depth of 8.35mm, it sits low and close on the wrist in a way that a conventional automatic rarely achieves. The double-stepped bezel and short hidden lugs — tucked beneath the case rather than projecting from it — keep the footprint compact enough to disappear under a cuff. On the white dial, applied Roman numerals and openworked sage-leaf hands read with quiet precision, and the seconds hand carries the "JB" counterweight that Blancpain has used as a signature for decades. The Mille Mailles bracelet, a fine mesh of solid links, moves with the wrist rather than against it and fastens via an integrated deployant — the kind of detail that only becomes apparent in daily wear.
- Reference
- 6224 1127 MMB
- Brand
- Blancpain
- Case size
- 38mm
- Case thickness
- 8.35mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- White
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 1150
- Functions
- Date, Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Pre-owned
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 43.35mm
- Power reserve
- 100 hours
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 4 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (3,102), Automatic Watches (1,425), Skeleton Watches (242) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (211).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 38mm suits most wrists
- 8.35mm is unusually slim for a 38mm case
- 43.35mm lug-to-lug keeps the 38mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 100-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 6224 1127 MMB | 278559-3002 | 1-90-02-43-32-62 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £9,950 | £9,400 | £10,100 |
| Case size | 38mm | 36mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 100 hours | — | — |
| This watch |
|
|
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 100 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 43.35mm, which suits wrists from roughly 15cm (6 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 38mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb at £9,950, pre-owned. 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 pre-owned only, at £9,950 from Mappin & Webb. A pre-owned watch has been worn, and is normally sold under the retailer’s own warranty rather than the manufacturer’s.
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