Blancpain doesn’t need to raise its voice to make a point, and the brand’s Mumbai showcase on 11 November proved that perfectly. Guests drifted between handcrafted cocktails, soft lighting, and a lineup of watches displayed with the kind of understatement that suits Blancpain best. A few archival exhibition pieces travelled with the team as well, adding a museum-like dimension to the room and reminding everyone of just how deep the maison’s history runs.
The Villeret collection drew some of the earliest attention, with Blancpain presenting 16 refreshed references across its core models. The updates were the sort people appreciate only when standing inches from the watch: slimmer bezels, refined lugs, beautifully textured opaline and golden brown dials, and Roman numerals in 18 ct gold with sharper definition. The moon phase aperture has been enlarged for better depth, the hands reworked for improved legibility, and a new openworked oscillating weight offers a more contemporary, architectural view through the caseback. It’s the sort of evolution Blancpain does well—quiet, deliberate, and deeply considered.
Across the room, the Fifty Fathoms Automatique 42 mm in polished stainless steel kept pulling people back for second and third looks. This wasn’t surprising; it’s one of the most straightforwardly handsome divers Blancpain has made in recent years. The sunburst black dial and domed sapphire bezel catch the light effortlessly, while the polished case brings back a vintage sheen reminiscent of the earliest 1953 models. Inside beats the workhorse calibre 1315, known for its five-day power reserve and anti-magnetic silicon balance spring. In an age of endlessly complicated divers, this one stands out by simply being done right.
The Fifty Fathoms Tech 45 mm, making its appearance in Mumbai for the first time, added a completely different energy. Built in Grade 23 titanium with a helium escape valve, a unidirectional ceramic bezel, and an absolute black dial that absorbs up to 97% of light, it’s a watch that still feels engineered first and styled later. And yet, Blancpain’s 2025 update pushes it into interesting new territory with a tool-free interchangeable strap system. Guests happily snapped straps on and off—shifting between vivid orange, bright white, and classic black in seconds—and the colour play gave the otherwise serious Tech a surprisingly fun, lifestyle-leaning personality. It still carries its full diving capability and the calibre 1315A with its 120-hour reserve, but it no longer feels limited to the ocean floor.
Staying with the Fifty Fathoms family, Blancpain also showcased its new 38 mm Automatique models—the first time the icon has been introduced in this size, specifically for women. Both versions, the smoky black dégradé model in 18 ct red gold and the petal pink dégradé version in brushed titanium, looked particularly striking under Mumbai’s warm light. The mother-of-pearl dials shimmered gently, the proportions felt intentional rather than simply downsized, and the watches kept the full technical DNA of the Fifty Fathoms: 300 metres of water resistance, a domed sapphire bezel, and the calibre 1153 with its 100-hour reserve. The models also echo Blancpain’s support for the Ocean Photographer of the Year and the Female Fifty Fathoms Award, giving them a quiet narrative weight beyond aesthetics.
A very different burst of colour came from the new Ladybird Colors in Royal Purple. The dial, crafted from nacre perlée—the rarest and most technically demanding form of mother-of-pearl—had a soft glow that shifted with every angle. Paired with over two carats of diamonds, a 34.9 mm gold case, and Blancpain’s poetic moon phase display, the watch felt both ornate and surprisingly modern. The purple alligator strap matched the Roman numerals on the dial, tying the palette together with a kind of quiet cleverness that doesn’t shout but stays with you.
By the end of the afternoon, the story that emerged was one of breadth without noise. Blancpain showcased heritage pieces, refined dress watches, serious diving instruments, playful colour-forward variations, and feminine complications—all without ever leaving the brand’s core identity behind. It was a soft-spoken but confident presentation, the kind that reminds you why certain maisons don’t need theatrics to hold a room.
