There’s a saying in the watch industry that describes brands’ often lazy attempt at turning a men’s watch into a ladies’ watch: “Shrink it and pink it.”
The line is meant to be an insult, but in the case of Blancpain‘s new update to its underrated and overlooked Villeret Ultraplate men’s dress watch, it could be seen as words to live by.
That’s because Blancpain has shrunk the case of its three-hand, ultra-slim dress watch from a dinner plate-like 40mm to a more wearable 38mm, while also adding a gorgeous sunburst salmon dial option.
And the watch looks better than ever.
Shrink it and pink it
The new Villeret Ultraplate 38 comes in at a pleasant 38mm across, while the ultra-thin case slims down even more to a thickness of 8.35mm, down from 8.7mm on the 40mm version.
That thickness may seem fairly standard for a luxury dress watch, especially one labeled ultra-thin, but keep in mind the Villeret is an automatic, not a manually wound watch. This added convenience adds height to the case, as does the addition of a sapphire caseback, which the watch also has.
