One thing that stands out to me about Blancpain is their dedication to movement decoration and finishing. It’s not just about what you can see, but also what’s hidden underneath the bridges. In their price class against direct competitors, I believe they’re one of the leaders in this regard. However, as of recent the decoration methods of one movement have been questioned, and that is Cal. 1315 and the anglage/beveling of the bridges.
Now, I must preface this post. Even though I’ll be picking through what Tim Mosso has had to say recently about this movement’s decoration, I greatly respect him, his knowledge, opinions, and contributions to this industry and hobby. I’ll always enjoy his reviews and streams on YouTube and enjoy reading his articles published over at Quill & Pad. After much research and thought put into this, I’ve simply reached the opposite conclusion here. The Blancpain Cal. 1315 and related movements have mechanically started bevels, but they are then manually finished by craftspeople using handheld rotary tools. With that said, let’s dive into what’s behind that, point by point.
Point 1 - Rounded exterior angles does not indicate a fully mechanical process for anglage:
One of two main points against the 1315’s anglage that Tim Mosso has made is that because the exterior angles where bevels converge are rounded instead of sharp, they’re finished mechanically from start to finish. This logic is either black or white, if an exterior angle is sharp it’s finished by hand, but if it’s rounded it’s finished mechanically. We know this is not the case, as many brands offer sharp exterior angles that are completely machine made, as evidenced by the milling marks and imperfections left in the bevel. Examples of this can be found in watches from H. Moser & Cie, as pictured below.
Photo by JX Su
Photo by JX Su
Here we have sharp exterior angles as pictured on two different movements from Moser, Cal. HMC 324, and Cal. HMC 902. Due to the flat, sheer cut appearance, visible milling marks, it’s clear to see that this is completely machined anglage from start to finish.
It’s not just Moser that can create sharp exterior angles with a fully mechanized process. Citizen displays the same ability with Cal. 0270, again with the same flat appearance and visible milling marks throughout.
Point 2 - A bevel appearing to roll up onto the surface of the bridge does not indicate a fully mechanical process for anglage:
Tim’s second point against the 1315’s anglage is that the bevels appear to roll up onto the surface of the bridge in some areas, therefore they’re finished mechanically from start to finish. Again, this doesn’t tell us the whole story and is too black and white. Let’s explore two more examples which show why.
First, we’ll start with an example that has passed Tim’s checks before as having bevels that are polished by hand using handheld rotary tools. This movement is the Girard-Perregaux Cal. GP01800 as used in the 42mm Laureato, specifically we’ll be looking at the balance cock and its anglage.
Photo by Jenni Elle
Here we see an example of an extremely rounded point along with a bevel that noticeably rolls up onto the bridge, especially when compared to the opposite side of the balance cock. Because of this, are Girard-Perregaux producing their bevels by machine exclusively? No, it’s generally regarded that Girard-Perregaux uses handheld rotary tools to complete the final polishing on their bevels. Let’s look at another example though, one where it is entirely undoubtable as to how the anglage is produced.
Photo by JX Su
Above, we see Patek Philippe Cal. 26-330, a modern Patek Philippe Seal offering from the company. While not exaggerated like the Girard-Perregaux above, if we look to the right of the jewel for the escape wheel, we see where the polishing for the bevel comes up onto the surface of the bridge. It then continues this way down to the angle at the bottom and can still be seen on the opposite side of the bridge. What’s more telling that the polishing for the bevel is indeed on the surface of the bridge is the point where the Côtes de Genève stops, and where the point of the exterior angle begins. There’s a discrepancy between the two, which is in contrast to the rest of the anglage of the movement.
Again, I’ll ask, does this mean that Patek Philippe is producing their bevels by machine exclusively? Of course not. Patek Philippe uses handheld rotary tools to complete the final polishing, and Tim has stated this in his reviews, just like he’s stated this for Girard-Perregaux. Personally, I believe the rounded and generally wide nature of the anglage on the Blancpain Cal. 1315 lends itself to appearing drawn up on the bridges a little more than other movements, but as we’ve considered, this does not disqualify Blancpain from using handheld rotary tools to complete these bevels.
Point 3 - There are examples of variance and inconsistency in Cal. 1315’s finishing:
What got me started in making this post to begin with was my
own purchase of a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, a grade 23 Titanium
model, Ref. 5000-1210.
Self taken photo
A short while into my ownership, I noticed that on one side of one of the bridges, there were some milling marks in the bevel that hadn’t been fully polished out. This got me curious about other examples displaying the same, and indeed, I found another owner who noticed similar milling marks on their movement, but in different bevels to my own. For reference, this was also in a Bathyscaphe, a ceramic model. But, anglage inconsistencies aren’t just limited just to Bathyscaphe models. An example of the new 5010 Fifty Fathoms which Tim had in and reviewed showed milling marks in a completely different bevel to my example, or the example of the other owner I’ve talked with.
Self taken photo
Photo by indignantdenial
Photo by Tim Mosso
With milling marks that weren’t fully polished on three different examples, made in three different years of production, and on different bevels for each example, is the anglage on the Cal. 1315 really executed entirely with the consistency of automated machines? I have no doubt that if we carefully examine more examples, more inconsistencies will show on different bevels still, and these will further the answer to this question.
It’s also important to note that this isn’t exclusive to Blancpain. Modern Patek Philippe examples also show milling marks that weren’t polished completely and weren’t caught by QC. Let’s look at examples of Patek Philippe Cal. 240, Cal. 324, and Cal. 31-260.
Photo by JX Su
Photo by Hafiz J Mehmood
Photo by JX Su
Photo by JX Su
As discussed in the second point, we know Patek Philippe is employing the use of handheld rotary tools for the final polishing of their anglage. Because of this fact, I’m a believer that when milling marks are present in rounded and well-polished anglage, it’s a result of the craftsperson’s natural human error. I don’t think that it’s a cause to believe that the bevels have been entirely mechanically finished.
Point 4 - Blancpain has multiple stations with handheld rotary tools for anglage in their Le Sentier manufacture:
Le Sentier is the home of Frederic Piguet, now doing business as Manufacture Blancpain since Swatch Group officially integrated the two in 2010. Here, Blancpain has most of their manufacturing grunt. Le Sentier is responsible for the production of most movement components, the decoration of those components, assembling components and whole movements, timing and adjustment to five or six positions, and the final casing of movements with their dials, hands, and watch cases.
Let’s take a look inside the decoration department of Le Sentier, which shows something interesting in regard to the finishing of their anglage.
Photo by Panoteck
Photo by Panoteck
Here we can see four stations in Blancpain’s decoration department, and all four have a plethora of handheld rotary tools, along with Leica microscopes. If we look at the cabinet next to the stations, it’s clearly labeled “ANGLAGE", giving us an irrefutable hint as to what these rotary tools are being used for.
Photo by Panoteck
On the opposite side of the room from these stations, we can see a fifth set of rotary tools, albeit unused at the time this tour was conducted. Something to note though are the binders which contain the technical documentation of the decoration of each movement. Included in these binders are the documentation for Cal. 1315 and 1315DD, along with related calibers 13R0, 13R3, and 13R5.
Photo by Panoteck
Photo by Panoteck
The recent figures for Blancpain’s annual output are around 20,000 to 22,000 watches per year. For the sake of argument, let’s say it’s 20,000 watches being produced at Le Sentier, and they have the four stations for anglage running 231 days out of the year accounting for weekends and 30 other days off during the year. With nine hour working days, this would put each craftsperson needing to complete two to three movement’s bridges every hour. If they use the fifth set of rotary tools when needed, two movement’s bridges per station per hour is doable. Personally, I don’t think this is outside the realm of possibility for Blancpain to achieve, especially when the 1315 and any movements based on it have rounded corners which will help facilitate the process of finishing them in a prompt manner.
Concluding Thoughts:
Everything considered above is how I reached my conclusion. Blancpain employs the same methods as many haute horlogerie marks today, mechanically starting the bevels, but completing the final polishing using handheld rotary tools. All these considerations also broadened my outlook on assessing the finishing of movements. One can come to a more complete assessment and appreciation of a movement’s decoration when you also observe the fine details of what competing brands produce. Drawing comparisons based on those observations, you can tell if a brand is delivering a product deserving of being called “haute horlogerie”, or if the decoration is merely perfunctory.
In the case of Blancpain and Cal. 1315, I don’t think any of it can be considered perfunctory, both technically and visually. Even though it was introduced back in 2007, it remains ahead of the curve with its 120-hour power reserve thanks to three mainspring barrels, and the update to a silicon balance spring providing amagnetic properties to the caliber. The decoration also distinguishes itself, like I mentioned in the outset, it’s not just about what you can see, but also what’s hidden underneath the bridges. Cal. 1315 is finished in a wholistic way, and doesn’t have compromises in its screws, locating pegs, wheels, mainspring barrels, and perlage.
For owners, I think Blancpain makes a watch one can be proud
of. For people considering a Blancpain, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed
with your purchase. For Tim, if you’d like to discuss any of this at greater
length in a PM, feel free to reach out. Thanks for reading.
Photo by The Naked Watchmaker
Photo by The Naked Watchmaker
Photo by The Naked Watchmaker