Blancpain Introduces the Lady B, a Mechanical Bubble to Wear on the Wrist

Blancpain’s latest timepiece for women pays tribute to the 1956 Ladybird Bullet, which the manufacture created under the helm of CEO Betty Fiechter, the first woman to lead a Swiss watchmaking house. At the time, the Ladybird Bullet was a horological landmark featuring the world’s smallest round movement. Today’s Blancpain Lady B continues Blancpain’s mechanical miniaturization legacy.

Blancpain Lady B is not a reissue; it is the contemporary reinterpretation of a radical idea from decades ago—to fit fine watchmaking into an object the size of a jewel. This vision guided the entire development of the watch.  Its architecture was built around Blancpain’s automatic caliber 615, which measures just 15.70mm in diameter yet comprises 180 components and boasts a power reserve of 38 hours. Its plates are decorated with Côtes de Genève. This beating heart resides in a 19mm case that fits in the palm of your hand like a polished pebble. The case is one of the watch’s most complex elements. To accommodate the movement, the case is constructed in two parts: the upper and lower sections. The back, slightly smaller than the bezel, remains invisible when the watch is viewed from above. The entire challenge lay in making this architecture disappear. The junction line between the bezel and the back is deliberately obscured through the interplay of volumes, light and polishing. Achieving a perfectly continuous polish on a sphere this small is one of the major challenges of its manufacture.

Available in stainless steel and 18K red gold, the Lady B’s case is made without lugs. Instead, its double-wrap leather strap passes directly through the case via an opening machined into the solid metal. Straps are available in various colors (white, beige, mocha, burgundy, blue and purple) and are easy for the wearer to change according to her wishes.