Timeless Artistry

Blancpain's Ganesh-inspired timepiece is a tribute to India—to spirituality, artistry and centuries-old decorative mastery.

- By Bayar Jain

Blancpain traces its origin to 1735, when Jehan-Jacques Blancpain registered as a watchmaker in Villeret, founding what remains the world's oldest continuously operating watch brand. Over the next two centuries, succeeding generations—including Frédéric-Louis and Frédéric-Emile—modernised escapements, developed ultra-thin calibres, and expanded into the Vallée de Joux via Louis-Elysée Piguet's workshop, which now serves as the site for the brand's Métiers d'Art.

Blancpain's Métiers d'Art workshop, known internally as La Ferme, in Le Brassus, brings together artisans skilled in decorative arts traditionally separate from core watchmaking. Here, it produces unique decorative works spanning many recognised horological art forms: shakudō, engraving, damascening, enamelling, porcelain, binchōtan, and more. Unlike most haute horlogerie brands, Blancpain embeds these skills within its own walls, allowing clients to personalise truly bespoke pieces.