Key takeaways
• Subdial and Blancpain are hosting “”Subdial Curates: The Villeret,”” an exhibition in London from May 22-23, 2026, showcasing historically significant timepieces from the 1980s to the present.
• The exhibition highlights Blancpain’s pivotal role in preserving traditional mechanical watchmaking by rejecting quartz technology during the industry’s quartz crisis.
• Featured pieces include horological milestones such as the 1983 Complete Calendar Moon Phase, the first flying tourbillon in a wristwatch, and the 1735 Grand Complication.
Held at the Subdial Clubhouse in London, from May 22-23, the exhibition will bring together a carefully researched and selected group of historically significant Blancpain timepieces spanning the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and contemporary era. These watches chronicle Blancpain’s bold, pioneering rejection of the path many in the watch industry followed during the quartz crisis. With these pieces and the many watchmaking firsts that accompanied them, Blancpain demonstrated the allure, charm, romance, and emotion of traditional fine watchmaking and complications. In doing so, it set a path for the entire industry to emerge from the crisis and prosper.
The exhibited pieces form the foundation of a body of work which would be given the name Villeret in 2002. It features the neo-vintage era’s most important horological achievements, from the 1983 Complete Calendar Moon Phase – the earliest expression of what would become the Villeret collection – to the groundbreaking chronographs, world-first automatic minute repeaters, ultra-thin constructions, the first flying tourbillon in a wristwatch, the legendary 1735 Grand Complication – which for decades was the most complicated automatic winding wristwatch in the world – and more.
“The Villeret story is one of conviction – of choosing craft, artistry, and complication at a time when the industry was moving in the opposite direction. These watches represent one of the most creatively ambitious eras in Swiss watchmaking,” said Subdial Co-Founder Christy Davis.
These pieces were developed during the transformative Blancpain era led by Jacques Piguet and Jean-Claude Biver, who, against the backdrop of the quartz crisis, chose to reject battery-powered timekeeping entirely. Relaunched with the now-iconic declaration – “Since 1735 Blancpain has never made a quartz watch… and it never will” – Blancpain helped reposition mechanical watchmaking not as obsolete technology, but as an art form and expression of craft.
The trajectory established during the Piguet and Biver years would continue under Marc A. Hayek, whose stewardship of Blancpain carried this spirit of innovation and devotion to traditional watchmaking into the modern era. Alongside the revival of icons such as the Fifty Fathoms, Blancpain has continued to push the boundaries of high complications within its collections. This philosophy reaches its culmination in the recently unveiled Grande Double Sonnerie, the first grande sonnerie capable of chiming the time through two selectable four-tone melodies.
The exhibition encourages intimacy and conversation. Watches will be presented in an open environment that invites collectors and enthusiasts to engage directly with the objects and the stories behind them. This approach reflects Subdial Curates’ wider ambition to create exhibitions that move beyond specifications and into the cultural, historical, and human narratives that make watches meaningful.
Open to the public, The Villeret offers a rare opportunity to experience some of the most influential neo-vintage watches ever produced, assembled in one space. More than an exhibition of complications, it is an exploration of a moment when uncertainty within the Swiss watch industry gave rise to extraordinary freedom, experimentation, and creativity. This spirit continues to resonate with collectors today.
A new generation of collectors increasingly covets neo-vintage Villeret references. These younger collectors are attracted to Villeret’s unique position as the genesis of the neo-vintage movement, as well as its extraordinary watchmaking. In today’s market, they represent one of contemporary collecting’s most compelling intersections of historical importance, horological credibility, and exceptional value relative to their significance – helping fuel the growing enthusiasm surrounding neo-vintage watchmaking as a whole.
“The Villeret was more than a tribute to horological tradition,” recalls Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain. “It opened new perspectives and reignited interest in mechanical watchmaking.”
Practical Information
Exhibition: Blancpain Villeret
Dates: 22 – 23 May 2026
Location: Subdial Clubhouse, Farringdon, London
Public Opening Hours: From 11:00 to 19:00
About Subdial
Subdial is the trading platform for watch lovers. It combines technology, storytelling, and community to create a more transparent and engaging experience for collectors and enthusiasts.
About Blancpain
Founded in 1735, Blancpain is recognized as the world’s oldest watch brand and remains dedicated exclusively to traditional mechanical watchmaking, combining innovation, high complication, and artisanal craftsmanship.
