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| Blancpain 18K YG “Textured Dial” — The Heartbeat of the Pre-Villeret Era. Late 1960s – Early 1970s / Cal. R576 Manual Wind / 33.5 mm / Coin-Edge Case Before the rebirth of Blancpain in the 1980s, there was a quieter age — an era when its watches spoke through silence, proportion, and light. This 18K yellow-gold dress watch, powered by the hand-wound Caliber R576, captures that forgotten refinement perfectly. Produced between 1968 and 1973 under the Rayville-Blancpain name, it belongs to the brand’s last generation before dormancy — a time when Blancpain still believed in mechanical poetry while the world was turning to quartz. The R576, a finely finished manual movement derived from an A. Schild base, is both delicate and precise — its 17 jewels and 18,000 vph rhythm beating like a soft mechanical whisper. Winding it feels almost ceremonial: light, smooth, alive. The coin-edge bezel frames a dial that could only have been created in that era. Its hammered-gold texture scatters light gently, radiating a warm, organic glow instead of brilliance. Raised Roman-numeral markers, sculpted individually from gold, add architectural depth — a quiet tension that balances the otherwise tranquil face. Inside, the R576 is finished with gold-toned bridges engraved “Blancpain – Seventeen Jewels – Unadjusted Swiss.” It represents the final heartbeat of a purely mechanical Blancpain — before the Villeret line, before the rebirth. Though simple in layout, its execution is masterful: elegant beveling, traditional gear train, and understated decoration. The movement’s compact 2.8 mm thickness allowed the case to remain slim yet noble, offering the tactile intimacy that modern watches rarely achieve. Few examples of this generation survive today. Most were sold in small numbers to European clients, and even fewer remain in such original condition. This piece stands as a rare bridge between two eras — a link from Rayville’s hand-finished atelier to the modern Blancpain that would rise again a decade later. Seen through today’s lens, it feels like the prototype of the Villeret philosophy: pure proportions, quiet craftsmanship, timeless grace. It doesn’t seek attention; it rewards observation. A whisper of gold. A dial textured by hand. And beneath it all, the steady pulse of Cal. R576 — the last echo of Blancpain’s mechanical heart before silence. |
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