Blancpain has done something pretty sensible with its Villeret Ultraplate: it made it smaller. The brand is now offering the ultra-thin dress watch in a 38mm case, down from the existing 40mm, and brought along a handful of new dial colours to go with it. The 40mm versions aren't going anywhere, but the 38mm options are where the action is.
The headline addition on the dial side is a sunburst salmon finish, a first for the Villeret Ultraplate line. It joins softer, more classic-leaning options that suit the watch's whole ethos better than some of the bolder takes we've seen elsewhere. This is a dress watch trying to act like a dress watch, and that's exactly the right call.
What Actually Changed
The core concept stays the same. The Villeret Ultraplate is Blancpain's entry point into the Villeret collection, the line named after the Vallée de Joux village where Jehan-Jacques Blancpain started the whole operation back in 1735. It's a time-only, ultra-thin piece built for the wrist of someone who wants elegance without complication, literally and figuratively.
The new 38mm sizing is the real news here. Dress watches have historically lived in that 36mm to 39mm sweet spot, and 40mm, while manageable, can feel a touch large under a shirt cuff. Going to 38mm fixes that. It also makes the watch feel more proportionate on a wider range of wrists without the brand having to commit to anything as drastic as a 36mm reissue.
The new dial colourways are the other half of the story. The sunburst salmon is the one worth paying attention to. It's a tone that's warm without being loud, and on a dress watch with a clean layout, it works beautifully. The sunburst finish catches the light in a way that plain matte dials simply don't.
The salmon dial is a first for the Villeret Ultraplate, and frankly it should have arrived sooner. It's the kind of colour that makes a dress watch feel considered rather than corporate. If you're choosing between the new 38mm options, start there.
Who This Watch Is For
If you wear suits regularly, or even just want something that handles dinners and formal occasions without looking like you raided an aviation catalogue, the Villeret Ultraplate 38mm makes a strong argument for itself. It's a genuine dress watch from a brand with deep roots in exactly that category.
The 38mm size also opens this up to people who've been put off by the 40mm. That's not a small group. A lot of collectors with slimmer wrists or a preference for more restrained sizing have been waiting for Blancpain to offer this. Now they have it.
- Case size: 38mm, down from the existing 40mm option
- New dial highlight: First-ever sunburst salmon for the Villeret Ultraplate line
- Watch type: Time-only, ultra-thin dress watch
- Collection context: Entry point into the Villeret range, sitting alongside higher complications
- 40mm versions: Still available alongside the new 38mm options
How It Compares to the 40mm
The 40mm Villeret Ultraplate isn't going anywhere. Blancpain ran those as part of the so-called Golden Hour series, and they have their audience. But the 38mm really does feel like the more natural fit for what this watch is trying to be. Dress watches benefit from a certain discretion in their proportions, and 38mm delivers that in a way 40mm never quite could.
The new colour palette also marks a shift in tone. Where some of the earlier options leaned into richer, more saturated finishes, the new additions, salmon especially, read as softer and more classically inclined. That's a good direction for a watch that traces its line back to 1735.
The Bigger Picture
Blancpain's Villeret range covers everything from time-only pieces like this to serious high complications. The Ultraplate sits at the accessible end of that spectrum, but it doesn't feel like a compromise. It's well-made, thoughtfully proportioned at 38mm, and now available in colours that actually suit it. For anyone building a dress watch collection, or looking for their first serious one, this is worth a proper look.
Pricing hasn't been confirmed in our source material, so check with your nearest Blancpain boutique or authorised dealer for current figures. Given the brand's positioning and the quality of the Villeret line, expect it to sit firmly in serious dress watch territory.
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