Bianchet, the Golden Ratio of Fine Watchmaking

In order to know a brand, first you have to know the people behind it. This principle applies to any brand but watches seem to act in a more particular way. People behind the watches have to be the guarantee of a consistent story. They have to inspire passion and only intense passion turns later on into a successful business. Of course big names have already proved their dedication but when a new comer is checking-in, the human factor is maybe more important than anything else.

Shared love for Fibonacci

For Bianchet watches’ founders, husband and wife, passion represents the very starting point of their Haute Horlogerie adventure. Emmanuelle and Rodolfo Festa Bianchet have decided to follow their dream in 2017 and to build a Swiss brand to match exactly their personality. Four year ago, Rodolfo was a successful entrepreneur in the Fintech sector and CEO of Riflexo, the Turin-based software developer behind the first online trading app for smartphones. The app, Trade Interceptor, is build built around the proprietary TrendRisk engine and analyzes market psychology to detect trends starting from the Golden Ratio of 1.618 and the Fibonacci sequence. Emmanuelle, Rodolfo’s wife, was born in Rome to a French family of artists and musicians, and attended the Conservatory. A painter and sculptor, she, too, always had a particular affinity for the harmony that emanates from the Golden Ratio of 1.618 and the Fibonacci sequence.

The beauty of science

The Golden Ratio of 1.618, derived from the Fibonacci sequence, is the founding principle of the Bianchet aesthetic and the inspiration for naming the collection – B1.618. The Fibonacci sequence is an algorithm at work in the shape, growth and arrangement of multiple living creatures. It is intimately linked to the Golden Ratio and together they govern the relative dimensions of a Bianchet’s case and movement. Inspired by the graphic representation of the sequence – a spiral drawn with squares of increasing size as the sequence progresses – the two guide the forms of the bridges and the curves of the tonneau case. Ultimately, the symbolic value of the Golden Ratio connects Bianchet to a search for harmony that reaches beyond the mere contours of the watch. The relationship between nature and culture, between geometry and biology, between the aesthetic and the metaphysical, that is at the core of Bianchet’s thinking.

Tourbillon B1.618

The Tourbillon B1.618 Openwork’s tonneau case available in titanium or carbon measures 43 mm in width, 50 mm in height (length) and 13 mm in thickness. From the side, the top and bottom of the watch follow a curve. The superposition of these two lines, the colored seam, the thickness of the bezel, the play on heights – they are guided by the Fibonacci sequence. An organic arc that affords maximum wear comfort, perfectly espousing the wrist.

Inside the Tourbillon B1.618 Openwork there is the brand’s own Calibre B1.618. Watch enthusiasts since they can remember, Emmanuelle and Rodolfo Festa Bianchet freely admit their fascination for this complication. Skeletonized, the calibre is made entirely of black DLC titanium. It was designed and developed and is now manufactured by Bianchet in La Chaux-de-Fonds – offering a power reserve of 105 hours.

Instead of following a traditional design that builds on concentric circles, which in effect only reflects the requirements  of the mechanics, Bianchet has decided to make the Golden Ratio an integral part of its creation. As if a mathematical object in motion, the spiraling Fibonacci curves are found at the heart of the movement.

Depending on the material of the components and the case, Bianchet Tourbillon B1.618 Openwork in titanium weighs less than 55 grams, while the carbon version weighs 33 grams without the bracelet.

More details at www.bianchet.com