Blancpain expands its family of calendar complications with the Ladybird Colors Zodiaque, introducing a new Manufacture automatic movement dedicated to the Western zodiac. The patented calibre 2653QZ combines off-centred hours and minutes, the date, a retrograde month indication and a zodiac display that indicates the twelve signs throughout the year. Inspired by the observation of the heavens and centuries of Greco-Roman astrological tradition, the complication makes its debut in a luminous Ladybird Colors creation combining rare nacre perlée, over 2.2 carats of diamonds and nearly 100 years of feminine watchmaking expertise.
From Celestial Cycles to the Zodiac
The moon phase, one of the Manufacture's most emblematic complications, has become a signature of the Maison since 1983, embodying a poetic vision of time. From complete, annual and perpetual calendars to the traditional Chinese calendar, the Manufacture has continually explored different ways of measuring and interpreting time. Introduced in 2012, the Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar translated a millennia-old system rooted in the movements of the Sun and the Moon into a mechanical complication displaying the Chinese zodiac. Having already explored this tradition through the lens of Eastern traditions, the Manufacture now turns to another zodiacal heritage, one deeply rooted in the history and mythology of the Western world.
Originating in Antiquity and codified in Greco-Roman astrology, the Western zodiac is divided into twelve signs corresponding to specific periods of the year: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. This rich cultural and symbolic framework has shaped the Western world's perception of the heavens and its relationship to the passage of time, while inspiring mythology, philosophy and art for centuries. With the Ladybird Colors Zodiaque, Blancpain offers a new mechanical interpretation of this heritage, translating the rhythms of the twelve signs into a complication that bridges ancient astrological symbolism and contemporary Haute Horlogerie.
A New Movement Decoding the Stars
At the heart of the Ladybird Colors Zodiaque lies Blancpain's brand new Manufacture calibre 2653QZ, an automatic movement comprising 362 components and offering a 68-hour power reserve. Measuring just 5.37 mm thick despite its complexity, the movement brings together off-centred hours and minutes, the date, a retrograde month indication and a zodiac display that indicates the twelve signs throughout the year.
Its innovative and patented architecture combines a differential system that continuously links the zodiac display to the date with an annual cam. Accommodating the varying duration of the 12 signs, which range from 30 to 32 days, the mechanism automatically determines the exact date of each transition. The cam then governs the progression of the zodiac indication throughout the year, triggering an instantaneous jump of the dedicated disc on the precise day of each change of sign.
To preserve both clarity and ease of reading, the zodiac signs are displayed on a dedicated disc, visually independent from the date and retrograde month indications. This construction gives each indication its own visual space, turning mechanical complexity into visual simplicity.
The entire mechanism has been designed for ease of use, allowing all calendar corrections to be performed safely at any time without risk to the movement.
Mastering the Light
The celestial inspiration of the Ladybird Colors Zodiaque extends throughout the watch's design, that plays with light in the finest way.
The dial is crafted from nacre perlée, an exceptionally rare variety of mother of pearl distinguished by its remarkable depth of reflection. As light moves across its surface, the material reveals subtle shades of green and pink, creating a constantly evolving interplay of light and colour, which has become a signature of the Ladybird Colors collection. Highly sought after and available only in extremely limited quantities, nacre perlée is harvested from the most curved central section of carefully selected cultured shells. Each of them can produce only one dial. Representing less than 2% of all usable mother of pearl on a shell, this material is as rare as it is unique, ensuring that every dial possesses its own iridescence and character.
The play of light continues across the timepiece through an elegant arrangement of diamonds. Set on the dial as two interlaced circles surrounding the time and month indications, they echo the shimmer of the mother of pearl. Particular attention was paid to the design of the gold rings embracing the diamonds, with their sides delicately bevelled inwards towards the stones. This architecture reduces the visible surface of the gold and allows the diamonds to visually extend beyond the structure, lending the display a lighter and refined appearance.
The diamonds then continue onto the bezel and buckle, creating a continuous interplay of reflections across the watch. Altogether, 133 diamonds totalling over 2.2 carats illuminate the creation, enhancing its radiance while preserving its harmony and legibility.
Rendered in powdered silver or gold against a midnight-blue disc, the Roman numerals and twelve zodiac signs complete a composition in which the poetry of the heavens meets the precision of Haute Horlogerie.
