An horlogial masterpice for our ocular pleasure This year, Blancpain is unveiling a timepiece, limited to an edition of one, distinguished by its atypical, unique sapphire dial, its large-date display at 6 o?clock on two, rhodium-plated date discs, and its bold, contemporary face so typical of the sober yet sporty Léman collection. For the very first time, the unique Léman Only Watch 2005 will treat to an unimpeded view of the 285- component, self-winding Blancpain Calibre 6950A hand-assembled and hand-decorated by Blancpain?s master-watchmakers. Thanks to a sapphire dial and case-back, the movement?s exceptional ornamentations, such as 45° Côtes de Genève, bevelled bridges, and artful bottom plate and gear-train, have been made astonishingly visible Boasting a 70-hour power reserve, the Léman Only Watch 2005 is sheathed in a brushed, red-gold case measuring 40 mm in diameter, with its sapphire crystal, and its screw-down crown and case-back water-resistant to 100 metres. Aside from the large-date display, time is indicated via both luminescent baton markers and Arabic numerals at 12, 3 and 9 o?clock, and centre, cone-shaped hour, minute, and seconds? hands. The Léman Only Watch 2005 wears a rubber strap and folding clasp in brushed red-gold. To ensure maximum visibility of its interior workings, Blancpain was most certainly not shy about gracing the watch with one of the most difficult materials to fashion, a sapphire dial. In an extremely delicate and demanding undertaking, the dial plate, just 0.6 mm thick, has been drilled in 25 specific locations for mounting the baton and Arabic-numeral hour-markers, as well as for affixing other functional and ornamental elements. The rims of the two date-windows have been transfer-pressed into the sapphire to allow greater legibility. The Superluminova-tipped cone-shaped hands add both readability and panache to the watch. The movement?s brilliant exposure reflects, without question, Blancpain?s love-affair with beauty and with decorative minutia so characteristic of Haute Horlogerie. It is thanks to the translucent dial that the Calibre 6950A is displayed in all its splendour, with its hand-adorned Côtes de Genève on the power-reserve indicator?s bridge, its fine circular graining on the plate and its sunburst, snailed finishing on the two wheels carrying the tens and units of the date display. Bridges, plates and date discs are rhodium-plated, and for the coup de grace, the Only Watch and Blancpain distinctions have been engraved and galvanised in redgold on the dial-side. On the underside of the watch, the blued Blancpain signature has been engraved on the oscillating weight, N°1/1 and the usual Léman signature have been engraved on the case-back, and traditionallyheated blued screws share the limelight on the underside of the movement.