Blancpain Lady B Marks 70 Years of Ladybird With a 19mm Case

Image source: www.blancpain.com

From the 1956 Ladybird to the New Lady B

The origins of Ladybird date back to a significant period in Blancpain's history. During the 1950s, the company was led by Betty Fiechter, the first woman to head a Swiss watchmaking house. It was under her leadership that Blancpain introduced the Ladybird in 1956.

The original Ladybird combined extremely small dimensions with a mechanical movement. Period advertising promoted the Ladybird as the world's smallest round watch, with a diameter of only 11.85mm.

Two movement configurations were associated with these early watches. The R55/52 used a conventional crown positioned at 3 o'clock, while the R550/520 placed the winding crown on the back. The R55/52 became the world's smallest round mechanical movement to be produced in series.

For the collection's 70th anniversary, Blancpain has looked specifically to the unusual Ladybird model known as the Bullet. One of its defining features was its strap arrangement, with the strap passing through an opening in the back of the watch rather than attaching to conventional lugs.

A 19mm Spherical Case Inspired by Jewellery

The new Blancpain Lady B develops that idea in a more contemporary form. Its spherical 19mm case gives the watch the appearance of a polished jewel mounted directly onto the strap.

Two case materials are available:

• stainless steel

• 18-carat red gold

The case uses a two-part construction designed so that its rear section is barely visible when worn. There are no conventional projecting lugs, helping preserve the rounded silhouette and keeping the watch visually compact on the wrist.

The strap passes through a dedicated opening in the caseback, directly recalling the construction used by the Ladybird Bullet around 70 years ago.

Blancpain Calibre 615 Inside the Lady B

With an internal case volume of approximately 2.9 cubic centimetres, the Lady B houses the manufacture calibre 615 with a silicon balance spring.

Introduced in 1995, the automatic mechanical movement measures 15.7mm in diameter and 3.9mm thick. These dimensions make it one of the smallest modern round self-winding movements.

The calibre operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour and provides a power reserve of 38 hours.

Double-Wrap Strap in Seven Colours

Blancpain pairs the Lady B with an interchangeable double-wrap calfskin strap. Instead of conventional lugs, the strap runs through the opening at the rear of the case, creating a direct connection between the modern model and the original Bullet design.

Seven strap colours are available:

• white

• light beige

• dark beige

• burgundy

• blue

• coral

• violet

Each is fitted with a traditional buckle. Combined with the 19mm spherical case, the double-wrap strap gives the Lady B a distinctly jewellery-like appearance.

Blancpain Lady B Price and Availability

The two Lady B models are joining Blancpain's permanent collection rather than being produced as anniversary-only limited editions.

The stainless-steel version is priced at approximately CHF 9,500, while the model in 18-carat red gold is approximately CHF 14,500.

Seventy years after the original Ladybird demonstrated how far mechanical watchmaking could be miniaturised, the Lady B revisits the same principle with a modern automatic calibre and a case architecture closely linked to the historic Bullet. The result connects Blancpain's 1950s approach to miniature women's watches with the brand's contemporary collection.