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Blancpain Le Man Day/Night, early 2000s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Blancpain (maker)
Date
early 2000s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 38 mm
Stock no.
18981064
Credit line
Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (18981064)
Catalogue title (original)
Blancpain Le Man Day/Night (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 18981064), this is a wristwatch by Blancpain, made in Switzerland, dated early 2000s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 38 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

Although it literally translates as 'White Bread' , Blancpain's complicated wristwatches are anything but. Take this Le Man Day/Night Moonphase. Dating to the early 2000s, it perfectly characterizes an almost intangible Blancpain flavor - something that you can't quite explain, yet is instantly recognizable as the work of a very specific maison . This particular example features a 38mm steel case with glossy black dial, matching sword handset, stylized luminous Arabic indices, and a moonphase indicator at 9:00. It also features a second time display at 12:00, date at 3:00 and a subsidiary seconds register at 6:00. It comes fitted to a multi-link steel bracelet with a hidden butterfly clasp, signed by Blancpain. Timepieces such as this combine elements of style and manufacturing quality that lend themselves to the same timeless qualities we seek in our vintage collection - at great value for a modern wristwatch!

Historical context

Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)

Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.

Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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