FeatureGolden Formula: Introducing The Top Bianchet Watches With Designs Inspired By The Golden Ratio Of 1.618

Relative newcomers in the horological world, Bianchet entered the extremely competitive industry in 2017 with a failsafe formula based on a mathematical ratio found abundantly in nature, art and architecture. Designed and developed in-house, the brand’s tourbillon is the central point of the Fibonacci spiral on skeletonised dials, whose overall design aesthetic is guided by the golden ratio of 1.618 (more on this ahead). As a matter of fact, Bianchet’s first release, the Tourbillon B1.618 Openwork, was named for this design inspiration, which they followed with the Flying Tourbillon Grande Date B1.618. And yet, the materials used for their cases (carbon fibre and titanium dust) and tourbillon cages (titanium) display the brand’s understanding of contemporary watchmaking. As Bianchet grow, with newer collections such as the Flying Tourbillon Sport GMT presented this year, their watches retain the most distinctive design principles that the brand was built on.

Bianchet’s Beginnings

The brand was established by Rodolfo and Emmanuelle Festa Bianchet, a couple with diverse strengths and a common passion—fine watches. Rodolfo, an entrepreneur in the financial technology sector, had just sold his successful financial trading app created for smartphones. Incidentally, the inspiration to incorporate the golden ratio 1.618 into their watches came from Rodolfo’s app, whose algorithm was also based on the same mathematical formula. Together, with his wife Emmanuelle, a journalist with a love for music and the arts, he started the Bianchet brand. In 2019, they presented a prototype at Baselworld, spent the next two pandemic years researching and perfecting it, and showcased the first Tourbillon B1.618 Openwork at the 2021 edition of Geneva Watch Days.

The brand was established in October 2017 by Rodolfo and Emmanuelle Festa Bianchet, a couple with diverse strengths and a common passion—fine watches

Bianchet’s first release in 2021, the Tourbillon B1.618 Openwork, was named for the mathematical golden ratio of 1.618 or the Fibonacci sequence

Highlights in orange stood out against the titanium-infused carbon fibre case of the Tourbillon B1.618 Openwork timepiece

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Bianchet Flying Tourbillon Grande Date B1.618-Carbon

For the curved, barrel-shaped case of the Flying Tourbillon Grand Date B1.618-Carbon, the brand used a carbon fibre composite infused with titanium particles called ‘titanium-dust-high-density-carbon’. The three-part construction of the case includes this carbon fibre composite and natural vulcanised rubber. Measuring 43mm by 51mm, with a height of 14.35mm, the watch offers enhanced shock resistance and a 100m water resistance. The hue of the rubber ring on the case profile matches that of the crown, as do the accents on the dial.

Measuring 43mm by 51mm, with a height of 14.35mm, the Flying Tourbillon Grand Date B1.618-Carbon offers enhanced shock resistance and a 100m water resistance

₹68,80,000

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The movement B1.618 resonates at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour and offers an impressive 90-hour power reserve

₹68,80,000

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For the curved, barrel-shaped case of the Flying Tourbillon Grand Date B1.618-Carbon, the brand used a carbon fibre composite infused with titanium particles

₹68,80,000

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The flange houses hour markers in shades that match the crown, timekeeping hands and the outline for the big date display, and these subtle pops of colour add vitality

₹68,80,000

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The open-worked dial of the Bianchet Flying Tourbillon Grande Date B1.618 is fascinating for its arrangement of a flying tourbillon at six o’clock, which forms the starting point for the symmetrically-asymmetrical golden ratio. Mounted on ball bearings to improve efficiency and aesthetics, the cage of the flying tourbillon appears to seamlessly flow into hand-bevelled titanium bridges of the calibre B1.618, which, in turn, sort of frame the big date complication at 12 o’clock. The movement resonates at a frequency of 21,600vph and offers an impressive 90-hour power reserve. On the dial, the flange houses hour markers in shades that match the crown, timekeeping hands and the outline for the big date display. Minute markers stand out in white. These subtle pops of colour on the otherwise serious, skeletonised timepiece add a certain playfulness and a lot of vitality.

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The Golden Ratio

The golden ratio of 1:1.618 defines the ideal proportions that make things appealing. It is based on the Fibonacci sequence where each successive number is the sum of the previous two numbers (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…) The ratio of two consecutive numbers amounts to 1:1.618. In nature, this is found in snail shells, vegetables, rocks and roots, and this number has been a source of inspiration for artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Salvadore Dali and Michealangelo, and structures including the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon in Greece, and the Pyramids of Giza.

The golden ratio of 1:1.618 defines ideal proportions that make things appealing, based on the Fibonacci sequence where each number is the sum of the previous two numbers (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…)

This ratio has been a source of inspiration for artists like Leonardo Da Vinci and Salvadore Dali, and architectural structures like the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids

Bianchet Flying Tourbillon Grande Date B1.618-Hybrid

With the same pleasingly symmetrical dial layout as the Carbon version, the Flying Tourbillon Grande Date B1.618-Hybrid timepiece stands out for the materials used in its three-part construction. The bezel and caseback are made from grade-5 titanium, while the case middle features the carbon composite, titanium-dust-high-density-carbon. This changes the look of the watch in that one sees a polished titanium bezel instead of a layered black-grey one. Anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass on the dial and caseback lend the watch a transparent quality that lets the visible movement stand out.

All Bianchet Flying Tourbillon Grande Date B1.618 watches are paired with vulcanised rubber straps in the colour of the accents on the case and dial.

Bianchet Flying Tourbillon Sport GMT

The brand’s latest collection, the Flying Tourbillon Sport GMT released last month, features a GMT complication at 12 o’clock instead of the big date. This timepiece, too, features design principles based on the golden ratio. The flying tourbillon at six is offset by a rotating globe on whose periphery the 24-hour scale is marked with day-and-night indication. Sand-blasted, satin-finished and DLC treated mainplate and bridges form the skeleton of the dial, while the globe stands out in blue, grey or red. Crown functions—winding, setting of time and GMT indicators—are aided by an intuitive setting visible at eight o’clock on the dial.

Available on either a carbon or hybrid version like its predecessor, the case measures 43mm by 51mm, with a height of 14.35mm. While the hybrid version features a bezel and caseback in grade-5 titanium, case middle in the carbon composite and a crown in titanium with vulcanised rubber, the carbon version uses Titanium-dust-high-density-carbon for the case, and titanium and vulcanised rubber for the crown. The watch is presented on a rubber strap that matches the accents on the case and dial, and comes with an additional black strap—for when one doesn’t want to attract too much attention.

In just seven years since they started, Bianchet have created some very memorable timepieces that blend an age-old mathematical quest for lasting beauty, and contemporary watchmaking principles. They’ve also been nominated for the GPHG awards under the tourbillon category in 2023, for the Flying Tourbillon Grand Date B1.618, and the brand have won the ‘best start-up watch’ at the International Temporis Award, also that same year. This, here, is a brand to watch out for, mostly for their new ideas and approach to an age-old accessory.