Last week I was invited to the Swiss Embassy in Paris to discover a new brand of the watchmaking industry from Jura, Blancarré. The name of this young brand refers to both the shape of the watch and the “white cube”, that is to say the neutral and white space available to artists to exhibit their creations in the galleries.
This luxury watch with perfect lines and sharp angles don’t lack the character. Sober and pure, this watchmaking creation really comes out of the beaten track. The two brothers who come from the Jura, Claude and Nicolas Mertenat, present Blancarré rather as a label of creation or even an object of art. Nicolas Mertenat worked for a long time in the watch industry. Passionate about art in general and sculpture in particular, he wanted to break both design and commercial.
“This project is the realization of a dream. I wanted independence, to have a free space, to make watches in my own way, otherwise. In short, to create the watch that I dreamed of wearing. Blancarré is this personal outcome ”
The Blancarré watches are square and made of titanium and ceramic. The founders of the brand want to try new distribution channels and promotion to stand out. They want to meet their customers by organizing events in ephemeral shops – art galleries, fashion boutiques and other blind concepts. Since the watchmaking market is quite saturated at the moment, this approach will surely pay off.
This timepiece inspired by minimalist art and cubic sculptures is available in six variants with bezel made of titanium gray or mat black, or black or white ceramic. These models can satisfy both female and male customers.
For my part, I appreciate this desire which prompted the founders to create a new brand of watches in their own way. Daring to realize his dreams, to innovate and to surprise, to try his luck not to regret later, all this to create pieces of art to wear on the wrist. A challenge succeeded by the Mertenat brothers!
