A close-up view of the Blancpain Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback.
IT’S not often you get a movie with a watch as one of its central “characters”, but Swiss brand Blancpain has achieved exactly this.
The Blancpain Villeret Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback timepiece takes centre stage in Paul WS Anderson’s film In The Lost Lands, as one of the rare and valuable artefacts to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.
English film director, screenwriter and producer Anderson found success with his shows such as Mortal Kombat which was based on a video game of the same name, and was the creative voice of the Resident Evil film series.
Martin (left) and Anderson sharing a light moment during the making of ‘In The Lost Lands’.
His most notable films include Alien vs Predator (2004), Death Race (2008) and the epic historical drama Pompeii (2014).
Anderson and his team of producers selected this particular Blancpain model to appear in the film based on George RR Martin’s short story of the same title.
Martin is no stranger to the film industry, being the author of the celebrated series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire that was adapted into the award–winning television series Game of Thrones and prequel series House of the Dragon.
In the film In The Lost Lands, Milla Jovovich stars as the powerful sorceress Gray Alys while Dave Bautista is her guide named Boyce.
It follows their journey through the desolate Lost Lands, as they battle both man and demon in search of a magical power.
Jovovich plays a powerful sorcerer in the film.
Originally, a precious gem was supposed to be the centrepiece of the story, but the filmmakers later decided on a timepiece for ease of cinematic adaptation.
As the oldest and most precious relic from the past, the Blancpain timepiece becomes central to their quest.
Born in Kiev (Ukraine) and raised in Los Angeles, Jovovich gained attention for her role in the 1991 romance film Return to the Blue Lagoon and starred as Joan of Arc in Besson’s The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. She also portrayed Alice in the action horror film franchise Resident Evil.
Meanwhile, retired professional wrestler-turned actor Bautista has previously appeared in Spectre, Blade Runner 2049 and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery but is best known for his role as Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Rabban in Dune.
The venue in Santa Fe, New Mexico in the US, for the screening of ‘In The Lost Lands’.
Blancpain’s role
Known as the world’s oldest watch brand, Blancpain’s presence represents endurance and legacy.
The Blancpain Villeret Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback was a standout choice to be cast in the film.
Housed in a red gold case, the open-worked dial and sapphire crystal case-back offer in-depth views into the timepiece thus creating compelling opportunities for videography.
The timepiece’s high complexity – with its unique combination of carrousel, minute repeater, and chronograph complications – along with its craftsmanship and timeless design, made it the ideal watch for the film’s storyline.
“The Blancpain Villeret Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback was the perfect fit for the
role as it perfectly combined a timeless look and complexity that we were looking for,” says Anderson.
Blancpain’s decorating and engraving workshops.
“There is a lot of incredibly fine detail in the timepiece, which is what I wanted for the shots of the inner workings of the watch.
“When we take the audience into the watch, under the seconds hand and along the movement, there has to be an immense amount of detail for that shot to hold up on a really large screen,” he elaborates.
The actual timepiece spent several days on set, filmed alongside the actors in key scenes.
Once filming wrapped, a multifaceted digital recreation was created for action sequences and extreme close-ups.
Vallée de Joux, where Blancpain has its workshop.
This reproduction took five months to produce, using macro retrofits added to advanced scanners operating at maximum resolution to ensure the digital model is an accurate representation of the timepiece.
Many shots took place in the rain, making it even more challenging to capture, as the way light enters the dial and radiates along the movement had to be recreated faithfully.
The caseback of Blancpain Carrousel Minute Repeater Flyback Chronograph.
The star
Blancpain introduced a series of world firsts via its Carrousel Volant and Carrousel Minute Repeater models.
The Manufacture has maintained its well-deserved status at the very peak of the watchmaking art, by becoming the first to associate these two horological complications with a flyback chronograph in a self-winding version.
Villeret Carrousel Répétition Minutes with diamonds.
Designed to counteract the perturbations induced by gravity on the accuracy of watches, the carrousel is a rare and fascinating complication.
Blancpain has revived this device and incorporated it into a wristwatch for the first time.
The carrousel is an escapement mechanism with similar function as a tourbillon, created for better accuracy.
Villeret Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback.
The Villeret Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback has a central 30-minute counter for easier readability.
The 45mm red gold case has a thickness of 17.8mm, and comes with a sapphire crystal caseback.
Villeret Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback.
The transparent caseback reveals the intricate details within, a testament to the fine craftsmanship of the refined horological wonder.
The strap is fitted in alligator leather with a folding clasp.
