Blancpain Caliber F185 Watch Movement

Manufacturer	Blancpain
Caliber Number	F185
Base Caliber	Frederic Piguet 1185 (FP1185, FP 1185)
Type	Automatic
Lignes	12”’
Diameter	26.2mm
Height	5.5mm
Jewels	37
Total Parts	308
Vibrations Per Hour	21,600 bph, 3Hz
Power Reserve	40 hours
Rotor Style	Ball bearing
Balance	Three legged monometal with flat hairspring
Anti-Shock System	KIF Ultraflex
Chronograph System	Column wheel, vertical clutch
Hacking Seconds?	No
Functions	Central hours, central minutes, central flyback chronograph seconds, small running seconds at 6:00, 30 minute chrono counter at 3:00, 12 hour chrono counter at 9:00, date at 6:00 or between 4:00 and 5:00
Finishing	Côtes de Genève, perlage, polished chamfered edges
Country of Manufacture	Switzerland
Known Models	Fifty Fathoms Chronographe Flyback (Ref: 5085F 1130 52A, 5085F 1130 71S, 5085F 3630 52A, 5085FA 3630 63B, 5085FB 1140 52B

The Blancpain caliber F185 is automatic flyback chronograph movement with 37 jewels. This caliber is a Blancpain in-house movement, Swiss made. The F185 is currently found in the Fifty Fathoms Chronographe Flyback line of watches.

The text on the movement reads as follows:

“Calibre F185 / Thirty-Seven (37) Jewels / Adjusted Five (5) Positions / Blancpain / Swiss”

The flyback chronograph function as described in Blancpain’s own words:

“The flyback chronograph, which measures a succession of elapsed times, eliminates many superfluous repetitive operations.”

Some of the topics covered in this caliber listing:

Frederic Piguet 1185

Blancpain’s caliber F185 movement is based on the Frederic Piguet caliber 1185. Frederic Piguet was acquired by Swatch Group along with Blancpain in 1992. FP was eventually (around 2010) absorbed into Blancpain, becoming the manufacturer for in-house Blancpain movements.

Power Reserve

The Blancpain F185 is claimed to have a power reserve of 40 hours. Blancpain states in the official user manual that a stopped movement (no power reserve in the mainspring) should be wound by hand at least 40 rotations of the crown. They state that this is the minimum power reserve required to operate the watch on the wrist.

The manual further instructs that calibers with a calendar complication (date) such as the F185 discussed here, should have at least 20 hours of power reserve to drive the mechanism. Without sufficient power reserve, the watch may stop at around midnight. Therefore, do not be alarmed if your watch stops at 12am, simply ensure that there is enough power reserve and test it again the next day.

Recommended Service Intervals

Blancpain recommends that watches with the caliber F185 are serviced every 5 years.

“A mechanical watch needs good care and lubrication. Despite the excellent quality of the oils and materials used by Blancpain, we recommend that you entrust your watch to your Blancpain representative every five years to have it thoroughly cleaned and lubricated. Through this regular maintenance, you will prevent unnecessary wear due to drying of the oils and thereby ensure your watch continues to run smoothly for years to come.”

Dial Side:

Additional Resources:

1 Comment

oldest

newest most voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Vacheron Constantin Caliber 1137 Watch Movement | Caliber Corner

2 years ago

[…] Although Vacheron Constantin has been part of the Richemont Group since 1996, the Vacheron Constantin caliber 1137 is based on a modified Frédéric Piguet caliber 1185. Frederic Piguet was acquired by Swatch Group along with Blancpain in 1992. FP was later (2010) absorbed into Blancpain and essentially became the manufacturer for Blancpain movements. The Frederic Piguet base caliber 1185 has been updated to be known as the Blancpain caliber F185. […]