Founded in 1735 by the mayor of Villeret, Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the brand is renowned, among other things, for the world’s first modern dive watch, the Fifty Fathoms, in 1953 and never having applied a quartz movement in any of its timepieces. This was famously commercialized with the tagline "Since 1735 there has never been a quartz Blancpain watch. And there never will be." when the brand was helmed by the legendary Jean-Claude Biver.Even though Biver only helmed the brand for a little more than decade, his name has become synonymous with Blancpain as known today.

Like many other brands of the time, Blancpain struggled due to the quartz crisis in the 70s and sold its rights to Biver for a sum of CHF 22,000 in 1981. While seemingly a small sum in today's context, Biver's purchase saved the brand from extinction. During his short yet instrumental time with Blancpain, Biver, alongside his partner Jacques Piguet, developed what is now referred to as Blancpain's six masterpieces with six classic complications which included the Chronograph reference 1185 and the Perpetual Calendar reference 5395.

Derived from a combination of the aforementioned references 1185 and 5395, the Blancpain Perpetual Calendar Chronograph integrates both the chronograph and perpetual calendar complication. As with most watches with this complication, the dial consists of four subdials denoting the month, date, day and moonphase complications. While modestly sized in today's context, the 5585 showcases impressive horological prowess in its 34.5mm case and showcases the renaissance of the brand at its finest.

With approximately only 400 pieces made in all metals, the Blancpain 5585 remains an elusive reference from the neo-vintage era. While the reference is generally not as highly regarded as its peers from the period, it remains highly underrated given the complexity and its importance to the brand's development.