Description
Bianchet is one of those Swiss independents that flies quietly under the radar while doing something genuinely extraordinary — building automatic flying tourbillons with ultra-thin profiles (the UT01 caliber is just 3.85 mm tall and weighs 8 grams) and wrapping them in sculptural tonneau cases. For April 2026 and Watches and Wonders Geneva, the brand dropped one of its biggest releases yet: the first-ever round Bianchet, the UltraFino Rotondo Flying Tourbillon, alongside a refreshed skeleton tonneau line in new colours, plus a headline-grabbing UltraFino Maserati flying tourbillon celebrating 100 years of the Trident.
We're folding all of this into a single article because that's how we cover brand releases here — one story per brand, one drop. Four skeleton tonneau references in titanium and carbon, one entirely new round case, and one collaboration with one of the most iconic names in Italian motoring. Let's break it down.
Design
The headline piece of 2026 is the UltraFino Rotondo. After years of Bianchet being synonymous with its curved tonneau silhouette, this is the brand's first-ever round watch — and crucially, it's built on a newly developed round architecture, not a round case slapped onto an old tonneau movement. The round UR01 caliber places the mainspring barrel at 12 o'clock and the flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock, with the bridges, plate, and wheel train all reorganised to fit a perfect circle. The case is 39.5 mm, ultra-thin at 8.9 mm, with an integrated bracelet that flows into the lugs. Two material options: Grade 5 titanium (75 g with bracelet) or high-density carbon fibre (a ludicrous 48 g). Both are openworked and display the caliber front and back through sapphire with anti-glare treatment.
Running alongside the Rotondo launch, Bianchet also refreshed its tonneau UltraFino Skeleton line with new colourways. These sit on the existing 40 x 47.39 mm tonneau platform but bring a new palette: Carbon Skeleton Sky Blue, Carbon Skeleton Red, and Skeleton Titanium Blue are the three confirmed 2026 additions. All use the 500-layer forged-carbon or Grade 5 titanium cases the brand is known for, and all expose the UT01 flying tourbillon through a fully skeletonised dial.
Then there's the UltraFino Maserati. Unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2026 to mark 100 years of the Maserati Trident, it's a limited run of 100 individually numbered pieces inspired by the Maserati MCPURA supercar. The case is high-density carbon fibre (40 mm wide, 47.39 mm long, 9.9 mm thick), the dial features a split-spoke layout referencing the MCPURA's wheel design, and the accents are in AI Aqua blue — Maserati's signature supercar hue. It's light (36 g without strap), it's loud, and it's the kind of car-watch tie-in that actually earns its keep because the mechanical foundation is the real Bianchet UT01, not a badged ETA.
Specs
UltraFino Rotondo Flying Tourbillon — common platform
| Brand | Bianchet |
| Model | UltraFino Rotondo Flying Tourbillon |
| Case Shape | Round (first-ever for Bianchet) |
| Diameter | 39.5 mm |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm |
| Movement | UR01 in-house, automatic flying tourbillon |
| Frequency | 21,600 vph (3 Hz) |
| Power Reserve | 60 hours |
| Components | 225 parts, 29 jewels |
| Shock Resistance | 5,000 G |
| Water Resistance | 100 m |
| Crystal | Sapphire, anti-glare front and back |
| Bracelet | Integrated, matching case material, with quick-change rubber strap |
| Price (Titanium) | CHF 62,500 (excl. taxes) |
| Price (Carbon) | CHF 67,500 (excl. taxes) |
UltraFino Skeleton — 2026 tonneau variants matrix
| Variant | Case Material | Accent Colour | Weight | Status |
| Skeleton Titanium Sky Blue | Grade 5 Titanium | Sky Blue | 75 g (w/ bracelet) | Confirmed on bianchet.com |
| Skeleton Carbon Red | 500-layer forged carbon | Red | 48 g (w/ bracelet) | Confirmed on bianchet.com |
| Skeleton Carbon Sky Blue | 500-layer forged carbon | Sky Blue | 48 g (w/ bracelet) | Confirmed on bianchet.com |
All four skeleton tonneau variants share: 40 x 47.39 mm case, 8.9 mm thickness, UT01 caliber (3.85 mm tall, 8 g), 60 h power reserve, 21,600 vph, 5,000 G shock resistance, 5 ATM / 50 m water resistance, integrated bracelet matching case material. Reference price band around USD 82,000 — 83,000 depending on variant.
UltraFino Maserati Flying Tourbillon
| Brand | Bianchet × Maserati |
| Model | UltraFino Maserati Flying Tourbillon |
| Occasion | 100 years of the Maserati Trident |
| Inspiration | Maserati MCPURA supercar |
| Case | High-density carbon fibre, tonneau |
| Dimensions | 40 mm wide × 47.39 mm long × 9.9 mm thick |
| Weight | 36 g (without strap) |
| Movement | Bianchet UT01 automatic flying tourbillon |
| Frequency | 21,600 vph (3 Hz) |
| Power Reserve | ~60 hours |
| Components | 225 parts, 29 jewels |
| Water Resistance | 50 m |
| Shock Resistance | Up to 5,000 G |
| Dial Accent | AI Aqua blue (MCPURA signature colour) |
| Dial Layout | Split-spoke, inspired by MCPURA wheel design |
| Strap | Integrated carbon bracelet or rubber strap, titanium folding clasp |
| Limited Edition | 100 individually numbered pieces |
| Price | CHF 65,500 (≈ USD 83,000 — some outlets cite CHF 70,000 TBC) |
| Debut | Watches and Wonders Geneva, April 2026 |
What's Exciting
There are two things going on here, and both are interesting for different reasons. First, the Rotondo is Bianchet growing up. A round case forces you to rebuild the movement architecture from scratch — you can't just drop a tonneau caliber into a circle and call it a day. The fact that Bianchet developed the UR01 specifically for this launch, maintained the sub-9 mm profile, and still hit 100 m water resistance and 5,000 G shock resistance tells you the brand is serious about engineering, not just aesthetics. The 48-gram carbon version is genuinely featherweight territory — lighter than most smartwatches, with a proper hand-finished flying tourbillon inside.
Second, the Skeleton colour refresh (Sky Blue, Red, and Titanium Blue) shows Bianchet is finally willing to play with colour in a segment that usually defaults to grey-on-grey monochrome. A red accent on a carbon tourbillon? That's a personality statement at this price.
And then there's the Maserati bonus story. Car-watch collaborations are usually garbage — someone slaps a logo on a dial and calls it a tribute. This one earns its badge because the UT01 is actually Bianchet's best work, the AI Aqua blue is a real MCPURA colour (not a made-up "racing edition" paint), and the split-spoke dial layout is a genuine design reference, not a cartoon steering wheel. At 100 pieces individually numbered, it'll sell out before most collectors even hear about it. Marking 100 years of the Trident with an ultra-thin flying tourbillon in carbon is exactly the kind of bonkers horological flex that Watches and Wonders is for.
Sources
- Monochrome Watches — First Look: Bianchet UltraFino Rotondo Flying Tourbillon
- Fratello — Introducing: The Bianchet UltraFino Rotondo
- Monochrome Watches — First Look: Bianchet UltraFino Maserati
- Fratello — The New Bianchet UltraFino Maserati Collaboration
- The Watch Pages — UltraFino Carbon Skeleton Sky Blue
- The Watch Pages — UltraFino Carbon Skeleton Red
- Bianchet Official — UltraFino Skeleton Titanium Blue
- Bianchet Official — UltraFino Collection
History
Bianchet is a young Swiss independent, founded in 2021 and based in La Chaux-de-Fonds — the historical heart of Swiss watchmaking. The brand was built around a single obsession: designing ultra-thin automatic flying tourbillons with a tonneau case derived from the Golden Ratio (1.618), which is also baked into the brand's model name, B 1.618. The UT01 caliber — 3.85 mm tall, 8 g in weight, made from Grade 5 titanium with a solid gold rotor — has been the platform for everything they've shipped since launch.
The brand's first major success was the UltraFino in carbon and titanium, followed by the UltraFino Skeleton which exposed the UT01's architecture through an openworked dial. In 2025 they introduced rose gold and featherweight carbon variants, quickly picking up coverage from Monochrome, Fratello, and The Watch Pages as "the best ultra-thin tourbillon you haven't heard of yet." The April 2026 drop — with the round Rotondo, the Skeleton colour expansion, and the Maserati collab — is the brand's most ambitious release to date, and it coincides with their first major Watches and Wonders Geneva presence. Pay attention.
Gallery
Images to be added — UltraFino Rotondo titanium wrist shot, Rotondo carbon lume/weight shot, Skeleton Carbon Red dial macro, Skeleton Carbon Sky Blue dial macro, Skeleton Titanium Blue dial macro, UltraFino Maserati dial with AI Aqua accents, Maserati caseback with Trident centenary engraving, movement shot of the round UR01 caliber.
