Blancpain can afford to take it easy this year. The lauded Swiss manufacture has already released the—mainstream—watch of the year; teaming up with Swatch to create the Scuba Fifty Fathoms (or Swifty Fathoms, as we like to call it!). However, the manufacture is continuing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its seminal dive watch.
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Released in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms was the world’s first modern diver’s watch — a fact Blancpain is all too willing to continue reminding us of. Conceived by Jean Jacques Fiechter, the then-CEO of Blancpain, it was swiftly embraced by the oceanic community and became the tool of choice for divers and underwater explorers thanks to its self-winding movement, anti-magnetic properties, and legible dial. The new Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 pays homage to Fiechter’s original design with a period-correct case size of 41.3mm.
Drawing from the 1957 mil-spec iterations of the Fifty Fathoms, the newcomer features a moisture indicator; an additional safety feature that provides divers with surety that the integrity of the watch had not been compromised on a previous mission. Specified by the US Navy, the addition of this feature made the mil-spec Fifty Fathoms the sole timepiece to meet the strict criteria set for its underwater missions.
Paring the dive watch back to its component parts, the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 balances practicality with refinement. Devoid of a date indicator, the matte black dial takes on a reductionist approach, allowing the lume-coated moisture indicator at 6 o’clock to pop on the dial. The hour indices, hands, and diving scale on the black ceramic bezel also receive a luminescent coating, in a vintage-inspired shade of beige. It’s presented on a two-tone NATO strap, colour-matched to the original timepiece.
However, its choice of case material places the so-called third act firmly in the elegant category, something its rugged inspiration was not known for. Eschewing the German silver of its predecessor, the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 is clad in 9k Bronze Gold, a patented alloy of 50% copper and 37.5% gold, as well as silver, palladium, and gallium. While bronze is typically known for its tendency to develop a (sometimes welcome) patina over time, the addition of gold works to prevent it from the effects of oxidation (read: turning green). Like the historic mil-spec Fifty Fathoms, the newcomer is water-resistant to 300 metres.
The timepiece is kept beating by the in-house 1154.P2 movement. Its twin-barrel ensures an impressive 100-hour power reserve, while a silicon balance spring guarantees resistance to magnetism. Unlike its inspiration, the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 features an exhibition caseback, which reveals bridges adorned with period-inspired decoration and an engraved vintage-style oscillating weight.
Limited to 555 examples, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 is priced at $48,000AUD and is available upon request.
Words by T. Angel
