Get ready for another horological meltdown. Following the—frankly ridiculous—success of the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch last year, Swatch has collaborated with another venerable Swiss manufacture. After a week of teasers—think a newspaper advertisement depicting a vague logo sitting within a large body of water—the Swatch x Blancpain collection has been unveilled.
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This time, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms serves as the canvas for Swatchification, with the release coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the iconic model. Dubbed the ‘Scuba Fifty’, the non-limited-edition collaboration pays homage to the seminal timepiece while nodding to the Swatch Scuba collection. The Swatch x Blancpain Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms is crafted from bioceramic—a patented blend of two-thirds ceramic and one-third biomaterials derived from castor oil—and is available in five distinct colourways, each representing one of the five oceans on earth.
There’s blue for the Atlantic, beige and orange for Arctic, green and black for Indian, grey and white for Antarctic, and an orangey-yellow for Pacific. Notably, there’s no all-black model, placing the collection firmly in the playful category and preventing it from looking like, well, a knockoff Fifty Fathoms.
The Scuba Fifty collection features the primary hallmarks of the classic Fifty Fathoms. The 42.3mm bioceramic cases take on a similar layout and there’s a unidirectional bezel to measure dive times.
The dial of each Scuba Fifty Fathoms features a fumè-esque gradient effect, darkening as it reaches the outer edges. A combination of triangular indexes and Arabic numerals are used for the hour markers. There’s a date aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock while at 12 o’clock, the Blancpain logo sits above that of the Swatch. On the bottom half, the ‘Scuba’ text sits above the signature ‘Fifty Fathoms’ inscription. Just below that, there’s a—highly specific—depth rating of 91m/300ft; or, exactly fifty fathoms.
However, the Arctic and Antarctic models—both no-date references—deviate from the bunch. The latter features a a genuine water contact indicator that detects the presence of water, with a change in sensor colour indicating traces of moisture. The reference has been used on select Blancpain models since 1954 — namely, those intended for use by diving clubs and military units. Meanwhile, the Arctic iteration features a circular symbol with the words ‘NO RADIATIONS’ inside it; used in the 1960s to denote that the watches were made without radium.
Horological enthusiasts will know that the Swiss manufacture has never—in its almost 300 years of operation—used a quartz movement. This doesn’t change here, with the Swatch x Blancpain Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms powered by the SISTEM51, Swatch’s patented mechanical movement — and the first mechanical movement to use a fully automated assembly process. The anti-magnetic movement has a power reserve of 90 hours. Visible through the exhibition caseback, the movement is digitally printed with the ocean it represents, as well as a nudibranch—a type of sea slug—found in said ocean.
Each Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms is presented on a striped NATO-style strap made from recycled fishing nets.
The Swatch x Blancpain Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms collaborative timepieces are priced at $630AUD and will be available in select Swatch physical stores from the 9th of September onwards, with a limit of one watch per person per day.
Words by Theo Rosen
