Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Marks 70 Years with 37mm Vintage Re-Edition

Blancpain famously introduced its trendsetting Fifty Fathoms divers’ watch in 1953, aiming it originally at military and professional divers. Its popularity gave rise to a civilian-targeted model, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, in 1956, which took its name from the famous undersea vehicle invented by Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and which offered a more streamlined, stylish, “skin diver” aesthetic than its tool-oriented predecessor. Blancpain revived the Bathyscaphe in 2013, the 60th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms series, and has been building it into an impressive collection in its own right ever since. The latest timepiece to join the Bathyscaphe lineup is a 300-piece limited edition that commemorates the model’s 70th anniversary, offering a period-appropriate case diameter and other vintage details.

The stainless steel case of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition (Ref. 5903 1110 63A) is a modest 37.4mm, the smallest yet in the Bathyscaphe family, which echoes the dimensions of the watch’s direct inspiration, a landmark model from 1968 (above). Built around the in-house movement inside it, the case is ergonomically curved and notably slender, at 12.3mm thick, and features an array of polished and brushed surfaces. Measuring 46.5mm lug to lug, the case retains its larger predecessors’ professional-grade water resistance of 300 meters (30 bar). The unidirectional rotating steel bezel has a ceramic insert (an upgrade on the Hesalite insert on the 1968 model) with lacquered numerals for the dive scale.

The sober dial is in “sunburst meteor gray,” with the baton-shaped hands and hour markers characteristic of the Bathyscaphe series, here coated with “vintage-colored” beige Super-LumiNova, whose warm nighttime glow echoes the dials of historic models. The date appears in a framed window at 3 o’clock, and a retro-looking mid-20th Century Blancpain brand logo is placed below the 12 o’clock marker. The hands, in 18k white gold, add a touch of modern luxury to this 21st-Century tool watch re-edition.

Photo: Tim Vaux

The movement inside the watch, Blancpain’s in-house automatic Caliber 1150, is also decidedly modern. Consisting of 210 parts, including 28 jewels, its attributes include a silicon hairspring for increased antimagnetic protection (and hence, increased long-term efficiency and accuracy), an openworked 18k gold rotor, and a fully wound power reserve of 100 hours, or four full days — longer than you’ll need for any diving excursion you’d care to undertake with the watch. In contrast to the 1968 original, which had a traditional closed caseback, the anniversary edition has a sapphire window in the back to give the owner a view into the movement’s workings and its high-horology finishing, reminiscent of that on the original Fifty Fathoms.

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition is mounted on a chocolate-colored calfskin leather strap with hand stitching and an old-school pin buckle. Each of the 300 pieces is individually numbered, is delivered in a specially branded waterproof Peli case, and carries a five-year warranty. The MSRP is $18,300. 

Photo and Featured Image: Tim Vaux

For more information, visit the brand's website here.