Blancpain: Cool Military Divers

Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe

Sure to be popular with women too!?

Blancpain's Cool Military Divers

This year marks 60 years since Blancpain's first modern diver's watch was born in 1953. The latest model, the "Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe," has arrived, meeting the demands of modern divers.

Text by SHIBUYA Yasuhito

60 Years of Evolution

The diver's watch "Fifty Fathoms" was created in 1953 at the suggestion of Blancpain's president at the time, who was also a scuba diving enthusiast. To commemorate its 60th anniversary this year, the latest model, the "Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe," has been unveiled.

Despite being in the early days of scuba diving, the original model anticipated many of today's international standards for diver's watches (ISO 6435:1996), such as a unidirectional rotating bezel for marking dive times, a simple dial design focused on underwater legibility, and the adoption of an automatic movement to reduce the risk of water ingress. The latest model continues this simple design.

The movement is automatic. The balance spring, the heart of the watch, uses a silicon-based material that is resistant to magnetism and highly durable. The rotating bezel is made of ceramic, and its scale is made of "Liquidmetal," a hard and durable amorphous metal alloy. These features incorporate the 60 years of evolution.

For the men's model, a ceramic-titanium case specification is also available.

Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe｜
Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe

Case｜43mm (men's), 38mm (ladies'), both in stainless steel. Ceramic-titanium case also available for men's model.
Movement｜Automatic
Power Reserve｜120 hours
Strap｜Sail canvas strap, nylon NATO strap
Specifications｜Both with see-through case back, 300m water resistance
Price｜¥976,500 (men's), ¥892,500 (ladies'), ¥1,113,000 (men's: ceramic-titanium case) *All prices are provisional.
Release Date｜Scheduled for release this autumn