Debuted in 1953, the world’s first modern diving watch Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms was so revolutionary, it basically set the blueprint for every modern day dive watch to follow. Just three years after its creation, Blancpain launched an alternative version, the Bathyscaphe, with a design that was more wearable than the military-designed Fifty Fathoms. Since then, the watchmaker has been making sure that both the Fifty Fathoms and the Bathyscaphe continue to evolve with the times, keeping up with modern day needs and aesthetics and, at the same time, honouring its iconic design.
This year at Baselworld, Blancpain paid special tribute to the Bathyscaphe by introducing a limited edition Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date 70s. This new timepiece takes its cue not from the 1950s when it was first launched, but instead, from the 1970s, which was a time when the watchmaker made further evolutions to the line by rolling out new watches with exciting new aesthetic codes. These pieces each featured bold dial markings with Arabic numerals, along with day and date windows positioned at 3 o’clock.
Capturing the unique essence and style of the 70s models, the new limited edition Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date 70s timepiece comes with a silvered dial ring with bold rectangular hour markers, Arabic numerals radially arrayed every five minutes, along with windows for the day of the week and the date at the 3 o’clock position. Just like the 70s vintage piece, the dial of the new 2018 model is made to appear larger in size with the use of subtle graduated grey colouring, featuring a darker shade on the outer perimeter, and lighter tones toward the centre.
Though the overall aesthetic is inspired by a watch from almost half a decade ago, this new timepiece is kept updated with the latest technical advances of today. On top of the 43mm satin-finished case is a unidirectional bezel in black ceramic, and indexes filled with Liquidmetal. Flip to the back, and you’ll find a Sapphire crystal caseback revealing the 1315DD calibre that boosts a 120-hr power reserve and a water resistance of 300 metres.
Available in boutiques from August 2018 and limited to only 500 pieces worldwide, Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date 70s is also available with four different wristbands: a vintage-style antiqued leather, sail-canvas, Nato strap, as well as a steel bracelet. Head to Blancpain’s official website for more information.