The original diver's watch marks another milestone!
Fifty Fathoms appeared in 1953, which Blancpain now proudly calls the first modern diver's watch. The current management team insists that this watch laid the foundations for an entirely new direction in watchmaking, although few could recall the iconic model back in the early 1990s.
The revival of Fifty Fathoms is synonymous with the name Jean-Claude Biver, who's also synonymous with Blancpain's new lease on life as a company. Biver and Jacques Piguet acquired the brand in 1982, but it would take over fifteen years for the first Fifty Fathoms in the line to be created.
Biver had been placing his bets on a classic with a moon-phase display, and the sporty Trilogy was only unveiled in Basel in 1998: Fifty Fathoms, the terrestrial GMT and aviator's Air Command.
The watches were very different from the original launched in 1953: the shape of the hands, how the markings were rendered, and most importantly, the bold numerals on the bezel. The collection received a new boost of momentum with the arrival of Blancpain's new CEO, Marc A. Hayek.
He decided to revive the legend for its 50th anniversary, moving towards a traditional design with improved specs. The same approach can be seen in Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms novelty for this year's anniversary: Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Ref. 5010A/B/C-1130-NABA.
The novelty is closer to the model launched for the golden anniversary: it borrows the font used for the brand name, 70th anniversary signature and the number of the series.
Similar to the Fifty Fathoms launched 20 years ago, the watches will be distributed in three series, which are regionally themed: EMEA, Asia-Pacific and the Americas (numbered I to III, respectively).
They've increased the limit for each series from 50 pieces to 70. Another feature shared with the Fifty Fathoms Blancpain introduced in 2003 is the black dial decorated with a sunburst finish.
They differ in case size: the 1953 model was 42 mm in diameter but the steel case which is water-resistant up to 300 m now measures 42.3 mm. The 2003 model was 40 mm in diameter (the same case size was used for various limited series), while cases measuring 45 mm in diameter were used for Blancpain's regular collection models.
Concealed inside is the automatic caliber 1315 movement with a platinum rotor. It has a 120-hour power reserve. The movement itself was unveiled in 2007, and fans of the brand will be fairly familiar with it (the workhorse of the three-hand Fifty Fathoms with a date aperture). It comprises 227 components and measures 5.65 mm in height and 30.6 mm in diameter.