New Blancpain Divers: Deep Sea Shades

The new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date Desert Edition with its sandy-colored dial and strap has been created as a tribute to a dive that went down as a milestone event in the history of American diving and in the development of underwater photography.

In 1962, underwater photographer Ernest "Ernie" H. Brooks II did the impossible and hung his work on American photography's hall of fame. In fact, he just took one step. But it was a big one! Ernie Brooks stepped into a narrow opening in Nevada's Death Valley mountains called the Devil's Hole, which led to a water-filled cavern stretching down more than 120 meters. Brooks was the first to photograph the critically endangered Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis), a three-centimeter long fish which can only be found in this underground lake.

This desert dive provided the initial spark of inspiration for the new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date, with a design that echoes the features of the Bathyscaphe from the 1970s. Arabic numerals have been applied to the sandy-beige dial on markers arranged at five-minute increments. Behind the retro hands and markers that give the watch its old-school feel is a modern engine. Under the hood of the 43-mm case with its ceramic bezel inlay is the Blancpain Caliber 1315DD manufacture movement, with a 120-hour power reserve. The Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date Desert Edition on a sail canvas strap was released in a limited edition of 500 pieces. This watch is up to the challenge of a dive in any underground lake, with a water resistance of up to 300 meters.

Blancpain's second new release is the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback, which has a more classic colorway for diving watches. This eye-catching chronograph has a green dial with a sunburst effect. Its color changes from light to dark, radiating out from the dial to the ceramic bezel. The green color works well with the black ceramic case, which is 43.6 mm in diameter. The sunburst pattern of the dial catches and plays with the light, while the anti-reflective satin-brushed surface of the case cancels out the glare of these rays. The same effect can be observed underwater, depending on the depth of the dive.

The new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback runs on the Blancpain Caliber F385, which controls flyback function for resetting and instantly restarting the chronograph by pressing the push-piece at 4 o'clock. The movement operates at a frequency of 5 Hz, which can measure time accurately to 1/10th of a second.