Manufacturer: Blancpain Year: Circa 1965 Movement No: 617’923 Model Name: Fifty Fathoms Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. R310, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Nylon Dimensions: 41mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by Blancpain Fifty Fathoms exhibition certificate
Catalogue Essay
The development of the Fifty Fathoms was under the direction of the French Navy’s Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage, an elite underwater team which carried out covert operations. The unit head, Captain Bob Maloubier, sketched out his desire for a cutting edge watch, and approached various brands to see if they could produce such a watch. Rejected by many brands, Blancpain’s then-CEO, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, a passionate diver himself, agreed to create the watch. The model produced featured an anti-magnetic automatic movement and a water-resistant case with a screw-down caseback and double O-ring crown system. Fiechter named the new model “Fifty Fathoms”, for the greatest depth a combat diver was believed able to withstand at that time.
Released in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms was a 41mm diameter dive watch with a rotating Bakelite bezel and luminous markers on the dial and bezel for legibility in the darkness found on deep dives. During the early 1960s, new regulations imposed by governments required changes in luminous materials used. Blancpain complied by using a less radioactive material, and some dials, as seen on the present example, would feature the universal symbol for radioactivity with a cross mark labelled “No Radiation”, giving clear indication to the owner their luminous bezel and dial were harmless. The watch was not sold through luxury boutiques given its practical use, but rather through specialist diving brands and shops.
The present watch is noteworthy as it was selected by Blancpain to represent the “Fifty Fathoms No Radiation” theme in their 2010 exhibition that commemorated the brand’s 275th anniversary. It is a superb example of the Fifty Fathoms model from the late 1960s and is presented today in excellent condition.
As the watchmaking brand with the earliest founding date, Blancpain remains close to tradition, concentrating on classical mechanical watches. Established in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the Le Brassus manufacturer today continues to innovate with the development of high-quality calibres and is proud of their heritage, having never made quartz watches. One of the firm's greatest successes was the Fifty Fathom wristwatch introduced in 1953 — the vintage models of which are now highly coveted by collectors. The earliest dive watch available to the market, Fifty Fathom came out a year prior to Rolex's Submariner. Another key model is the Air Command from the 1960s, considered one of the most mythical collector's watches due to their extreme rarity. Today, the firm specializes in creative innovated complicated timepieces.