Yesterday the well known retailer Bucherer released a new timepiece belonging to their Blue Editions collection, which already features watches by Vacheron Constantin, IWC, Piaget, Audemars Piguet, Tudor and others. This time it is a collaboration between Bucherer and Blancpain: the Blancpain Bathyscaphe Bucherer Blue Edition.

Thanks to Bucherer Hamburg and Blancpain Germany I had the opportunity to view the watch just hours after official release and of course take a lot of photos to share with you.

The watch is powered by the 5Hz calibre F385, which features a personalized rotor celebrating the result of the collaborative effort between Blancpain and Bucherer:

Now, this watch is reminding us very strongly of the two first Ocean Commitment Bathyscaphe models, one with grey ceramic case and blue dial, the other with blue ceramic case and grey dial. Does the Bucherer Blue Edition compromise Blancpain’s Ocean Commitment series? And did Blancpain take it easy by just blending two previous watches into a new one?

Well, after having seen the new watch I answer both questions with a „no”: with this year’s edition of the Ocean Commitment Blancpain already left the Bathyscaphe Chronographe as a basis for the series. Also the OC timepieces are limited to 250 pieces each, including a 1000€ donation to the Ocean Commitment fund with each timepiece. The Bucherer Blue Edition is not limited to a certain number of timepieces.

And Blancpain has not chosen the easy route, since they developed a new dial for the Bucherer Blue Edition. This dial is offering a lot more contrast due to a radial cut on the outer side, it provides a lot more play with light and is simply outstanding seen in reality:

Obviously a blue case combined with a blue dial meets the key idea of the Bucherer Blue Editions… and probably not everyone’s taste. Whether an almost all blue timepiece appeals to you or not, the execution and quality is as always flawless. Creating more contrast, the outer rim of the also blue ceramic bezel with Liquidmetal inlays is done in grey ceramic, as is the tang buckle that comes with the blue sailcloth strap.

Here are a few wrist shots showing how the watch changes in different light. Since the shooting took place inside the shop no photos under natural light have been possible. I am personally curious how the Bathyscaphe Bucherer Blue Edition would look in bright sunlight, a sunset or other moody light conditions. Well, maybe someday…

I’ll close the report with two last shots of this very interesting and beautifully executed timepiece. The watch is exclusively sold through Bucherer and their affiliates worldwide, it is also available online through the Bucherer website.

I hope you enjoyed the introduction and the photos! A heartfelt Thank You goes to Bucherer Hamburg and Blancpain Germany for having granted me the opportunity to encounter this brand new watch so quickly!

Cheers
Henrik