Over the last 2 weeks Blancpain has introduced an entire model family of the Fifty Fathoms in a new 38mm size. Now I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the stainless steel Fifty Fathoms 5007 1130 71S and the titanium blue dial Fifty Fathoms 5007 12B40 O64. So let’s dive into two small size Fifty Fathoms and explore them in detail.

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One design, three sizes

For now 18 years the 45mm Fifty Fathoms Automatique 5015 has established its modern classic status as the most refined dive watch.  In 2024 the 42mm Fifty Fathoms 5010 regular collection in the exact same design was introduced and since a few days we also have a smaller Fifty Fathoms with 38mm in diameter as an alternative with the same look and feel.

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In all three sizes we have two bestselling configurations of case material and dial color: polished stainless steel with black dial and satin brushed titanium with blue dial are available in 38, 42 or 45mm with a variety of different strap styles and a full bracelet.

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Blancpain kept the aesthetic balance of the modern Fifty Fathoms through all sizes, the dominant design elements (case size, dial diameter and bezel width) work just as harmoniously in 38 and 42mm as they do in the 45mm model since 2007. So it’s really coming down to the customer’s wrist size and personal preference which version works best for them.

The new 38mm Fifty Fathoms has a height of 12mm and a width of 19mm between the lugs. The watch features caliber 1150 with 4 days of power reserve, oscillating at 3Hz and decorated in the same style as its larger siblings with caliber 1315.

But now let’s turn to the two watches in detail.

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The stainless steel FF 5007 on bracelet 

This version of the new 38mm Fifty Fathoms immediately brings a smile to your face: solid weight, a haptic pleasure in the hand and on the wrist, and a real beauty.

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The Fifty Fathoms case is perfectly balanced with 38mm in diameter and 12mm height, the bezel action is smooth and precise, the beveled hands and indices have the right size and work beautifully on the black sunburst finish dial. The date window is found at the 4:30 position, just as we know it from the 42 and 45mm Fifty Fathoms.

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Now let’s have some more close up pictures taken under various light conditions and different angles do the talking:

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The backside of the watch offers a view on the beautifully decorated caliber 1150 with its 18ct gold rotor being finished the same way as we know it from the 42mm FF 5010.

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The stainless steel bracelet has the typical brushed and polished finish. It features the adjustment screws on the underside and a new type of double deployant clasp.

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To better illustrate the new size, here are some shots on my 17cm wrist:

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As we know it from the Fifty Fathoms luminescence is very strong. It takes only a few seconds under bright sunlight for the watch to really light up.

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The standard length of the bracelet makes the FF 5007 work comfortably for a wrist size of 17cm, with a very tight fit maybe it still works for 17.5cm wrist circumference.

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The titanium FF 5007 on the Tropic strap

We know from the FF 5010 and 5015 that a satin brushed case finish makes a noticeable difference, as does the sunburst finish blue dial. This is of course no different with the new Fifty Fathoms 5007 in grade 23 titanium.

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Here you see the case flanks and the fine satin brushed finish, which is a beautiful detail of the grade 23 titanium Fifty Fathoms:

This watch comes on a blue Tropic strap with titanium tang buckle. Alternatively the watch is available with a titanium deployant clasp or on a Sailcloth or Nato strap, there’s also the option of a grade 23 titanium bracelet.

Again, let’s see some photos telling the story:

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The timepiece is very lively under different light conditions, but there’s always a clear focus on the beautiful blue dial. 

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Under bright sunlight the different shades of blue between dial, bezel and strap become more evident.

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Of course luminescence is just as strong as with the black dial:

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The titanium FF 5007 also allows its owner the view on caliber 1150 when we turn the watch.

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Of course I checked the titanium FF 5007 on my wrist:

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In the standard configuration the strap is too short for my 17cm wrist, the tang buckle had to be fastened in the second to last hole. I would reckon that this regular length strap works for a 15-16cm wrist at the maximum.

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Comparisons to the 40 and 42mm Fifty Fathoms

As we know a nominal size doesn’t tell the full story. A watch needs to be checked on your own wrist, something I can’t help you with of course. But I am in the lucky position to give you a comparison to the next bigger sizes: a 40mm Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad on bracelet and the 42mm FF titanium on Tropic strap.

So here’s the stainless steel FF 5007 next to the 40mm FF No Rad. An important but on the photo not visible difference is the slightly different case shape between the two watches, the FF 5007 is also significantly slimmer.

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Now let’s take a look at the 38mm FF 5007 against the 42mm Fifty Fathoms 5010. The size difference is substantial, of course… but since both the 5007 and 5010 works just fine on my 17cm wrist the comparison is interesting in terms of wrist presence.

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Conclusions 

It is not easy to transfer a proven watch design into a different size without compromising the aesthetic integrity. Blancpain has (again) successfully done just that. The new 38mm Fifty Fathoms Automatique offers instant recognition also in this new size for slimmer wrists.

Especially the bracelet version is a thing of beauty: refined, with just the right heft and a haptic pleasure on and off the wrist.

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So, is there anything to be nitpicking about? No, I will not discuss the pricing of the FF 5007, I want to concentrate on the watch itself. The one thing that caught my eye in terms of imperfection is the Blancpain engraving on the left case flank which looks a bit too big and out of proportion to me. But that’s really it aesthetically.

Other than the size the big difference between the FF 5007 and the larger 5010 and 5015 is the movement. The non-hacking caliber 1150 has been consistently improved since its debut in the mid 1990s, it is a very beautiful and reliable movement indeed. It does not match the industry leading capacities of caliber 1315, though. 

The 38mm Fifty Fathoms Automatique is bound to be a big success, I believe. There are in total 5 significantly different models with at least two of them appealing not only to women but also men with slimmer wrists. The black dial stainless steel version and the titanium blue dial timepiece are definitely a beautiful choice.

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You find the FF 5007 family here on the Blancpain website. My overview on reference 5007 with all configurations can be found here in the blog.

I hope you enjoyed this hands-on and the photos.

Cheers 

Henrik