What started with the 5 simultaneously released models in September 2023 has now become a total of nine versions under the collaborative effort of Swatch and Blancpain. Has the new Scuba Fifty Fathoms Green Abyss the potential of taking over the fan favorite position from the widely popular Scuba FF Ocean of Storms? Let’s take a closer look at the Green Abyss to answer that question.
.
A no date Scuba FF with strong vintage vibes
The Scuba Fifty Fathoms Green Abyss has a green bioceramic case combined with a contrasting black bezel insert. It is this contrast that feels like a welcome change in color design, giving the watch a memorable and unique look, despite the dial configuration being similar to the Scuba Fifty Fathoms Antarctic.
.
The grained dial has dark grey/ faded black color, with the expression changing quite a bit under different light conditions. In combination with the green hands and the beige lume color the face of the watch is actually a real beauty.
.
The lume indices are applied without a frame and remind us of the painted lume dots, sticks or triangles we admire so much on Blancpain’s vintage dive watches. Together with the vintage Blancpain Fifty Fathoms signature and the beige/green moisture indicator there’s a strong hint to the unrivaled Blancpain dive watches heritage coming with the Scuba FF Green Abyss.
.
The Blancpain x Swatch Scuba FF models are water resistant to 91m or 300ft, making them a very usable watch for water bound activities. The functionality of the 120 click unidirectional bezel is really good and precise. Of course there is also enough luminescence, not on par with the real Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, but absolutely sufficient.
.
When we turn the watch we see the Swatch Sistem 51 movement, decorated in the typical Scuba FF design, including the nudibranch (Felimare Picta) print on the transparent rotor.
.
Two notable improvements
The Scuba Fifty Fathoms Green Abyss is the third version missing a date window. But it is the first one with the crown function adjusted to the time only function. With the Scuba FF Arctic and Antarctic you had to pass a non functional crown position 1 to adjust the time under position 2, the new watch features only 1 position when you pull the crown. This is a commendable improvement and shows that Swatch continues to put some real effort into the Scuba Fifty Fathoms product.
.
The second improvement is the two piece Nato style strap. Compared to the one piece Nato strap that came with the first 6 Scuba FF models this new solution offers a better haptic and more comfortable wearing experience.
.
The colors of the strap are perfectly aligned with the watch, my typical instinct of finding a different strap from the original configuration is not at all triggered with the Scuba FF Green Abyss.
.
Comparisons
Let’s take a look at the Scuba Fifty Fathoms Green Abyss meeting some close friends. This may help us decide whether it is the best and most convincing Scuba FF yet.
Compared to the Scuba Fifty Fathoms Antarctic the color contrasts offered by the Green Abyss appear more strongly, a key differentiator since both watches have the same famous Fifty Fathoms MilSpec layout.
.
With the very popular Scuba FF Ocean of Storms the Green Abyss meets the model most Blancpain owners consider the best of them all. In my humble opinion the Green Abyss should be considered at least on the same level.
.
Just for fun let’s also look at the Scuba FF Green Abyss next to the real thing: here it is with the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1 and also the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad sitting side by side on the wrist.
.
Conclusions
The collaboration between Blancpain and Swatch has become an ongoing project, and the new Scuba Fifty Fathoms Green Abyss proves that the idea can still generate very positive surprises.
I continue to enjoy my previous favorites, the Scuba FF Antarctic and Scuba FF Ocean of Storms very much. The Green Abyss however is one notch above those two, with the Swatch and Blancpain design elements in perfect balance for the first time. The watch offers great wrist presence, a cool look with vintage vibes and a convincing playful take on the world’s fist professional dive watch.
.
You find the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms collection here on the Swatch website. My review of the Scuba FF Ocean of Storms can be found here in the blog.
I hope you enjoyed this hands-on and the photos.
Cheers
Henrik