In 2023 Blancpain celebrated the 70th anniversary of the iconic Fifty Fathoms in three acts or better said with three very special timepieces. This year the smaller sibling to the professional dive watch, meant for daily wearing with swimming or diving capabilities, turns 70 years old and we get a remarkable timepiece to match the occasion, the limited to 300 pieces Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary reference 5903 1110 63A. Let’s take a deep dive into it, but not only that: we will see it side by side with its inspirational predecessor and some other family members.
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Born in 1956 as a casual daily companion with dive watch properties
Well, actually the name of the watch was born and registered a bit earlier, on September 5 1953, only 10 days after Auguste Piccard made worldwide news with his bathyscaphe Trieste descending to a depth of 3150m below sea level. Apparently Jean-Jacques Fiechter was very impressed by that achievement and considered the submarine’s type name Bathyscaphe very fitting for future timepieces.
With a diameter of 34mm, meeting the standard watch size at the time, the first Bathyscaphe signed timepiece was launched in 1956. Not many Blancpain documents of the time survived and subsequently there’s some uncertainty about which Bathyscaphe was actually the first, but it may very well be the MC4 with the characteristic Bakelite bezel and radium lume.
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There have been different iterations of the Bathyscaphe between 1956 and the early 1970s, in different sizes and designs. The probably best known is the PGA7, introduced in 1968, with a 37mm stainless steel case, acrylic bezel, a grey sunburst dial with large rectangular indices and bold baton hands. This exact model has been the inspiration for the FF Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary, a very good choice in my humble opinion.
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First impressions
When I received the Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary for the photo shoot I was immediately struck by the strong expression it possesses. To a large extent this is created by the large indices and bold polished baton hands filled with a substantial amount of SuperLuminova in a color that mimics aged tritium, moving over a sunburst finished grey dial with warm brown undertones.
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This eye catching element is embedded in a no less impactful polished stainless steel case and a fully graduated bezel inlay, surrounding a domed sapphire crystal. One thing becomes evident immediately: this watch has a plentiful of details to explore beyond its very harmonious and captivating look, and to put in perspective with its roots and some family members.
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Dial and hands
Blancpain call the dial of the Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary meteor grey, which would indicate it is the same grey hue as the standard collection stainless steel Bathyscaphe models. In my opinion this dial actually has a slightly different hue to it, with brown undertones that work beautifully with the luminous material.
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Another great visual match is between the sunburst finish of the dial and the bold hands and large indices. The Bathyscaphe 5903 face catches the light and reflects it in so many places in so many ways that it shows a strong presence under all conditions. To prove this point, here are some shots under artificial light:
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The color of lume is chosen to mimic the aging of tritium, it is a lighter yellow than we know it from the 40mm Fifty Fathoms Barakuda or Tribute to No Rad. Let’s again take a closer look, now under bright natural light:
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For those that would prefer standard greenish SuperLuminova, just take the watch briefly outside and go back into the house… and then your preference is met, even more strongly when you switch off all the lights.
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The dial and hands configuration is matching the 1968 Bathyscaphe PGA7, we also find the same fonts for the print, of course without the Incabloc reference. The seconds hand with the beautiful triangular tip is notably broader than the vintage one, which emphasizes that the anniversary piece was not supposed to be an identical copy.
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The dial is domed at its outer perimeter, perfectly aligned with the slightly bent minute and seconds hands, an effect that is enhanced by the glass box crystal.
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Case, bezel and crystal
The case of reference 5903 is an absolute masterpiece, the factual measurements of it tell only a small part of the story. With 37.4mm in diameter it matches the 1968 PGA7 exactly, with a height of 12.3mm it keeps the proportions very harmonious, being only 1.3mm higher than the 1968 watch but offering a unidirectional 120 click bezel (vs non clicking bidirectional), 300 meters water resistance (vs 91 meters), and a sapphire case back to expose caliber 1150 with 100 hours of power reserve (vs AS 1701 with 41 hours of power reserve).
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The slender construction with a slim middle case ending in faceted lugs, a beautiful bezel and the screwed down case back remains truthful to the vintage inspiration. It is nothing less than a feast for the eyes, and the wrist.
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The bezel is another highlight, with its black ceramic insert, a little slimmer than the ones of the modern day Bathyscaphe, fully graduated with lacquered numerals and indices and of course the luminous triangle at 12. Now, ceramic reflects light very differently than the acrylic material used for the 1968 watch, therefore the bezel insert appears to be visually dynamic, in some light conditions it looks pitch black, under other conditions light grey or blue, depending on the environment.
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A small inner steel ring frames the glass box shaped sapphire crystal, a shape that again is reminiscent of the plexiglass used for the Bathyscaphe PGA7 in 1968. The intended distortion at the outer perimeter is emphasizing the vintage vibes of this celebratory timepiece.
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Movement
The similarities between the PGA7 and the 5903 end when we talk about the movement of the new watch. The Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary features the well known and consistently updated caliber 1150, beautifully finished, with a silicon hairspring for anti-magnetic properties and an 18ct gold rotor bearing the historic Blancpain signature, which by the way can also be found on one of the bridges.
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Strap and clasp
To emphasize the civilian and casual use of the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe outside the diving habitat, Blancpain chose a chocolate calf leather strap with a stainless steel tang buckle bearing the historic Blancpain signature, which we also find embossed on the strap underside.
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The strap fits the aesthetic of the watch nicely, and it will fit bigger wrists fine since it is rather long, actually a little bit to long for my 16.5-17cm wrist. The lug width is 18cm as with the vintage PGA7, a standard size, so playing with different strap options will be any easy task.
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On the wrist
The middle case of the 37.4mm Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary ends in rather long lugs, so the watch wears bigger than its nominal size, more like a 39mm timepiece.
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When worn it feels very comfortable, with the visual attention being drawn towards the extrovert dial and hands immediately. This timepiece no doubt offers a lot of presence on the wrist.
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The Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary with some family members
For this chapter we of course have to invite the inspiration first, the 1968 Bathyscaphe PGA7. Seeing the vintage piece next to the 5903 proves that the anniversary timepiece has stayed very true to it but at the same time offers something different so it can stand proudly in its own right.
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The case shape and proportions are true to the vintage piece, as are the details of bezel, dial and hands. But always with a little twist, so you can’t mistake the anniversary watch with the PGA7.
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When we are talking about the return of vintage case shapes we need to put the 70th Anniversary Bathyscaphe next to the 70th Anniversary Fifty Fathoms as well. Here are the two modern Fifty Fathoms editions which re-introduce historic case shapes for only a limited number of watches, and they get on very well with each other.
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And then there are a lot more family members welcoming the Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary. I had the privilege to participate in a video by Justin Hast together with a young collector with an exquisite taste for vintage timepieces. Join Justin, Tommy and myself discussing the fantastic watches present in this video, hope you enjoy it.
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Conclusions (and some wishful thinking)
The Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary embodies the original concept of this model line in a convincing way: the perfect size for daily wear executed in a most beautiful and timeless case, with the full functionality of a true dive watch. With the polished case finish and the bold hands and indices it in addition provides some shiny bling factor, something I quite like.
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It also gives us the benefits of modern materials and the refinement and quality modern Blancpain is known for. There are so many beautifully crafted details that reveal themselves to the beholder upon close inspection, a virtue that I have connected with Blancpain since I bought my first one more than 25 years ago.
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What I love most about this watch is the 37.4mm case including the bezel. It is simply perfect in size and shape, offering the functionality of a dive watch but also a degree of timeless beauty I find remarkable.
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Blancpain have put a lot of work, dedication and commitment into this anniversary timepiece: creating all the new components and the tools to produce them for a quantity of only 300 pieces is commendable. I always held the opinion that the integrity of limited edition watches has to be preserved by the manufacturer, but here I am thinking that the case and bezel of reference 5903 shouldn’t be for so few owners only, I could easily imagine them (and seriously hope for) as the next generation of the standard collection Blancpain Bathyscaphe.
You find the new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary reference 5903 1110 63A here on the Blancpain website. The 2023 FF 70th Anniversary Act 3 is featured here, an example for the subtle restoration of vintage timepieces in Blancpain’s Heritage Atelier featuring the Bathyscaphe MC4 can be found here in the blog.
I hope you enjoyed this hands-on and the photos.
Cheers
Henrik