Today Blancpain has introduced a new member of the 42mm Fifty Fathoms 5010 family, adding a case of polished stainless steel to the regular collection. I was fortunate enough to experience this new model beforehand, so let’s not only take a close look but also compare it to its closest siblings, the titanium version and the 70th Anniversary Act 1.
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The backstory
It was 2007 when the current Fifty Fathoms was presented during Baselworld not only as a sophisticated professional dive watch with the superior caliber 1315, but also as a beautiful shiny object with a truly luxurious appeal in red gold or stainless steel.
It took Blancpain eleven years to add a titanium version to the 45mm Fifty Fathoms collection, which subsequently became the best selling configuration. So it was no surprise that Blancpain launched the new 42mm Fifty Fathoms regular collection in satin brushed titanium grade 23 and red gold last year.
We shall however not forget that there has been the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1 in stainless steel one year before, but with only 210 specimen worldwide it was a quite exclusive and not a permanent collection piece.
Now, 18 years after the beautiful shiny stainless steel Fifty Fathoms 5015 was introduced, the smaller FF 5010 is regularly available in this classic configuration. So let’s get up very close and personal with reference 5010-1130, first on its own in all details, later in comparison to its closest siblings.
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A thing of beauty
Polished stainless steel works beautifully with the rounded shapes of the Fifty Fathoms case, the sapphire bezel insert and the face of the timepiece.
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I have mentioned it in my take on the previous Fifty Fathoms 5010 versions: in my view this 42.3mm size is perfect, especially when you turn the watch and see how tightly it is constructed to hold the impressive caliber 1315. A perfect aesthetic balance between a case and a movement has historically been one of the strongest virtues of fine Swiss watchmaking, and the FF 5010 fully delivers on this virtue.
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At the same time the watch is basically a twin to the larger FF 5015 since the case was transferred truthfully to the smaller size in all proportions, at the same time the face of the timepiece shows the same key components.
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The sunburst black dial and the shape of hands, numerals and indices are basically identical, with only two small tweaks: the dial has no outer ring with radial finish and the applied indices now have bevels, which correspond perfectly to the beveled hands.
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The modern Fifty Fathoms is really a thing of beauty from all angles. Yes, some appreciate the Blancpain engraving on the case flank (like I do) and some don‘t. But aside from this detail it is evident how perfectly designed and executed this case is, also in connection with the bezel rim and the large screw down crown.
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With 42.3mm in diameter, 14.3mm height and 47mm lug-to-lug the Fifty Fathoms 5010 is easily wearable with both smaller and larger wrists. It sits comfortably and offers substantial wrist presence.
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Comparison to the titanium version
Well, since the difference between these two is only the case material and finish it is coming down to personal preferences on material properties and aesthetic choices .
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Some may argue that a brushed case finish is more in line with traditional sports watch aesthetics. On the other hand the polished stainless steel FF 5010 may look more harmonious in its overall appearance between case finish, the shiny sapphire bezel and the polished hands/numerals/ indices.
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Of course grade 23 titanium has the advantage of its anti allergic properties, but if this virtue doesn’t apply to you then you might enjoy the additional heft the stainless steel version offers compared to the rather lightweight Ti FF 5010.
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The finish of caliber 1315 and the rotor are identical between the two versions. Talking about the rotor: let me remind you that Blancpain chose this specific dual tone design with the FF 5010 to more clearly point out that the rotor is made from 18ct gold.
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On the wrist the weight difference is not so significant when the watches come on the Tropic strap with tang buckle. With a deployant the difference will be more noticeable, on full metal bracelet there will be a very significant difference I suppose.
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Comparison to the 70th Anniversary Act 1
There may be owners of the FF 70th Anniversary Act 1 who are a bit concerned that this limited edition may be compromised by the new regular collection stainless steel model. Having had the opportunity of experiencing both side by side I can assure you that there is no risk of that at all.
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Yes, both share the case material and finish. But the most defining aspect is still the face of a watch, and here we find some significant differences.
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There’s the 4 lines of print with the regular 5010 vs the 7 lines of print with the Act 1 to start with. Also the full lume numerals and indices of the Act 1 make a big difference since they visually correspond perfectly to the size of the bezel numerals. In addition the hands are noticeably of a different shape.
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And then there’s another aspect that has a significant impact on the expression of the timepieces: the Act 1 has no outer anti reflective coating on the sapphire crystal which in my opinion gives it a more “sensual” look for the lack of a better word.
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From the back the stand alone aspect of the Act 1 is evident, too. The platinum rotor has the same shape but a significantly different look, both in color and its signature.
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On the wrist both watches feel exactly the same but look a bit different due to differences explained above.
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Conclusions
The new stainless steel FF 5010 will be available with black dial only and on Nato strap with tang buckle, Tropic or Sailcloth strap with either tang or deployant buckle as well as on a stainless steel bracelet. This gives you plenty of options to configure the timepiece exactly to your preferences right from the start.
I think that a regular collection stainless steel version had to be part of the FF 5010 family at some point. The modern Fifty Fathoms started in this configuration, it has always been a key model in the catalogue and is no doubt is a modern classic. Personally I am glad that the new FF 5010 in stainless steel now exists… and that it does not compromise the exclusivity of the FF 70th Anniversary Act 1.
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You find the new timepiece here on the Blancpain website. My hands-on with the other FF 5010 models can be found here, the in depth coverage of the FF 70th Anniversary Act 1 here in the blog.
I hope you enjoyed this hands-on coverage and the photos.
Cheers
Henrik