The Fifty Fathoms so far…

2023 will be the 70th anniversary of the world’s first professional dive watch, so in anticipation of what’s to come in only a few months I thought it might be a good idea to briefly summarize the first 69 years of an iconic watch and its major evolutionary steps. So let’s dive into the history of the Fifty Fathoms and get ourselves prepared for the upcoming anniversary.

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A cross-generational family gathering

Thanks to Blancpain having some vintage Fifty Fathoms traveling the world I recently had the chance to capture three exceptional timepieces individually and side by side with their modern interpretations. Let’s meet the Fifty Fathoms MILSPEC 1, the Fifty Fathoms RPGA 1 (No Radiations) and the Fifty Fathoms BUND 3H together with some of their descendants for a memorable photo session.

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The Fifty Fathoms History documentary

What a wonderful surprise: Blancpain have just released a new movie in two parts, telling the story of the iconic Fifty Fathoms. The documentary is called “Fifty Fathoms – The history as told by the pioneers who created it” and of course I’d like to take the opportunity to share the press release and the movie with you. So let’s listen to what Blancpain says about the documentary and of course see it.

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Hands-on with the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Radiations

Blancpain has just released a new tribute timepiece to yet another legendary watch, the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Radiations. I had the utmost pleasure to welcome this novelty for a photo session, so let’s get up close and personal with reference 5008D-1130-B64A.

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A tale of two MILSPECs

A few weeks ago Blancpain surprised us with the Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC for Hodinkee. Only 3 1/2 years after the release of the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MilSpec this is the second 40mm FF limited edition with the characteristic moisture indicator on the dial. Let’s compare the two MILSPECs side by side.

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30 months with the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MilSpec

The oldest post in this blog has covered my first photo session with the Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MilSpec reference 5008-1130, which took place in September 2017. Two months later I was lucky enough to add this special timepiece to my collection, and it has been an absolute favorite every since. Let’s take a look at some impressions over 30 months of happy ownership.

Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MilSpec
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Size matters: comparing two Fifty Fathoms

With the classic Fifty Fathoms being available in two different sizes, I thought it might be interesting to put two examples for references 5008 and 5015 side by side to allow for a fair optical comparison between 40.3 and 45mm. Let’s take a closer look at the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MilSpec and the Fifty Fathoms Nageurs de combat., which not only represent the two sizes but also two wonderful commemorative pieces to the heritage of the Fifty Fathoms.

Tribute to fifty Fathoms MilSpec & Fifty Fathoms Nageurs de combat
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Back to the roots: the Fifty Fathoms Nageurs de combat

In 2019 Blancpain has introduced three limited editions during Time to Move, with the Fifty Fathoms Nageurs de combat ref 5015E-1130-B52A maybe being a bit overshadowed by the Air Command and Fifty Fathoms Barakuda. But this very special Fifty Fathoms 5015 actually stands out as one of the most important watches Blancpain has introduced in the last years.

FF Nageurs de combat
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Blancpain for Only Watch: the unique pieces since 2005

Blancpain was the first watch brand to support the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (AMM), this support dates back to 2001. Since 2005 the bi-annual Only Watch charity auctions have become a remarkable horological event, and this year, the Manufacture is again presenting a one-of-a-kind model for the 9th Only Watch charity auction to be held in Geneva on November 6, 2021. Let’s take a look at this year’s unique piece and all it’s predecessors.

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Hands-on with the Fifty Fathoms Barakuda

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda was received enthusiastically when introduced earlier this year on May 17th. Now that delivery through the Blancpain Boutiques has started, let’s take a closer look at this beautiful timepiece.

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A conversation with Eric Singer

I met KISS drummer and passionate watch collector Eric Singer* in Berlin on June 4, 2019 prior to his concert at the Waldbuehne and we had an hour long conversation, so you need to have some time reading through this. We were joined by an old friend of Eric and a representative of Blancpain who brought the prototypes of the new Air Command and Barakuda for Eric to see them. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

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Flashback: the 2003 Fifty Fathoms 50th Anniversary

In 2003 Blancpain celebrated the 50th anniversary of an horological icon, the Fifty Fathoms and therefore the first professional diving watch introduced 1953.

To commemorate this significant milestone Blancpain released the Fifty Fathoms 50th Anniversary reference 2200A-1130-71 in a limited run of 150 pieces, split into three series with 50 watches each for Asia, Europe and North America.

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A fireworks of culinary and horological highlights

Last weekend I had the pleasure to spend a few days with Blancpain and the brand ambassador Chef Holger Bodendorf for the 20th Sylt Gourmet Festival.

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