This novelty is an addition to three existing Fifty Fathoms timepieces a lot of collectors have been anxiously waiting for: a titanium bracelet for the two Fifty Fathoms Automatique ref 5015 with black or blue dials and the Fifty Fathoms Grande Date ref 5050 with titanium cases.

I had the opportunity to take some photos of the Fifty Fathoms Grande Date on this new bracelet, the reference number for this watch is now 5050-12B30-98B, with the last three digits indicating the bracelet.

The timepiece had the bracelet still wrapped up for protection, but I think you will still get a good idea of it nonetheless. Here are some close ups for you to explore the details.

Making a titanium bracelet is not as easy as you may think, since the material requires set of different tools to get manufactured and finished. Durability is a key virtue for a part which will be constantly be in some motion on the wrist, so making sure the new titanium bracelet stays as safe, comfortable and beautiful over time and therefore matches the highest quality standards required some time and effort.

This new bracelet has one feature the stainless steel X-71 bracelet does not (yet?) have: each link is easily removable through (usually lateral) screws on the underside. The bracelet is held by the pin/hew screw system which is typical for all 45mm Fifty Fathoms watches.

The bracelet has a beautiful satin brushed finish to exactly match the titanium cases of the watches. The haptic impressions are as convincing as the look, it feels solid and soft at the same time, an impression owners of X-71 bracelets have enjoyed for many years with their Fifty Fathoms, Leman or Women timepieces. The weight is obviously different with titanium, this however is the same as with the titanium watch.

Here are some additional close ups, including shots of the butterfly clasp. you will notice that the movable part of the clasp is executed in stainless steel for stability reasons. You can also see the fine engineering which went into the two release buttons.

The character of the Fifty Fathoms Grande Date I had my hands on changed significantly with the bracelet, which will be the same for the two reference 5015 titanium watches I suppose. Here are some improvised wrist shots with the bracelet obviously not being adjusted to my wrist size, and other than at the beginning of this post, these shots are not color reduced.. This first set of photos was taken on my right hand wrist:

This second set of photos is taken on my left hand wrist:

I hope you enjoyed this hands-on report and the photos. You can find the new Fifty Fathoms references on bracelet here on the Blancpain website and also in my constantly updated Novelties 2020 post here in the blog. For those of you who wish to see more of the Fifty Fathoms Grande Date, here is my report on this timepiece on the sailcloth strap.

Cheers

Henrik