After having captured it on release day in September 2023 I recently encountered the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 of a fellow collector again… and ended up buying it from him. Let me explain why initially I had my reservations and what changed my mind so much that this watch became my absolute favorite.
.
Traveling back in time to September 2023
The Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 was launched during a very special event with more than 100 guests in Cannes, the charming city in the south of France which is considered birthplace of the iconic dive watch.
.
It was the highlight of the anniversary year, and the timepiece introduced was meeting the occasion: for the first time Blancpain brought back the original case design of the 1950s watch, with the case material paying tribute to one of the rarest Fifty Fathoms MilSpec of the past.
Reference 5901 5630 NANA is a truly beautiful watch, that was evident immediately. The case shape, the ceramic bezel insert, the domed crystal, the matte black dial, the white lacquered hands and the reduced yet refined finish of the movement are all impressive details.
.
Under the artificial light during the release event it did not reveal all its virtues, though. I did not get an impression of how different shades of natural light play with the watch, I also did not see how the lume reacts once fully charged.
Aesthetically I missed the watch having a distance ring between dial/crystal and bezel, and when I tried the watch on my 17cm wrist it felt to large for me due to the rather long and only modestly curved lugs.
.
So I was left with the impression that the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 is a remarkable, unique and beautiful watch, but (unfortunately) it’s not for me.
.
The second encounter in August 2025
A fellow collector and owner of an Act 3 told me that he intended to let the watch go since it did not behave well on his wrist. He mentioned that it moves to much when strapped on, and since wearing a timepiece with full pleasure is paramount to everything else, he decided the watch isn’t for him.
I hadn’t properly encountered the watch under daylight I asked him to send the watch to me, so I could complete my impressions and also capture it in photos for the blog.
When it arrived I immediately exchanged the original strap against one of my leather Nato straps… and immediately fell in love with the watch. For hours I looked at it, moved it in the light to experience it in all shades and checked how it felt on my wrist. And I realized I had to buy this marvel, fortunately a deal with the fellow collector was agreed very quickly.
.
Strap choices
The right strap for a watch makes a significant difference, this is especially true for the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3. The long lugs and the positioning of the spring bar make Nato straps the only real choice, at the same time it needs a solid strap to sit firm on the wrist.
A relatively thin and soft Nato like the OEM strap doesn’t do the trick, but a more solid material for the Nato strap transforms the FF Act 3 into a very comfortable and pleasant watch on even my rather slim 17cm wrist.
.
As my readers know I love playing with different straps on my watches, any timepiece that doesn’t support this habit has less wrist time and a more difficult time staying in my humble collection.
So how does my new acquisition fit into this? Actually you can judge for yourself, since I am lucky enough to own several solid leather and fabric Nato straps in various colors. Besides the black calf leather Nato here’s the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 on a grey Cordura and 3 different color leather Nato straps.
.
The bronze gold case works fine with all of them in my opinion, each color of strap highlights different aspects of the timepiece. As a result it’s not the Act 3 struggling for wrist time, it’s all my other watches sitting untouched in a safety deposit box since.
Other virtues
I mentioned earlier that I did not see the lume activated when I encountered the watch during the release event. The SuperLuminova color Blancpain used for the Act 3 is named „old radium“, so it’s the same SL color as it was used for the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad.
But when I lit up the Act 3 I realized what a great job Blancpain has made with the lume of this watch: other than the Tribute to No Rad (which glows like a torch when charged) the lume intensity of reference 5901 is more modest, which is a great fit for a watch commemorating a 1950s dive watch.
.
A second unknown to me was the real color of the bronze gold case under natural light. Under artificial light it looks like rose gold, under daylight it is more nuanced towards a darker yellow gold.
.
How the alloy changes over time has to be seen, so far I haven’t noticed remarkable change. The good thing is that due to the metal composition it will not show the typical bronze verdigris.
.
The glossy flat ceramic bezel reflects the light differently than the matte dial under the curved sapphire crystal. This effect under a clear blue sky gives the watch a different look compared to the color harmony between bezel and dial in the shade.
.
Last but not least let’s take a look at the backside of the watch and caliber 1154.P2, which is decorated in a unique way specifically for this watch.
.
Blancpain have enlarged the base plate of the caliber 1150 base to have a nice aesthetic fit for the 41.3mm case size. The rather reduced finishing is refined nonetheless, and the old Blancpain signature months oscillating mass is a visual highlight , too.
.
Conclusion
I have handled many Blancpain Fifty Fathoms over the years, and I even owned a 1950s Rotomatic Incabloc for while.
Maybe it’s nostalgia or the fact that I am so used to the modern Fifty Fathoms, but the FF 70th Anniversary Act 3 evokes a higher level of emotion for me. It is stunning that a design code created 7 decades ago still works so beautifully.
.
With the added refinement of how Blancpain produces watches these days, the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 in its vintage look is the best of both worlds and truly a very special watch.
Being able to make the biggest obstacle (to me) go away by choosing the right strap to deal with the long lugs has transformed my take on the watch completely. You may be able to tell from this review that I am very passionate about this timepiece, and I couldn’t be happier with it.
.
If you wish to read my initial hands-on with the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 you find it here in the blog.
I hope you enjoyed this article and the photos.
Cheers
Henrik