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.

The beginnings

It all started in 1953… well, actually it started a bit earlier since the first thoughts about a truly professional dive watch precede the launch of the timepiece by one year. The first Fifty Fathoms to see the light of day as professional diving equipment was the Rotomatic Incabloc, the basis for all future evolution and variation.

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The next famous Fifty Fathoms was the MIL-SPEC, built to meet the requirements of the French Combat swimmers. One rare timepiece can rightfully called the grail for many vintage watch collectors: the Tornek Rayville US Navy MIL-SPEC, the official US Navy dive watch. But the Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC became the instrument of choice for the marine forces of multiple nations.

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In the late 1950s Blancpain chose to add a civilian dive watch with a smaller size, called Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe. We need to keep in mind that the larger 41.5mm Fifty Fathoms was considered a professional instrument, meant to be worn over a dive suit and therefore clearly oversized compared to the usual civilian watch at the time which measured 33-36mm.

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Besides the Rotomatic Incabloc and the MIL-SPEC, the Fifty Fathoms No Rad from the mid/late 1960s has to be mentioned of course. Again, this watch was above all professional equipment for divers and combat swimmers. There has been the no date ‘Bundeswehr’ version RPG1, and the civilian No Rad with a date function, the RPGA1.

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In the 1970s a huge variety of Fifty Fathoms and Bathyscaphe timepieces saw the light of day. This overview from a Blancpain magazine gives you an idea:

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The above mentioned examples represent only a fraction of the varieties at the time. To get a comprehensive view on the fifty Fathoms’ fascinating first life cycle there’s no better source then Blancpain themselves to tell the story of the iconic dive watch:

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The first resurrection, named Trilogy series

The resurrection of Blancpain in the 1980s was entirely driven by elegant, subtle and complicated timepieces, most notably the 6 masterpieces and the famous 1735. In the early 1990s the portfolio was expanded towards more sporty watches with the model lines 2000 and 2100. Only in the year 1997 the Fifty Fathoms war revived, in the so-called Trilogy series.

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The Trilogy series saw numerous variants in case material and dial colors, partly in very low numbered limit editions. In 2003 this series was ended with an exceptional watch, the Fifty Fathoms 50th Anniversary, produced in three series of 50 pieces each. This celebratory watch introduced the spectacular sapphire bezel for the first time.

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The modern Fifty Fathoms

In 2007 Blancpain introduced a totally new interpretation of the Fifty Fathoms with a clear focus on the functionality of a professional dive watch in our age. At the same time this timepiece held all virtues of modern Blancpain: a superb movement and a perfect execution in all details. And just like the original Fifty Fathoms from 1953, the new one came slightly oversized compared to the standard civilian watch size.

We of course talk about the 45mm Fifty Fathoms 5015, which is still very much alive in the current Blancpain catalogue and has seen no less than 15 variants in the time span of 15 years, most recently with a focus on titanium as the case material of choice.

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Besides the 12 standard collection variants, three notable FF 5015 limited editions were made: the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms in 2008, the Tribute to Aqua Lung in 2010 and the Nageurs de combat in 2019.

Talking about limited editions: the 40.3mm Fifty Fathoms case of the Trilogy series was revived in 2017 with the Tribute to MilSpec. Since then and until 2021 there was one new 40.3mm limited edition every year, most notably the Barakuda and the Tribute to FF No Rad.

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To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the word’s first professional dive watch, Blancpain brought back the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe in 2013. In the 1950s the Bathyscaphe had been the smaller civilian dive watch with a focus on versatility in everyday wear, and exactly the same purpose stands behind the modern Bathyscaphe, which is available in two sizes: 38mm or 43mm.

And the modern Bathyscaphe became a wide spread model family in its own right. Different materials, different dial colors and various configurations, may it be a Flyback chronograph, a complete calendar with moon phases or an annual calendar.

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The non-Fifty Fathoms dive watches

Not being part of by closely related to the Fifty Fathoms model family are two limited 500 Fathoms timepieces and of course the amazing X Fathoms. These watches are professional instruments with close links to the luxurious Fifty Fathoms, designed to offer perfect functionality and readability under water.

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The 70th anniversary in 2023

I think it’s fair to assume that Blancpain will celebrate the 70th anniversary year appropriately. What’s to come I don’t know, but rumor has it that a new Fifty Fathoms in 41-42mm may be becoming reality. The watch enthusiasts community has voiced their wish for a Fifty Fathoms in that size consistently and loudly, ideally as a standard collection model.

So will we see exactly that next year? Will there be new limited editions in the existing sizes? I assume you may be just as curious as I am, and I personally hope we will find out more as early as possible next year. Whatever it may be, it will no doubt add to the striking variety of Blancpain dive watches.

While we wait, you can certainly explore the Blancpain website for the existing Fifty Fathoms timepieces here. You can also take a look at my overview on the Fifty Fathoms 5015 variants here, the Trilogy series here, an example of how Blancpain’s Vintage Atelier treats marvels from the past here and a photo heavy essay on the Fifty Fathoms 50th Anniversary from 2003 here in the blog. And there’s so much more, so feel free to use the tag cloud and explore the numerous Fifty Fathoms related blog posts.

I hope you enjoyed this little summary of the Fifty Fathoms evolution so far. I will do my best to keep you updated on what’s to come along the 70th Anniversary in 2023.

Cheers

Henrik