Blancpain Faithfully Revisits 1968 Bathyscaphe

Blancpain Faithfully Revisits 1968 Bathyscaphe Vintage sizing to mark 70 years of skin divers.Blancpain is marking the 70th anniversary of its lesser-known dive watch with the 1960s-inspired Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe. With a faithful 37.4 mm steel case and high-end movement, the Bathyscaphe will likely be welcomed by collectors who have been waiting for a more compact Fifty Fathoms. Initial thoughts Blancpain has an unusually rich history of producing dive watches — the Fifty Fathoms dates to 1953 and introduced the now-ubiquitous rotating dive bezel at roughly the same time as the Rolex Submariner. Blancpain’s early divers were commercial products aimed at military customers — then the only sizable market for such watches. That changed in 1956, when growing consumer interest in diving led to the release of the Bathyscaphe. This historic name was reborn in 2013, but the contemporary interpretation of the line was a significant aesthetic departure from the look of the original 1950s and 1960s models. Somewhat confusingly, Blancpain is marking the 70th anniversary of the Bathyscaphe with an homage to a 1968 model. Timeline aside, the anniversary edition features a period-correct 37.4 mm case and beige Super-LumiNova to capture the aged look of surviving originals. The arrow-tipped running seconds hand is another charming detail that reproduces the original look to good effect. During the 1950s and 1960s, Blancpain waffled between serif and sans-serif wordmarks, and the brand has opted for the latter for the anniversary edition. To my eye it strikes just the right note, and speaks to the thoughtfulness of the endeavour — most brands are loath to dilute their corporate identities with logo variations, but it’s a welcome departure from the brand’s stuffy 1980s-era branding and cements the vintage feel. At CHF13,500, the Bathyscaphe is priced in line with prior Fifty Fathoms limited editions powered by the same movement. At a time when prices seem to be increasing, it’s notable that Blancpain is sticking so close to a price point it established back in 2019. A size from the 1950s When Blancpain re-introduced the Fifty Fathoms as a permanent collection in 2007, big watches were very much in style and the bold 45 mm size helped maximise the visual impact and luxe feel of the sapphire crystal bezel. But soon after, collector appetite for big watches began a slow decline, and it wasn’t long before collectors started asking for a smaller option. For years, Blancpain seemed reluctant to undercut its 45 mm flagship with anything smaller, and it was a decade before the brand began releasing a series of 40.3 mm limited editions powered by the cal. 1150. In this context, the period-correct 37.4 mm case size feels almost shocking. In some ways, the 70th anniversary Bathyscaphe is an upmarket equivalent to the Tudor Black Bay 54 — the Blancpain is about the same diameter and is just 1 mm thicker. This might sound small on paper, but the Bathyscaphe looks larger on account of its narrower 18 mm lug spacing, a dimension that collectors should bear in mind when it comes to strap selection. Fortunately, 18 mm is a fairly common size, unlike the highly inconvenient 21.5 mm spacing of the 42 mm Fifty Fathoms. A movement from the 1980s A transparent case back reveals the cal. 1150, which has been produced in some form since 1988, when its maker — Frédéric Piguet — was still an independent manufacture. Frédéric Piguet and its sister company Blancpain were acquired by what is now the Swatch Group in 1992, but the cal. 1150 lived on thanks to its compact size, high-end construction, and long autonomy. Twin mainspring barrels power the 3 Hz oscillator for up to 100 hours — an impressive feat for a movement just 25.6 mm in diameter and 3.5 mm thick. This rare combination of versatility and performance is a big reason why the cal. 1150 remains in service after nearly 40 years. Like several other excellent movements with 1980s origins, including the Patek Philippe cal. 26-330 and Jaeger-LeCoultre cal. 899, the cal. 1150 has evolved over time, and the current iteration benefits from the Swatch Group’s far-reaching portfolio of silicon IP. The movement gained a free-sprung balance and a silicon hairspring about a decade ago, increasing resistance to magnetic fields and improving isochronism throughout the length of the power reserve. The movement is also finished to an impressive standard, despite its low-key look. The bridges feature a solarised treatment inspired by the rough industrial finish of the cal. R108 — derived from the A. Schild cal. 1361 — that powered the original Fifty Fathoms. But the cal. 1150 is an industrial-haute horlogerie calibre, and all the details are executed well, including polished bevels with crisp transitions and bright steelwork. The shape of the rotor, too, is inspired by that of the R108, but it’s now made from solid 18k gold for extra mass and gravitas. Key facts and price Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Ref. 5903 1110 63A Diameter: 37.4 mm Height: 12.3 mm Material: Stainless steel Crystal: Sapphire Water resistance: 300 m Movement: Cal. 1150 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and date Winding: Automatic Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz) Power reserve: 100 hours Strap: Calf leather strap with pin buckle Limited edition: 300 pieces Availability: At Blancpain boutiques Price: CHF13,500 excluding taxes For more, visit Blancpain.com. Back to top.