Back Again With Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

Fifty Fathoms, the world's second diver's watch, is available again with its renewed case.

The title is a bit confusing, I know, but unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about the facts. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms legend, which followed the Rolex Submariner, is here again with titanium and rose gold options with case diameters of 42.3mm.

Last year was an extraordinary year for Blancpain. The giant 45mm dimensions of the brand's legendary diving watch Fifty Fathoms were finally reduced to 42.3mm, and the newly designed watch was produced in three batches, in limited quantities, and put on sale. The Swatch x Blancpain Scuba model, based on the same case and made of bio-ceramic material, aimed to introduce young and low-budget watch lovers to the Blancpain brand. We will see how successful this cooperation is in next year's budget reports.

Blancpain is here again with titanium and 18K pink gold case versions of the same watch. The case dimensions of the watches are 42.3mm x 14.2mm. Water resistance values are 300 meters. They have sapphire crystals on the front and back. As an FF classic, the bezel of the watch is also made of sapphire crystal and the numbers on the bezel glow in the dark thanks to the SuperLuminova phosphor filling. Powered by Caliber 1315, which has been used by Blancpain for many years, the watches have a 5-day power reserve.

With the introduction of the watches, voices of criticism began to rise. Placing the date window at the 4:30 position is one of the main criticisms. The asymmetrical dial is seen as a detail that tires the eye of many watch lovers. Models have bracelet and strap options in textile, rubber, or titanium reflecting the style of the 50s. So, I wonder which genius designer's idea was the 21.5mm horn gap? We have no choice but to take the 22mm straps and tighten them, but I have some bad news. It is a pain to remove and install the strap pins of Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, which require a double Allen key. The lack of precise adjustment with the titanium bracelet is one of the details that do not suit such a big brand.

Long story short, the new Blancpain gives the impression that they were designed by skipping some details that would be of great importance in making a watch user-friendly. I'm not sure if the reason why the models of such a big name, which are considered a cult in terms of horology history, are open to so much criticism is a conscious choice or lazy managers.