How many of these passers-by realize that Blancpain was and is an indispensable pioneer in dive watch technology? Before Blancpain watchmaker Jean-Jacques Fiechter’s fortuitous near-death experience, divers just snapped on tough watches, crossed their fingers and took the plunge. His chance meeting with Captain Robert “Bob” Maloubier and Enseigne de Vaisseau Claude Riffaud, who had braved many high-risk missions, too would turn the tide for military-grade watches.

Inspiration for the Descent

Blancpain traces its lineage back to 1735, which was the year when Jehan-Jacques Blancpain registered his profession as “watchmaker” in Villeret. However, Blancpain successor Jean-Jacques Fiechter’s love for the sea would write a new, nautical chapter for Blancpain in the 1950s.

If Fiechter hadn’t run out of air while 50 meters under water in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, perhaps the evolution of dive watches would have panned out very differently.

As you know, surfacing too fast from deep water comes with dire consequences. During that fateful dive, Fiechter held his breath, decompressed and ascended as slowly as he could, remarking the immortal words afterwards, “passion makes one forget the time.” He eventually revealed that his close shave was instrumental in sparking his interest in underwater timekeeping.

Maloubier and Riffaud’s tall order led them to being shunted and even mocked by timepiece manufacturers, before they eventually met Fiechter, a visionary who was on the same mission as them. Following several prototypes and multiple rigorous rounds of testing later, their vision was realized.

The 1953 Blancpain Fifty Fathoms had a patented double-sealed crown, which protected the watch’s movement even if the crown was accidentally pulled out. Its bezel, which could be used together with the minute hand to time dives, had a patented locking mechanism.

Besides a large dial, the Fifty Fathoms watches also sported large, luminous numerals and markers, in the name of legibility at murky depths.

The Fifty Fathoms was water resistant to a depth of its namesake 300 feet (one fathom is six feet). This historic timepiece has since been the official watch of many military forces, from Sweden to Pakistan.

Unfortunately, the Fifty Fathoms range fell into neglect for decades. The brand debuted a Blancpain Trilogy Collection in 1997 that included the Trilogy Fifty Fathoms, but it was not until Marc A. Hayek took over as Blancpain CEO in 2002 that the brand’s dive watch category saw a resurgence.

New Innovations, Throwback Apperance

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the original Fifty Fathoms, Hayek debuted a modern rendition of the Fifty Fathoms in Basel in 2003, albeit equipped with new high-tech features. Its less-durable Plexiglas was swapped out for tougher, scratch-proof sapphire that accentuated the contrast between the black dial and luminous markers. Hayek and Maloubier wowed the crowd when they demonstrated how effortless the new Fifty Fathoms’ quick-change system was; they snapped off the diving rubber strap and clipped on steel bracelets underwater at a launch event in Thailand.

After grabbing headlines with the revived Fifty Fathoms, Hayek sought to engineer a more advanced version – an endeavor planned for completion in 2004 that would stretch on till 2007. The technical marvel that Blancpain eventually debuted outperformed all preceding watches of its category. The 2007 Fifty Fathoms sported all the useful innovations that Fiechter pioneered,along with an in-house three mainspring barrel movement, a free sprung balance with inertial screwed regulation,and its caliber 1315 packed five days of power reserve. This hero watch was debuted alongside the Fifty Fathoms Chronographe Flyback that has sealed chronograph pushers and a chronograph that can be used at depth, and a flying automatic tourbillon with an eight-day power reserve. These head-turners paved the way for the eventual, highly acclaimed Bathyscaphe collection.

Expanding on Tradition

Blancpain rolled out a 43.6mm two-button flyback chronograph with a new column wheel, vertical clutch movement, along with an inertially regulated balance wheel fitted with an amagnetic silicon spiral in 2014. The brand went on to wow its faithful once again in 2018 when it unveiled the 43mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Annuel and the 43mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phase de Lune.

Fans of tough metallic-looking watches lauded the 43mm titanium editions of 2021, while the 2022 reiterations of the Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet swathed the icon in red gold and in grade 23 titanium. The latter is a high-tech alloy often used in medical and aerospace applications.

Driven by the 6654.P in-house automatic movement that beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and packs 72 hours of power reserve, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet returns in the icon’s classic 43mm case size. It is available in a sunburst meteor gray dial made of titanium or a gradient sunburst blue dial made of gold. Super-LumiNova accented markers and hands indicate the time, while apertures above and below the hands indicate the day, month and phase of the moon.

Just like the first Fifty Fathoms timepiece, the newest addition to the Bathyscaphe family is self-winding, sports antimagnetic shielding, the patented screw-on caseback seal, the patented double-sealed crown, and unidirectional bezel with locking mechanism.

As 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms, it will surely be an exciting year for Blancpain. A longtime partner of the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas expeditions and a fervent proponent of conservation projects, Blancpain will surely roll out memorable timepieces to fete this milestone,and announce new strides in sustainability that reiterate Blancpain’s commitment to the world’s oceans.

Tech Specs

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet

Movement: Self-winding caliber 6654.P;72-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, complete calendar with day, date, month and moonphase
Case: 43mm; grade 23 titanium or 18K red gold; water resistant to 300m
Dial: Sunburst meteor gray dial or gradient sunburst blue; Super-LumiNova filled applied hour markers
Strap: Coordinating gray or blue sailcloth or NATO textile; grade 23 titanium bracelet (for titanium model)
Price: Starting from CHF 14,800