Fifty Fathoms Blancpain

Fifty Fathoms, the model for the modern dive watch

The Fifty Fathoms watch is one of the first modern dive watches. Created in 1953 by Blancpain, a legendary Swiss manufacturer with almost 300 years of history, it was then established as the model par excellence of the waterproof watch capable of the best performance in the great depths. This particularly mythical watch was initially invented for the elite corps of French Combat Swimmers. Jean-Jacques Fiechter, Blancpain's CEO, a passionate scuba diver, took it upon himself to develop this new exceptional watch. Its name, Fifty Fathoms, was chosen as a reference to the fathoms (French for fathom), a unit for measuring the depth of water (50 fathoms corresponded to 91.5 meters, the maximum depth that could be reached by divers at the time). The Fifty Fathoms watch still accompanies today the most demanding divers, scientists and underwater photographers. Offering superb performance (water resistant to 300 meters), these watches are also pieces of great elegance that seduce all lovers of fine watchmaking.

An iconic collection with many successful variations

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms excited the world of fine watchmaking with its atypical design and exceptional technical innovations for its time. The original model already had all the characteristics that would become emblematic of contemporary diving watches: water-resistant case, luminescent hands and indexes that were perfectly readable underwater, and a rotating bezel that turned counterclockwise (a great first for the time). While the first model has a 42 mm diameter case in double apple and an elegant black dial, the current models are in stainless steel and measure 45 mm in diameter. The Fifty Fathoms has thus become available in contemporary versions that meet modern design and technology requirements. The self-winding Bathyscaphe and the 500 Fathoms GMT are flagship models of the highly regarded collection. Recently, the Fifty Fathoms collection has also been enriched with chronograph and flying tourbillon models. Each version incorporates the codes that have made Blancpain famous, such as the excellent legibility offered by the large hands, or the black on the dial and bezel. Discover online the pre-owned Fifty Fathoms model that will inspire you.