Introducing The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition

The 1950s were big years for Blancpain—first in 1953 with the introduction of the Fifty Fathoms, then a few short years later in 1956, when the Bathyscaphe arrived as a "civilian counterpart" as diving gained popularity. Revived in 2013, it's remained a core part of the modern Fifty Fathoms lineup ever since. This week, to mark the Bathyscaphe's 70th anniversary, Blancpain is releasing a 300-piece limited edition that takes inspiration from the 1968 reference and updates it in all the right ways.

The homage to the '68 piece is evident at a quick glance; the first thing I noticed was the vintage Blancpain logo, which sets the tone for what the brand is trying to do here. The sunburst meteor grey dial is lifted straight from the 1968 piece as well, as are the baton hands and indexes in 18k white gold, both filled with a vintage-coloured Super-LumiNova that gives the lume a warmer, aged look straight out of the box. The steel bezel extends into a ring at the base of the box crystal—another detail pulled directly from the '68 watch—and its ceramic insert with lacquered numerals swaps out the original's black hesalite.

That same fidelity carries through to the case. At 37.4mm in stainless steel, it's sized to match the 1968 piece on which it draws inspiration, rather than the smaller 35mm case Blancpain used on the original 1956 Bathyscaphe. It's 12.3mm thick with a 46.5mm lug-to-lug, the crystal is sapphire, and water resistance is rated to 300 meters.

Once the watch is turned over, it immediately evolves from its inspiration—the new Bathyscaphe features a sapphire crystal caseback instead of the closed caseback of its predecessor, putting the Blancpain manufacture calibre 1150 on full display. The tributes are everywhere here too: the open-worked 18k gold oscillating weight design is taken from the original Fifty Fathoms of '53. The Bathyscaphe features an impressive 100-hour power reserve and a silicon hairspring.

The Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary retails for A$25,100, is limited to 300 individually numbered pieces, comes on a chocolate calf-leather strap, ships in a hard case, includes a 5-year warranty, and is available now.

When brands lean too heavily on heritage, I get a little squeamish, but when it's done right, as it is here, those nerves are quickly quelled and turned into excitement. There's clearly a great deal of thought behind what to evolve and what to leave alone, and I'd have loved to be a fly on the wall in the meeting where they decided to bring back the old logo. Blancpain made all the right calls here.

The commitment to accurately reflecting such an important watch in the Blancpain catalogue is admirable. So many elements—size, dial colour, even the logo—are lifted straight from a design that's over half a century old, and that's a testament to how well the 1968 piece was executed in the first place. The updates make sense too, especially the open caseback.

As a non-diver with a small wrist, I very much fit into the "civilian counterpart" part of the Fifty Fathoms family. This Bathyscaphe is speaking to me in all the right ways: size, design, and heritage. Overall, an excellent limited edition Bathyscaphe and a fitting complement to the original's legacy and Blancpain's continued work on anniversary tributes to the Fifty Fathoms.

Brand: Blancpain
Model: Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary
Reference Number: 5903 1110 63A

Diameter: 37.4mm
Thickness: 12.3mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Colour: Sunburst meteor grey
Indexes: Baton, 18K white gold
Lume: Vintage-coloured Super-LumiNova
Water Resistance: 30 bar (300m)
Strap/Bracelet: Chocolate calf leather strap

Caliber: Blancpain 1150
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Diameter: 26.2mm
Thickness: 3.25mm
Power Reserve: 100 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 3 Hz (21,600 vph)
Jewels: 28

Price: A$25,100
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes, 300 pieces

For more, click here. Header image © Tim Vaux.