It’s only fitting that for having pioneered the world’s first dive watch, Blancpain remains committed to preserving the realm that its watches were originally purpose-built to explore: the oceans. New for 2020, Blancpain is taking a page out of its usual Ocean Commitment playbook and flipping the script with a new green-dialed dive watch benefitting a new conservation organization: a time-only 43mm ceramic Bathyscaphe, produced to benefit the Mokarran Protection Society – a hammerhead shark protection non-profit based in French Polynesia.
Specifications
Brand: Blancpain
Model: Bathyscaphe Mokarran Limited Edition (ref. 5005-0153-NABA)
Dimensions: 43mm
Water Resistance: 300 meters
Case Material: Satin-brushed black ceramic
Crystal/Lens: Domed sapphire
Movement: Blancpain Calibre 1318 (no-date variant of cal. 1315)
Frequency: 28,800 VpH (4 Hz)
Power Reserve: 120 hours
Strap/Bracelet: Blancpain nylon NATO strap
Price & Availability: $15,500, 50 pieces ($1,000 of each sale donated to the Mokarran Protection Society
Unlike Blancpain’s three previous Ocean Commitment watches which have all been either blue-dialed, or blue-cased affairs (or some combination of the two), this new Mokarran seizes upon the green-dialed trend in 2020, but does so with aplomb, leveraging Blancpain’s standard stainless steel Bathyscaphe with its brushed ‘Meteor’ gray dial and punching in a bright, tropical shade of green. Think palm fronds and warm sunlight filtering through dense mangroves, as opposed to the staid ‘Kermit’ or British Racing Green tones that we’ve seen dominating the press cycle this summer. The dial is complemented with a matte green ceramic bezel with contrasting Liquid Metal demarcations, and fitted with Blancpain’s black NATO strap that neatly matches the case’s dark ceramic exterior.
Aside from the dial color, the Mokarran is also unique for being the first 43mm Bathyscaphe reference rendered without a date aperture at its usual (and sometimes controversial) 4:30 placement. This was done with Blancpain’s Calibre 1318 – a no-date variant of the beautifully finished Cal. 1315 deployed throughout the line, where we get the familiar embellishments: a silicon balance spring and three mainspring barrels granting an impressive five days of power reserve. The solid 18k gold rotor on this limited edition gets a neat engraving of “Sphyrna mokarran” – the great hammerhead shark, which also happens to be the subject of the watch’s conservation efforts.
Like Blancpain’s Ocean Commitment watches, $1,000 from the purchase of every Mokarran Bathyscaphe goes towards hammerhead shark conservation efforts led by the Mokarran Protection Society in French Polynesia. With 50 limited edition watches up for grabs, each with a purchase price of $15,500, it’s a total of a $50,000 donation towards an important realm of study of an equally important predator in the ocean ecosystem. And while it’s often easy to cast a cynical eye towards the ‘armchair conservation’ that seems to circulate throughout the luxury watch space, it’s important to point out that there are few people better suited for this particular type of philanthropy than brand CEO Marc Hayek, who is an avid scuba diver and underwater filmmaker with a long history of using the Blancpain platform to help raise awareness towards ocean research and protections. This reference will be available for purchase at either of Blancpain’s US boutiques in Las Vegas and New York City. Learn more about this, and the rest of the Fifty Fathoms dive watch collection at blancpain.com
