Since the 1950s, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms family of diver’s watches has been an important part of professional and recreational diving history. Today, Blancpain is a resolutely high-end luxury timepiece maker, but it continues its mission of making serious dive watches that are as capable as they are attractive. That means no matter how luxurious or exclusive the company makes its diver’s pieces, they all continue to be serious tool watches intended to serve a useful purpose underwater. To demonstrate, I wore a solid 18k red-gold Fifty Fathoms watch while going into the cold ocean waters of California with Blancpain. The watch (here, the reference 5010 36B30 B64B) is the 42mm-wide version of the Fifty Fathoms, and it represents an excellent size option for the classic design.
Blancpain today is a bit difficult for many enthusiasts to wrap their minds around because the company has done so much, even in recent times. The last 20 years have seen a wide variety of technical and aesthetic designs from the brand. Today the company is a bit more conservative in its focus, mainly emphasizing classic watches with complications, and its venerable collection of retro-inspired sports watches such as the extensive Fifty Fathoms family. Part of the point of today’s Fifty Fathoms is to celebrate the classic designs, and develop a truly “timeless” feel to the watches, making it unclear if your Fifty Fathoms timepiece is from today or yesterday. Compare, for example, this 5010 Fifty Fathoms (42mm wide size) with my previous review of the Blancpain 5015 Fifty Fathoms (45mm wide size) from back in 2014.
I do agree that the core look of the Fifty Fathoms case and dial make it one of the most visually beautiful diver’s watch designs of all time. Not only has this design been emulated by others, but no one has really improved upon it. The combination of legibility, graceful lines, minimalism, and visual strength make this core aesthetic one of the best classic dive watch looks of all time. The Swatch Group, which owns Blancpain, has taken an even bolder step to familiarize the masses with the design of the Fifty Fathoms. After the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, Swatch emulated the Fifty Fathoms with a “fun version” called the Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms Sistem 51, which comes in a variety of colors for $400 USD. The idea is to educate more people about the original (real) version from Blancpain, which, even in steel, currently costs over $15,000 USD. With that said, these are really nicely made watches. In 18k red gold, that price certainly increases…
Gold is an oddly appropriate material for a diver’s watch outside of the sheer decadent joy of being able to wear a tool watch in precious metal. Yes, gold is expensive and high-end, but it also matches neatly with dive-watch gear history. Gold is not subject to corrosion from seawater and is thus uniquely naturally resistant to forces that would damage or discolor other materials over time. Gold might be heavier than other metals (Blancpain happens to love titanium as a material for other Fifty Fathoms watches), but underwater, that hardly matters. So, if you are looking to enjoy a rather authentic “vintage” diver’s watch experience with a new timepiece, then gold as a case material is not that strange. In this instance, Blancpain uses 18k red gold, which looks lovely against the black dial and bezel insert.
Compared to the 45mm-wide size of the Fifty Fathoms 5015, the 42.3mm-wide size of the Fifty Fathoms 5010 family is more universal in its wearing appeal. Let’s be clear that the Fifty Fathoms looks good as a larger 45mm-wide watch. That said, there are a lot of wrists that simply can’t accommodate that size. Thus, the roughly 42mm-wide version of the Fifty Fathoms retains the expansive look of the case and dial, while offering a more suitable wearing experience for small to medium-size wrists. The case is also 14.3mm thick and water-resistant to 300 meters (much more than 50 fathoms). Over the dial is a box-style sapphire crystal and another special feature (that might have originated with Blancpain) is the rounded sapphire crystal ring over the rotating diver’s bezel. The transparent sapphire material gives the bezel markers a wonderful look that is mostly unmatched by most other dive watch bezels, even those rare ones with sapphire crystals. This is because Blancpain takes the extra step to have the sapphire crystal be rounded, which is not only more attractive but also intended to reminisce about Bakelite-style polymer bezel materials used decades ago.
One of the reasons that the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms watches are so expensive is because Blancpain more or less uses the best components it can. On paper, the 5015 Fifty Fathoms doesn’t perform any better than many other diving watches, but when you look at it and wear it you get the sense that Blancpain intentionally wanted to make a product that didn’t feel like any corners were being cut. Functionally, that means the Fifty Fathoms Automatique is going to feel much more luxurious compared to most other tool watches, and much more utilitarian when compared to most other luxury watches. There is certainly a market for that, namely well-funded adventure types.
Image by Jason Heaton
The distinctive Fifty Fathoms dial and hands are excellent but mostly unchanged from what we have seen in the past. Clearly, Blancpain is now most interested in keeping history alive with the collection. Legibility is high, and the amount of Super-LumiNova applied to the hands, markets, and bezel is impressive, making this a very bright watch in the dark. The dial also includes a discreet window for the date, which is (thankfully) largely out of the way. The shape of the applied hour markers and hands are iconic, and mix utility and elegance rather nicely.
Blancpain uses an uncommon 21.5mm-wide strap size, which means you will be hard-pressed to get a third-party strap if you ever want one. This version of the Fifty Fathoms Automatique comes in an attractive vintage “tropical style” rubber strap that is not too thick and very comfortable on the wrist. It closes with a simple buckle made from matching 18k red gold. However, the strap would need to be replaced for something longer to be worn over many wetsuits. I learned this when struggling to close the watch over the 7mm wetsuit I was wearing off the coast of California, where waters can be very chilly.
Image by Jason Heaton
Inside of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique watch is Blancpain’s in-house caliber 1315 automatic movement. The caliber 1315 mechanical movement is more or less the same movement Blancpain has been using for well over a decade now, and I am not sure what (if anything) has been updated. The movement was always a high performer, featuring a silicon balance spring, 4Hz (28,800 bpm) operational frequency, and 120 hours (five days) of power reserve. Today, three-day (and longer) power reserves are more common, but when the caliber 1315 first came out, it was competing with movements that had mostly two-day power reserves. It is probably time for Blancpain to up the ante again to maintain its status as the “really nice professional-style diver’s watch,” though the caliber 1315 is no slouch and a great daily-wear mechanical automatic movement to live with.
What was I doing out on the water with Blancpain? I joined the brand on a small expedition with Oceana to California’s Channel Islands, the least visited national park in the United States. Oceana is a major global marine conservancy and legislative advisory group that Blancpain has sponsored of for a number of years. The organization has received accolades for its positive work and is demonstrably enthusiastic and appreciative of Blancpain’s ongoing support. In essence, Oceana employs scientists and lawyers who work together to present data and suggestions to law and policy-makers around the world. The goals are mostly related to environmental and resource sustainability. Local governments want to enact laws that protect natural resources but that do not unduly infringe upon commercial interests necessary for local jobs and taxes. Governments and lawmakers are rarely, if ever, nuanced enough in marine biology or oceanography to understand how to set related policy. They rely on third-party non-profit organizations like Oceana to both study environments (through research and experimentation) and to present data and advice and how they should translate into legislative behavior. Support from brands like Blancpain makes that happen, and I want to personally thank Geoff Shester and his Oceana crew for taking the time to explain (in detail) all that they do.
Image by Jason Heaton
What were they doing in the cold waters near the Channel Islands off California? The specific goal of the current expedition is to track and monitor biodiversity. It is all part of a larger mission to understand three things: the effects of climate change on marine life and environments; the impact of human trash and waste in ocean waters; and the effects of fishing practices in relation to ocean food resource-harvesting sustainability. In California, Oceana scientists use water samples to look for traces of animal DNA to understand what creatures are present in the water, and how that changes over time. They are also looking at the health of marine environments such as California’s iconic kelp forests and lesser-known coral reefs. It is broadly understood that changes in water temperature, chemical makeup, and the presence of other species has a direct impact on the health of these environments. By tracking changes in these complex ecosystems, scientists can better understand how environmental changes have a cascading effect on ocean life and resources. Profits from the sale of luxury watches often end up with sponsored organizations that, indeed, need the money. In an ideal world, organizations like Oceana can preserve wonderful places for recreational diving. Price for the reference 5010 36B30 B64B Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique 18k red gold diver’s watch is $34,300 USD. Learn more at the Blancpain website.
