In the watch industry, Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms diving watch is a legend. It is not only the originator of diving watches, but also unique in the design and function of diving watches. Want to know the unknown stories behind this classic watch? Let us enter the world of Blancpain together and explore how Fifty Fathoms glows with new brilliance in time!

Classic Fifty Fathoms Diving Watch

Blancpain is known as the ancestor of modern diving watches. This name is not groundless. With its profound watchmaking technology and accurate grasp of the functions of diving watches, Blancpain launched the world’s first true diving watch in 1953. It was called the Fifty Fathoms at that time, and it has now become a classic. When we look back at history, we find that the year the Fifty Fathoms came out happened to be the year the diving watch was born, which is enough to illustrate Blancpain’s pioneering position in this field.

As an old brand with a long history, Blancpain will certainly not stop at the research and development of one diving watch. In the following years, it has successively launched a number of diving watches, the most representative of which is the bathyscaphe series. This series is mainly aimed at extreme challengers, such as deep-sea divers or engineers working underwater. They have very strict requirements for watches. They must not only have good waterproof performance, but also operate normally in high-pressure environments. This series was born to meet this demand.

From the appearance point of view, there are some differences between the classic Fifty Fathoms and the bathyscaphe. The former is more focused on aesthetic design, while the latter emphasizes functionality. Although the classic Fifty Fathoms is also a diving watch, its dial, hands and case are all very elegant, while the bathyscaphe is obviously much more rugged, and even gives people a sense of industrial design. In addition, the classic Fifty Fathoms has a variety of materials and colors to choose from, while the bathyscaphe is basically a combination of black and titanium.

As the revival trend of small-sized watches has become more and more obvious in recent years, many established watch brands have begun to enter the small-sized watch market. Blancpain is naturally not to be left behind. This year, it launched the 38mm model of the Classic Fifty Fathoms series. This is also the first time that the brand has launched small-sized watches in the Classic Fifty Fathoms series. It can be said to be a positive response to this revival trend.

The 38mm Fifty Fathoms watch not only continues the brand’s classic sunburst dial, but also introduces mother-of-pearl as the dial material for the first time, which is a quite innovative attempt in the entire watch industry. We all know that mother-of-pearl is the inner shell of conch. It will show a colorful luster when exposed to sunlight. This luster is more obvious on mother-of-pearl, and different colors will appear as the viewing angle changes. This effect is very charming on watches.

In addition, the 38mm model also provides two case materials of rose gold and stainless steel for consumers to choose. With the mother-of-pearl dial, the overall appearance is very gorgeous and suitable for various occasions. We have said that Blancpain is a member of the renaissance trend of small-sized watches. Now it seems that this move is indeed necessary, because according to our observation and analysis, those small-sized watch brands that were once silent in history have now radiated new vitality.

Once upon a time, small-sized watches gradually faded out of people’s vision because they could not satisfy male consumers’ desire for large watches. Most watch brands followed this trend and launched large-sized watches. Some brands even made the watches so exaggerated that they were almost unwearable in order to attract attention. However, in recent years, more and more consumers have begun to realize that although large-sized watches are domineering, they are uncomfortable to wear on the wrist for a long time, and they do not meet the dress requirements for many occasions.

So everyone began to return to small-sized watches, and some old brands also began to re-examine this market. Although small-sized watches may not be as functional as large-sized watches, they are more suitable for daily wear and easier to match with clothing. And for women and children, large-sized watches are almost a disaster, and small hands and feet cannot control them at all. It can be seen that small-sized watches have advantages that cannot be replaced by large-sized watches.

As an old brand of diving watches, Blancpain will naturally not let go of this gradually heating up small-size watch market. After launching the 38mm model in the classic Fifty Fathoms, its submersible series also followed suit, launching small-sized modern submersibles in two specifications, 38mm and 43mm, which completely filled the brand’s layout gap in the field of small-size diving watches.

bathyscaphe

Although they are both diving watches, there are still many differences between the classic Fifty Fathoms and the bathyscaphe, in appearance. As one of the earliest diving watch series launched on the market, the Classic Fifty Fathoms series emphasizes an elegant and classic aesthetic, while the submersibles are mainly functional and seldom have aesthetic refinements.

This is understandable, because the target consumers of deep submersibles are extreme challengers. They have no time to appreciate the aesthetic design of the watch. In their eyes, the most important thing is whether the watch can accurately keep time and whether it can withstand high-pressure environments. And although the deep submersible is a modern model, its design inspiration comes from the 1950s. This can be seen from its large three-hand structure. At that time, many diving watches used this structure.

In addition, there are obvious differences in materials between the two. The classic Fifty Fathoms has begun to use rose gold, ceramics and other materials, while the submersible has almost no other options except titanium. Even the dial is only black. In this regard, the submersible seems too single.

Conclusion

In the wave of renaissance of small-sized watches, Blancpain was able to keenly capture the changes in market demand and launch the 38mm model, which indeed demonstrated its wisdom and flexibility as an old watch manufacturer. This is not only a response to consumer demand, but also a new interpretation of watch design. Do you think the return of small watches is a trend or a fad? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area and share your views with everyone! If you like this article, don’t forget to like and support!