Do you know? The history of modern diving watches can be traced back to 1953! That year, the advent of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and Rolex Submariner completely changed the rules of the diving watch game. These two watches are not only “must haves” for divers, but also the pinnacle of watchmaking craftsmanship. Want to know how the competition between them affects the development of the entire diving watch market? Come and explore the stories behind diving watches!
The history and technological innovation of diving watches
The beginning of the modern dive watch is generally considered to be 1953.
Apart from the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and Rolex Submariner launched in 1953, there are almost no other options for real diving watches.
These two watches are also “textbooks” in the field of diving watches, each representing different watchmaking ideas.
After them, diving watches have become popular models launched by major brands. Although they all have the basic attributes of diving watches, they are essentially different from Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and Rolex Submariner.
The competition between Blancpain and Rolex in the field of diving watches is not only a competition between brands, but also the continuous innovation of watchmaking technology.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and the Development of Diving Watches
The development history of diving watches also reflects the progress of watchmaking technology and changes in market demand.
In 1953, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms came out.
Its birth marked the beginning of modern diving watches.
As the first true diving watch, the Fifty Fathoms has the following characteristics:
The waterproof performance reached 91 meters, and was later certified to 120 meters;
42mm stainless steel case;
Automatic movement.
In 1997, Blancpain relaunched the Fifty Fathoms series, and in subsequent modern versions, the waterproof performance was increased to 300 meters.
This watch has undergone a qualitative change since entering the 21st century. The Fifty Fathoms series 50th anniversary limited watch (Ref. 5035) launched in 2003 is equipped with a 1315 self-made movement, and the power reserve is increased to 120 hours.
This is also a head-to-head confrontation between Blancpain and Rolex in the field of diving watches.
Technical Characteristics of Rolex Submariner and Diver Watches
As the beginning of modern diving watches, the Rolex Submariner had not yet been launched when the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms came out.
The true beginning of diving watches was the “Oyster” launched by Rolex in 1926.
In 1932, Omega developed the Marine structure to achieve waterproofing through a lock-type case, but there was a gap between it and modern diving watches.
In 1926, Rolex launched the “Oyster” case and used it on the “Explorer” released in 1931, which became the first waterproof watch.
In 1942, Rolex launched the “Pepsi Circle” Explorer II, marking the Explorer series becoming a professional watch series.
In 1953, Rolex began to develop diving watches. The 6202 “TurnO Graph” is regarded as the predecessor of the Submariner. It has features such as a rotating outer ring and a luminous display.
In 1954, Rolex launched the first-generation Submariner Ref. 6204, which was waterproof to 100 meters, used a 37 mm stainless steel case, and was equipped with an automatic movement called A260.
Since then, the Submariner has gone through six iterations, and the current model is the sixth generation released in 2020. Its diameter has been expanded from 40 mm to 41 mm.
Different from waterproof watches, diving watches have higher waterproof performance, automatic winding movement, one-way rotating outer ring and luminous display.
Conclusion
After reading this article, does the charm of diving watches make you excited? From Blancpain to Rolex, these brands not only continue to make breakthroughs in technology, but also lead trends in the market. Which dive watch is your favorite? Welcome to share your views in the comment area, and don’t forget to like and support!