Blancpain turns back the clock with 1968-inspired Bathyscaphe
Blancpain has recreated its Bathyscaphe from 1968, unveiling a new model that celebrates the dive watch collection’s 70th anniversary.
Limited to 300 pieces, the new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe adopts the same compact 37.4mm diameter as its historic inspiration from 1968, and is housed in a stainless-steel case.
The sunburst meteor grey dial is fitted with baton hands and 18ct white gold indexes filled with vintage-coloured Super-LumiNova, alongside a period Blancpain logo.
Desigers have modernized the bezel with a ceramic insert and lacquered numerals in place of the black Hesalite used before, while a chocolate calf leather strap completes the vintage look.
Power comes from the brand’s automatic calibre 1150, which delivers a 100-hour power reserve and incorporates a silicon hairspring.
Unlike the 1968 original, the movement is visible through a sapphire crystal caseback, including an openworked 18ct gold oscillating weight inspired by the original Fifty Fathoms.
The watch measures 12.3mm thick and remains water resistant to 300 meters.
Blancpain first introduced the Bathyscaphe in 1956 as a smaller, everyday alternative to the professional Fifty Fathoms dive watch, which had debuted three years earlier.
The first Fifty Fathoms was one of the first modern dive watches alongside the Rolex Submariner and Zodiac Sea Wolf which first surfaced at the Basel Fair of 1953.
The new Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary is limited to 300 individually numbered pieces and is priced at USD $18,300 / CHF 13,800.
