Description

For Only Watch 2017, the bi-annual fundraiser to advance research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Blancpain reimagined their iconic Fifty Fathoms in an improved form with a striking yellow and black palette to match the charity’s color theme.

The original Fifty Fathoms marked a milestone in dive watches. It was initially designed to suit the demands of French combat diving corps under the leadership of secret agent Captain Robert Maloubier. In the late ‘50s, Blancpain further refined the watch with its MIL-SPEC 1 version which was adopted by U.S. Navy SEALs.

The Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC ‘Only Watch Unique Piece’ features yellow superluminova on the hands and hour markers as well as yellow markings on the bezel and date disc. A significant feature of this diving wristwatch resides at 6 o’clock in the form a humidity indicator which turns the disc from white to red should moisture infiltrate the case.

For this edition, the revamped 40.33 mm steel case – water-resistant to 30 ATM / 300 m – houses the automatic caliber 1151, delivering an impressive 96-hour power reserve, and visible through the sapphire case-back with a special “Only Watch” engraved gold rotor. This masterpiece of maritime history, redesigned for a noble cause, comes on a black NATO strap.

Blancpain – bio

Blancpain was founded in 1735, in Villeret by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, and is considered to be the oldest watch brand in the world.
The brand was continuously in operation and within the Blancpain family for almost 200 years, until in 1932 when the 7th generation heir Frédéric-Emile Blancpain passed away and the business was bought by two of his closest staff members, who continued the operations through both World Wars.
The legendary ‘Fifty Fathoms’ was launched in 1953, making it the world’s first modern diving watch with three patents including the innovative double sealed crown system, the caseback seal system and the unidirectional bezel with a blocking mechanism which would prevent accidental rotation of the bezel.
In terms of aesthetics, Fifty Fathoms is one of the most iconic timepieces today.
In 1961 Blancpain merged into the largest Swiss watch group of the time, the Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère (SSIH), joining Omega, Tissot and Lemania, and was producing over 220,000 watches annually by 1971.
The brand was put into hibernation during the quartz crisis and in 1983, it was bought by the legendary Jean-Claude Biver.
In the late 80’s, it made a solid comeback by launching back-to-back complications include a triple calendar with moon phases, a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph and a tourbillon.
The resurrection was so strong that the SSIH (now Swatch Group) bought back the brand and has had it under its portfolio ever since.