WOW Editor’s Watch Choose: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

Those that learn the primary instalment of this sequence final yr will discover that I didn’t buy any of the opposite items on my checklist. After all, the truth that reference 5443 is a manual-winding rectangular watch struck the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, Rado True Sq. and Nomos Glashütte Tetra off my checklist. This doesn’t imply that there are not any different targets in my sights, though I confess to being circumspect about what I focus on publicly. To proceed one thing of a practice at WOW Singapore although, I’ll as soon as extra advocate for a bit by a model that I’ve lengthy championed — this time, it’s Blancpain. What would possibly shock a few of you is that it’s a conventional Fifty Fathoms, not a Bathyscaphe variant.

Like plenty of manufacturers, Swiss and in any other case, Blancpain has plenty of depth within the dive watch vary, together with two very completely different base fashions within the Fifty Fathoms, and the Bathyscaphe (the total identify is Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, however I’ll simply use Bathyscaphe on this story to keep away from confusion). Regardless of its extra up to date and muscular look, the Fifty Fathoms watch is the direct descendant of the unique Fifty Fathoms from 1953. The Bathyscaphe is just not a newcomer both, debuting on the finish of the Nineteen Fifties and concentrating on the leisure diver, which explains its smaller scale. At 45mm, the Fifty Fathoms was at all times utterly inconceivable for me to put on, particularly as a result of it’s fairly a thick fellow, at 15.4mm crystal-to-caseback. If I deliberate to put on it on prime of a wetsuit, it is going to be simply superb, however in any other case, the watch merely wears me. Whereas there are Fifty Fathoms watches in smaller sizes, these are all restricted editions, and I take too lengthy to tug the set off to ever play that recreation.

Alternatively — actually — in case you are contemplating this as a look ahead to another person, it’s best to nonetheless take into account the scale subject. It is a watch that basically pops, because it have been, and that’s a part of its practical attraction — it seems prefer it was meant to be worn over a wetsuit as an expert instrument. It ought to be famous that the unidirectional bezel provides to this look, with its domed sapphire crystal insert. So far as iconic dive watches go, there’s nothing like the mix of sapphire crystal within the bezel and sapphire crystal over the dial.

If — and it’s a huge if — Blancpain introduces a extra fairly sized Fifty Fathoms, just like the No Rad editions, then it’s not solely my decide for a dive watch in 2023 but in addition a purchase advice for anybody considering dive watches above S$10,000; with an exhibition caseback, it might effectively be definitely worth the gold value even… In any case, a showcase for calibre 1153, with all its superb ending touches and 120 hours of energy reserve is totally required. For those who will need to have a closed caseback, Blancpain does have you ever lined, however I can not advocate it. Subjective issues apart, the value vary is actually the principle limiting issue right here, as soon as the sizing subject is distributed with and purist ideology is sorted.

The canny amongst you’ll know that 2023 marks an essential milestone for the Fifty Fathoms — effectively, you should have observed in case you are any good at studying and maths! Blancpain — and Swatch Group — have been signalling that the seventieth anniversary is a giant deal, with Hayek Jr even hinting that maybe some type of Swatch collaboration could possibly be within the works… I suppose this one will likely be referred to as the DeepSwatch however right here at WOW, we anticipate huge issues. Or quite, extra modestly sized propositions.

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