When speaking about luxurious legacy sports activities watches, no dialog is full with out mentioning the Fifty Fathoms diver’s timepiece household from Blancpain. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms has been round for the reason that Fifties, and over the past 25 or 30 years has existed as a top-tier luxurious journey watch that’s each authentically sturdy and structurally lovely. I additionally wish to stress the “legacy” factor along with the “luxurious” factor as a result of Blancpain has been sluggish to make modifications to the Fifty Fathoms platform – particularly when in comparison with the competitors. However, regardless of what looks like a extra retro-oriented method to design and development (for a modern-made watch that’s), this and different Fifty Fathoms merchandise proceed to carry their very own. I’ve stated this earlier than, and I’ll most likely say it once more, however Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Automatique watches are essentially the most lovely of their class. So, even when that is an growing older platform, Blancpain is doing one thing accurately.
The pictured watch is the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique reference 5010 12B40 O64B. Final 12 months, I reviewed an identical mannequin in 18k gold, whereas this mannequin is in titanium with a blue dial. Dimension and movement-wise, this is identical timepiece however with a unique colour and case materials. There’s a very related Blancpain 5015 Fifty Fathoms Automatique watch identical to this that has a bigger 45mm-wide titanium case and blue colour accents, and with an solely barely totally different dial. Satirically, for the reason that 45mm-wide fashions are a bit older, the 42mm-wide model of this watch is dearer as a result of it was launched extra lately.
Blancpain sells this watch with the pictured rubber strap, a canvas strap, or an identical titanium bracelet. Why all three straps/bracelets should not included within the package for one value is a thriller to me. That’s simply a part of the old-school packaging of the product. Additionally a bit old-fashioned is the dearth of quick-release spring bars for the straps, that are additionally a really unusual dimension of 21.5mm large. The 5010 Fifty Fathoms case is 42.3mm large, 14.3mm thick, and has 300 meters of water resistance. The titanium case materials is rendered superbly, as is the general match and ending of the case and dial. The watch encompasses a curved sapphire crystal over the bezel insert, an costly and welcome characteristic. The dial of the 5010 Fifty Fathoms is a bit flatter than the 5015’s, however it has actually fairly and polished utilized hour markers and fingers. The luminous materials can also be very generously utilized if I recall accurately.
You may view the automated mechanical motion by the rear of the case, which right here is the Blancpain in-house made caliber 1315. The caliber 1315 operates at 4Hz with 5 days of energy reserve (120 hours). It additionally encompasses a silicon hairspring for added efficiency and environmental resistance. It isn’t a brand new mechanism, however it is vitally properly made, targeted on efficiency, and unique because it isn’t actually obtainable in less expensive watches and has clear efficiency advantages over many extra mass-produced mechanisms.
Whereas I nonetheless like the appear and feel of Blancpain’s bigger 45mm large Fifty Fathoms Automatique, the smaller case is a greater match for many wrists, outdoors of it being worn over a wetsuit. As fairly as these watches are, Blancpain nonetheless makes them appropriate for precise diving and underwater actions, although that’s hardly why somebody is prepared to spend this a lot. Blancpain costs a fairly penny for this and different Fifty Fathoms household merchandise, however the outcomes communicate extremely for themselves. If in case you have the means, it’s onerous to withstand the comeliness of this face. Worth for the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique reference 5010 12B40 O64B is $18,400 USD. Study extra on the Blancpain web site.
