Introducing: A 42mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique In Steel
Just when the watch world is beginning to settle into the quiet post-Watches and Wonders pace, Blancpain shakes things up by introducing a version of its 42mm Fifty Fathoms in steel.
Recently, I had the pleasure of spending some time with the 42mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms in titanium. Now the brand has introduced a new stainless steel version of its iconic Fifty Fathoms diver. With the 42mm models previously only available in titanium or gold, the introduction of a steel version makes a lot of sense.
The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms in steel
The watch has a 42.3mm diameter with a 14.3mm case thickness. It features a 300m water resistance rating, a black sunburst dial, and a domed sapphire bezel insert. This Fifty Fathoms houses the automatic caliber 1315, which provides a 120-hour power reserve. You can view this beautiful movement with its blackened gold rotor through an exhibition case back. The specifications look to be identical to the titanium version I reviewed except for an expected change in weight and feel due to the change in materials.
There is a lot to like about a 42mm Fifty Fathoms in steel. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the titanium version. For many people, the challenge with Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms line is the pricing segment it inhabits. Its spiritual competitor is the Rolex Submariner, though these watches live in different price segments, and there are technical and watchmaking elements that separate them.
The titanium version when I reviewed it earlier this year
The significance of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms was one of the original dive watches as we know the genre today. Introduced in the mid-1950s, it marked a new age of scuba diving at both a commercial and recreational level. The use of aqualungs allowed people to explore the world’s oceans, seas, and lakes and enabled scientists and explorers to document new findings.
Dive watches played a critical role in providing elapsed time for calculating oxygen use and, later, to help avoid decompression sickness, also known as “the bends.” The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is, without a doubt, a cornerstone in the history and development of modern tool watches. If you want to know more, RJ wrote a detailed history of the Fifty Fathoms here. I encourage you to go and read it.
Concluding thoughts
Prices of the new 42mm steel Fifty Fathoms range from €17,000 / US$15,500 on a NATO strap to €19,700 / US$18,000 on a steel bracelet. For those of us who are fond of Blancpain and its history, there is an allure to having a dive watch from the brand that is one of the original pioneers of the dive watch as we understand it today. Undoubtedly, this steel version of the 42mm Fifty Fathoms will be a crowd-pleaser. I lean towards steel over titanium just because I have gotten used to wearing steel dive watches. There will almost surely be others out there with this peculiar relationship with titanium.
However, Blancpain needs to innovate further in the Fifty Fathoms line if it wants to reach a broader audience. One way to do this would be to consider an even smaller version. But what do you think, Fratelli? Let me know your opinions on this release in the comments.
