Home » Baselworld - World Watch and Jewellery Show » Baselworld 2017 Review – Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms Mil-Spec Watch
On occasion of Baselworld 2017, Blancpain unveiled its newest reinterpretation of one of the brand’s vintage models from the 1950s with a water-tightness indicator. This interesting piece is named the Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC.
The history of the Fifty Fathoms is strictly connected with Jean-Jacques Fiechter, a passionate diver who was the company’s CEO from 1950 to 1980, but also it is closely linked to Captain Robert “Bob” Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, the founders of the French Navy’s combat swimmers corps. At the time, the two were seeking for a perfectly reliable wristwatch for their underwater missions.
Their final choice was the outstanding Fifty Fathoms Watch tooled with a double sealed crown system to protect the watch from water penetration in case the crown was unintentionally pulled out during a dive. Furthermore, the presence of the second interior seal worked to warranty the watch’s water tightness. Mr. Fiechter registered a patent for this invention. Besides, the second patent was awarded for the sealing system of the case back.
The man who was Blancpain’s CEO for three decades then addressed another problem: a secured rotating bezel that could be used to count the time of a dive. He perfected a blocking mechanism which would prevent accidental rotation of the bezel. For this he received third patent.
After these three remarkable patents, the manufacturer introduced a unidirectional rotating bezel that was the world-first feature which ensured safety while diving.
Finally, in 1953, Blancpain delivered to the French Navy team a watch that became one of the essential pieces of equipment for the French combat swimmers corps. Afterwards, the same occurred for naval forces worldwide.
Mr. Fiechter continued with his quest for the utmost safety of divers and very soon he incorporated an additional feature for his impeccable diving timepiece – a circular water-tightness indicator. If accidentally some liquid were to leak into the watch case, a disk located at the 6 o’clock position would signal that by becoming read instead of its standard white color.
In 1957, this indicator was present on the dial of the Fifty Fathoms model called the MIL-SPEC 1. This year’s model boasts the complete set of technical features of the iconic watch dedicated to diving.
Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms Mil-Spec features a sleek, black dial comprising indexes in Super-LuminNova and the water-tightness indicator. The unidirectional rotating bezel covered in scratch-resistant sapphire shields the luminescent indications beneath.
The beating heart of the watch is the in-house manufactured caliber 1151 automatic movement which consists of 210 parts including two series-coupled mainspring barrel. The mechanism provides a decent four-day power reserve. The inner beauty of the movement can be seen from the rear.
Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC (ref. Ref. 5008-1130-B52A) is housed in a stainless steel case measuring 40mm in diameter. Water resistance is assured down to 300 meters. The watch is produced in the limited series of 500 pieces. Speaking about the wristlet, there is a choice among a NATO strap, a sail cloth strap, or a steel bracelet with a secure buckle.
