Blancpain’s 2013 novelty, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe as seen on the 19th storey of OUE Bayfront at ME@OUE in Singapore on 20 June 2013 at 3.10pm. At 3pm, the PSI (pollution standard index) reading was 312. In the background, one can briefly make out Marina Bay Sands even in the haze. Photo: © TANG Portfolio
One look will not allow you to totally figure out how the understated elegance of Blancpain’s sporty Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe was created. The watch is named after the bathyscaphe which is a deep-sea submersible.
The military feel is understandable because of the triple-loop NATO strap.
Observe carefully once more and take note of the refined hour markers which are made of gold and are luminescent.
What you might not know is that the graduated scale on the unidirectional bezel is in Liquidmetal. This is an “amorphous metal alloy” highly resistant to deformation which bonds well with the ceramic bezel insert.
One pleasant surprise is the open sapphire crystal case back. Most diving watches would have a closed case back for water-resistance security issues.
By having an open sapphire crystal case back, Blancpain offers more “viewing depth” by exposing its Calibre 1315 automatic movement with five days (120 hours) of power reserve. With an open case back, the watch still has the water-resistance of 30 bar or 300 metres and the anti-magnetic feature. Marina Bay Sands and the ArtScience museum can be roughly made out in the background despite the haze. Photo: © TANG Portfolio
Similar to the Fifty Fathoms Automatique of 2007, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe houses the Calibre 1315 automatic movement.
The Fifty Fathoms Automatique has the water-resistance of 300 metres and a closed case back.
So was the water-resistance level of the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe compromised with an open case back?
It wasn’t simply because the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe is also water-resistant to 30 bar or 300 metres.
Due to the haze over Singapore, it was even easier to create what is known in photography as the shallow depth of field effect and that is, keeping Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe in sharp focus and having a blurry background as seen in the two earlier images. This image was taken at 12.37pm on 20 June 2013. The PSI at 1pm was 371, the day’s high. A PSI reading above 300 means that the air quality is hazardous. Photo: © TANG Portfolio
What is also intriguing is the claim of being anti-magnetic; after all, watches with anti-magnetic features typically have closed case backs.
One explanation for this feature in Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe being the use of the non-magnetic silicon balance spring (which is not used in the Fifty Fathoms Automatique).
For us, Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe is an understated elegant sports watch with an open back that offers more “depth” so to speak, allowing one the pleasure of viewing its movement – the Calibre 1315.