June 8 is World Ocean Day, and to mark the occasion, Blancpain has launched what is arguably the most advanced version yet of the original dive watch, the Fifty Fathoms.
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The first Fifty Fathoms was created in 1953 at the behest of the French Navy, and it, along with the Rolex Submariner that debuted the same year, set the template for the modern dive watch with its rotating timing bezel, luminous dial markings and high water resistance.
Now, 73 years later, Blancpain is once again pushing its iconic diver forward with the launch of the futuristic new Fifty Fathoms Tech.
Technically speaking
The first Fifty Fathoms Tech was launched in 2023 as the Tech Gombessa, the second of three special releases celebrating the 70th annviersary of the Fifty Fathoms.
That watch featured a massive 47mm case in ultra-hard-wearing Grade 23 titanium, a helium escape valve at 10:00, a central-lug design with an integrated rubber strap and, most unique of all, a new patented complication featuring a three-hour bezel and a fourth hand that makes one full revolution around the dial every three hours. The reason for this complication is that modern technical dives can last up to three hours, making the traditional 60-minute timing bezel “insufficient.”
