Discover the Historical past of Dive Watches with Blancpain

A one-sentence abstract will get us began right here. In 1953, Swiss watchmaker Blancpain launched the world’s first dive watch; the world of watches would by no means be the identical once more. Arguably the most well-liked sort of conventional mechanical wristwatch, the dive watch is a agency favorite amongst collectors and informal consumers alike. Just about all the foremost gamers have one, with the notable exception of haute horlogerie stalwarts Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Even Audemars Piguet bowed to collector strain and launched the Offshore Diver some years again, although that watch is hardly a deeply essential a part of the assortment. Bucking this development decisively is Blancpain, which was rather more well-known for its haute horlogerie items for many of its historical past, as you’ll be able to see by its collections, however we are going to get to that in a bit.

Given the peculiar relationship the dive watch has to diving right this moment — mainly it’s not a necessity — this impression solely grows extra highly effective. As a species, we seem to need a image of our world’s oceans and seas near us always; we’re principally made from water anyway. If aliens determined to introduce themselves, they could convey us a present of water from their dwelling world as a greeting! To be clear, that is solely an impression as nobody actually is aware of in regards to the true enchantment of the dive watch, or the explanations manufacturers introduce dive watches, which brings us to a different essential level.

What proof do we’ve got to supply on the recognition of dive watches anyway? Is it the largest vendor amongst all watch manufacturers, throughout the board, Swiss or in any other case? Does this clarify why we’ve got devoted not less than one cowl a 12 months to the dive watch since not less than 2016? Sadly, not one of the reviews we consulted for our Spring 2023 situation, from Morgan Stanley and Deloitte’s to the Swiss Federation of Watchmaking (FH) and Europastar, had any knowledge on the abiding reputation of the look ahead to divers. It is because the watch commerce doesn’t do breakdowns on this method, folding dive watches into three-handlers, at greatest; some reviews focus on the recognition of the sports activities watch, which clearly contains the dive watch. However, altering the definition this manner additionally tends to attract in different kinds of hardy instrument watches, in addition to numerous issues and all method of smartwatches.

Whereas that is clearly not nice for basic data, these kinds of watches are essentially the most plentiful on the earth, since additionally they embody the hardest tickers. Dive watches might need been the primary purpose-built watches for a specific sporting exercise, making the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms the primary instrument look ahead to sports activities. Navigation, aviation and driving watches all arrived earlier than the dive watch, however all of those have been eclipsed by the timekeeper of the deep. Even the arrival of low-cost quartz watches couldn’t make the sports activities watch come up for air, so to talk. As for the smartwatch, most fashions and makes have solely lately gotten water-resistance proper, because of all of the detector features.

Now, in case you are a long-time reader of World of Watches, you’ll most likely be sighing to your self, and questioning simply why we’re so obsessive about dive watches. A part of the reply lies within the story of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, and that leads us straight into our normal historical past lesson. So far as different key fashions go although, we will likely be addressing these extra totally later on this story, and later within the 12 months. The historic part additionally covers the salient traits of the Fifty Fathoms as they stand right this moment, and features a sidebar on Blancpain’s conservation work.

We be aware on the outset, for transparency, that we’re as soon as once more indebted to the wonderful work of Jeffrey Kingston, the long-time editor of Lettres du Brassus, the Blancpain journal, for a lot of the small print that went into this story.

Deep Dive

In some ways, Blancpain is a little bit of a stunning famous person in diving. Based in 1735 in Villeret, Switzerland, the manufacture had been largely centered on issues and superbly completed watches for many of its storied previous. This was strengthened by one other a part of the DNA of the up to date Blancpain model, that of Louis Élisée Piguet, that is still famed to at the present time for its difficult actions. This stands in direct distinction with watchmakers who obtained off the blocks within the twentieth century, for instance, the place a sure diploma of utilitarianism was to be anticipated.

Blancpain, which had confirmed to be resilient to each disaster recognized to man for the reason that 18th century, was an adaptable agency. It even survived its personal founding household’s choice to go away the enterprise, discovering a prepared purchaser for the Blancpain watchmaking concern within the devoted worker, Betty Fiechter, in 1932; the Piguet household’s involvement remained some methods away however that’s one other story. Certainly, Betty Fiechter’s story is a captivating one, however for the story of the Fifty Fathoms, issues start correctly together with her nephew, Jean-Jacques Fiechter. It must be famous although that Jean-Jacques was solely in a position to have interaction in his diving ardour due to the house Betty Fiechter owned on the Riviera. It was a location that will play a central position within the genesis of the Fifty Fathoms watch.

Jean-Jacques turned the CEO of Blancpain in 1950, and he had fairly the yen for diving. In these days, leisure diving was not but the power it’s right this moment, with the SCUBA equipment solely having been pioneered by Jacques Yves Cousteau in 1943. It was additionally a harmful and unpredictable exercise since divers on the time didn’t have the suitable gear, together with the suitable kind of dive watch. Jean-Jacques discovered this the exhausting means on a dive at Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. Some 50 metres under the waves (a considerably unbelievable depth, however that’s what the file exhibits), he found that he had run out of air. Not solely did Jean-Jacques not panic, he had the presence of thoughts to think about timing his emergency ascent, besides he didn’t have a watch to take action after all! He later noticed that “ardour makes one overlook the time,” when wanting again on his near-fatal accident.

Fortunately, Jean-Jacques had one other ardour in addition to diving: making watches. He quickly set about discovering an answer to the issue that just about killed him as a result of he realised {that a} exact, dependable and hard watch was the important thing. With the sources of a manufacture at his disposal, Jean-Jacques might develop precisely the kind of watch that was wanted. This story is exactly what makes the Fifty Fathoms so particular and distinctive within the improvement of the dive watch.

With the suitable inspiration, Jean-Jacques mirrored on his accident and realised two issues: a diver wanted to maintain observe of time throughout a dive, and in addition wanted to account for time to decompress earlier than surfacing. In different phrases, it was not sufficient to know the way a lot air you had left, you additionally wanted to know the way a lot time you possibly can spend, in whole, relying in your SCUBA gear. Jean-Jacques started designing a watch that will do all that was required; he wanted a ticker that will preserve you ticking, to place it one other means. From the beginning, he knew it must be a easy and hard timepiece, as a result of chronographs weren’t water resistant in any respect presently (for these of you who marvel why this resolution didn’t happen to Jean-Jacques or the esteemed watchmakers at Blancpain).

Making a easy timepiece from scratch isn’t any straightforward feat, significantly when that timepiece additionally needed to be a lifesaving instrument for divers. Jean-Jacques needed to invent what we take without any consideration right this moment, codified inside the strictures of ISO 6425. Take, for instance, the problem of water-resistance, which was just about resolved by the Fifties…besides it was not. There have been weak factors in any watch, that are the identical right this moment, the place water would possibly penetrate the case: the crown and the caseback. For the crown, Jean-Jacques got here up with the double-sealed system. The crown might be completely protected, if it was not pulled out. If one forgets to push or screw the crown again in after adjusting the watch, then jumps off a ship into the water, then that’s one watch that simply drowned.

Jean-Jacques resolution meant that there was at all times a second seal retaining the worst from occurring. Blancpain obtained a patent for that. For the caseback, there was already an ‘O’ ring gasket retaining the surface, properly, exterior, however it often obtained twisted when the caseback was screwed on. Jean-Jacques obtained round this by putting the ‘O’ ring in a channel with its personal metallic ring to carry it in place. Blancpain obtained a patent for this too. Lastly, to resolve the problem of divers forgetting how lengthy they had been underwater, Jean-Jacques developed a turning bezel with a marker that might be used to point begin instances for dives (by aligning the bezel with the minute hand, to be clear). That works properly sufficient, however ought to the bezel be disturbed, the sport is up. Jean-Jacques got here up with a locking mechanism that stored the bezel from transferring. Blancpain obtained a patent for that too.

Past this, Jean-Jacques knew that the wristwatches of his time had been just too small to be used underwater, the place legibility is essential. He labored on bigger case sizes along with his aunt Fiechter’s neighbour, who occurred to be a casemaker; Jean-Jacques shared the identical dwelling as his aunt, who lived upstairs whereas he lived on the primary ground.

On the identical theme of legibility, Jean-Jacques selected a color scheme of white towards black, and luminous palms, for visibility in the dead of night, which was truly not new at the moment. Equally, for the motion, Jean-Jacques knew it needed to be computerized, to scale back the danger of damage and tear on the crown. The ultimate bit got here right down to resisting magnetism, however this wants to attend, as a result of whereas Jean-Jacques was firming up his imaginative and prescient, the second foundational a part of the dive watch story was taking form.

The French navy was searching for a dive watch, and the 2 males in command of this had been Captain Robert ‘Bob’ Maloubier and Claude Riffaud, each veterans of World Struggle II. They had been those who noticed the necessity for a fight diving power, and the French navy left it to them to discovered what would turn out to be the French Forces Elite Diving Corp. When it got here to the timing devices, the late Maloubier appreciated to inform a narrative of assembly a French watch govt from Besancon, and being furnished with small watches that had been touted as “marvels” of water-resistance; these all drowned. Fairly than being discouraged although, Maloubier and Riffaud drew up sketches of what they thought a dive watch must be: waterproof, self-winding, anti-magnetic, and a dial that might be simply learn both in murky water or at evening. They discovered no takers on their daring designs although, with one watch govt telling them that “there is no such thing as a future in diving watches.”

Clearly, Maloubier and Riffaud discovered their solution to Jean-Jacques and Blancpain. Right here is how Maloubier described the assembly: “Lastly there was this small enterprise, Blancpain, that agreed to produce a watch that we imagined with a black dial, giant numbers, clear indexes within the type of triangles, circles and squares, in addition to a rotating exterior bezel with markings matching the dial. We had hoped to have the ability to begin a dive and place the bezel in order to have the ability to learn the time utilizing the big minute hand. We wished every of the markers to be as outstanding as a pole star for a shepherd.” All events wished the identical factor, apart from the anti-magnetic requirement, which Blancpain solved with the introduction of the mushy iron interior case to guard the motion from magnetic fields.

Right here we race forward a bit, as a result of the subsequent components lead us to the current and presumably way forward for the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms watch. One 12 months after the launch of the watch, in 1954, famed diver and marine biologist Jacques-Yves Cousteau chosen the Fifty Fathoms mannequin for his dive staff, whose filmed dives turned the idea of the Academy Award-winning movie, “The Silent World” in 1957. Thus, the skilled, leisure and conservationist traits of the Fifty Fathoms got here collectively in just some years. When it comes to the world’s armed forces, the Fifty Fathoms shortly turned the go-to choice for the Israelis, West Germans, Danish, Norwegians, Swedish, Pakistanis and, most famously, the People, with the Navy SEALs.

The up to date Fifty Fathoms that celebrates its seventieth anniversary this 12 months is not a instrument watch utilized by the world’s navies, however it stays very a lot part of the legend of the dive watch. It’s also nonetheless part of the conservation world, with Blancpain’s initiative referred to as Ocean Dedication having raised each consciousness of the necessity to defend the world’s oceans, in addition to having an actual impression in growing the share of protected areas of the oceans by greater than 20 per cent.

For the celebrations this 12 months, you’ll be able to see for your self how Blancpain is leaning into this ocean conservation future in its promoting visible within the situation. It’s also a really actual a part of the up to date assortment, being mirrored in not less than one of many seventieth anniversary editions. However first, a tribute to the very first Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, and a very new technical watch.

Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa

If the conservation angle is considerably hidden in Act 1, it takes centre stage right here, on condition that the title of the watch is the Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa, which is the seventieth Anniversary Restricted Version Act 2. You might recall that Gombessa right here is derived from Gombessa Expeditions, the initiative headed by marine biologist, photographer and diver Laurent Ballesta, and supported by Blancpain as a founding companion. The title isn’t there simply to suggest an essential trigger — the Tech Gombessa was collectively developed by Blancpain and Ballesta. The Tech a part of the title can be pivotal, as a result of it refers back to the count-up bezel with three-hour show, which is completely new in a dive watch (or certainly any watch).

In contrast to the Fifty Fathoms X Fathoms, the Tech Gombessa isn’t mind-bogglingly difficult. It’s somewhat easy by the use of comparability, however that isn’t the purpose. The unique Fifty Fathoms was a watch designed to fulfill the wants of divers, and the Tech Gombessa follows the identical narrative, besides right here, the heroes are Blancpain CEO Marc Hayek, himself an achieved diver, and Ballesta. Ballesta wished a watch that would serve him on closed-circuit rebreather diving excursions, and that’s exactly what he obtained.

Now we should not have the house to get into what precisely CCR diving is, however suffice to say, the equipment permits one to rebreathe the air one exhales. This implies one can keep underwater longer, which is essential for Ballesta’s work. How for much longer? Properly, there’s the place these three hours come into play. To make all this work, the Tech Gombessa includes a helium escape valve (you already know the place it’s), searching for all of the world like a second crown, and a brand new motion, the automated calibre 13P8, alongside the unidirectional bezel with three-hour scale. What appears to be like like a GMT hand on the dial is in reality a hand that makes one circuit in three hours. It’s meant to work in tandem with the 120-click bezel, about which we are going to say extra after we focus on the case under.

You can not actually inform from wanting on the watch right here, with none reference or context, however it is a massive boy, and it’s considerably completely different to the vanilla reference 5015. The case is 47mm and 14.81mm thick, making it the largest Fifty Fathoms reference for the reason that X Fathoms. Blancpain has made the watch simpler to put on although, with a case in grade 23 titanium and a lugless design. Sure, which means the black rubber strap (with extension) is totally built-in. The bezel has a very good little bit of overhang, making it simpler to understand, and the insert is executed in black ceramic somewhat than sapphire crystal, and slopes inward barely. As a watch that’s meant to be worn over a moist go well with, the width and thickness are completely high quality, however you will have to think about the way it sits in your wrist. Fortunately, you should have loads of time to determine as a result of the Tech Gombessa isn’t a restricted version — it joins the common Fifty Fathoms assortment. For sure, if CCR diving is your factor, that is simply the suitable look ahead to you.

Lastly, the dial is in a brand new shade of black referred to as “absolute,” which apparently absorbs 97% of sunshine that hits it. This has the impact of constructing the orange luminescent markers, which glow blue, actually pop, as they are saying. The bezel markings and the three-hour hand glow inexperienced, by the use of distinction.

Fifty Fathoms seventieth Anniversary Restricted Version Act 1

For the seventieth anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms watch, Blancpain is pulling out all of the stops, with a three-act plan, actually. Act 1 is a now-sold-out smaller model of the Fifty Fathoms, hewing intently to the unique dimensions of the watch. We congratulate you if you happen to managed to get one of many 70 items of Fifty Fathoms seventieth Anniversary Restricted Version Act 1, to make use of its full title. To be clear, the 70 watches we’re particularly referring to are those meant for the Asia-Pacific; there are two extra restricted editions of the identical mannequin in the identical collection, one for Europe, the Center East and Africa, and one for the Americas. Nonetheless, 210 items appears however a drop within the ocean, contemplating that Act 1 is essentially the most simply wearable Fifty Fathoms in years, clocking in at 42.3mm.

This isn’t a reissue although, by any means, as a result of Act 1 retains some traits from the up to date common manufacturing mannequin, together with the engraved Blancpain emblem on the left facet of the case. It additionally nods in direction of the reintroduction of the Fifty Fathoms in 2003 with the stainless-steel bezel with domed sapphire crystal inlay over luminous markings and a lozenge at 12 o’clock. The crown guards are additionally a function launched within the 2003 version, and you’ll recognise different salient options from this seminal version that introduced the Fifty Fathoms into the twenty first century. Water-resistance is, after all, 300 metres.

The dial is black, with brushed sunray ending, so-called classic palms (an evolution of the sword palms on the unique), three-dimensional markers and Arabic numerals with cream-coloured SuperLuminova (the palms additionally sport the identical luminous materials). With regards to the textual content on the dial, that is the place one can find your self a fan, or not. There are seven strains of textual content, together with the JB 1735 emblem, and the particular seventieth Anniversary phrases, with the collection of the watch (I, II or III relying on area, as talked about above) ending issues off. Properly, you would possibly depend the Swiss Made indication too, at 6 o’clock under and flanking the numeral. Just like the up to date Fifty Fathoms, the date window is between 4 and 5 o’clock (the so-called 4:30 place).

For the motion, that is additionally completely up to date, with the automated calibre 1315 operating the present, and displaying off its three-barrel structure through the sapphire exhibition window (itself a wholly up to date contact). Calibre 1315 powers the present Fifty Fathoms reference 5015, so followers of the model can anticipate no surprises there. In fact, the calibre does mark itself as one thing particular, contemplating that the oscillating weight is in platinum, with “Fifty Fathoms seventieth” engraved on it (platine can be fortunately engraved there). No particular ending has been utilized right here, which is suitable contemplating that that is nonetheless very a lot a instrument watch. One would possibly go additional right here and say that the usual ending on calibre 1315 is already distinctive for what it’s, and beats most different dive watches on the market.

Ending issues off right here is a wholly up to date contact that’s in-line with up to date issues: the strap is of the black NATO selection, with pin buckle, however it’s created from recycled fishing nets recovered from the ocean. Contemplating the robust conservation message that Blancpain adopts and advocates, that is completely acceptable.