BASELWORLD 2017 PREVIEW:

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Debuts in 38-mm “Abyss Blue” Model


Blancpain introduced the modern-day version of its Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe watch in 2013, the original model’s 60th anniversary year, and has expanded the Bathyscaphe family with other variations in the years since, including a flyback chronograph and a version in a gray plasma ceramic case. At Baselworld 2017 in March, the collection adds a feminine, 38-mm version outfitted in “Abyss Blue,” a color Blancpain says was inspired by the ocean’s depths.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Abyss Blue - front

Like its 2013 predecessors (which did include a 38-mm model, albeit only in a white dial/white strap combo), the new Bathyscaphe pays considerable aesthetic tribute to its 1950s-era ancestor, with vintage-style hands, sharply defined case contours, and a luminescent dot on its notched, unidirectional bezel as a reference for divers. The bezel, in satin-brushed stainless steel, has a blue ceramic insert with numerals and indices in Liquidmetal, an alloy known for its deformation resistance and long term stability, which has been used in recent years by Blancpain and several of its other sister brands within the Swatch Group. The Abyss blue dial has a sunburst finish and a small date window at 4:30.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Abyss Blue - back

Inside the 300-meter water-resistant case, and on display through a sapphire caseback window, is Blancpain’s self-winding Caliber 1150. Its notable features include two series-coupled barrels, which store an impressive 100-hour power reserve while guaranteeing a constant flow of energy; and a silicon balance spring, whose technical advantages include lower density (and thus reduced weight), increased shock resistance, and imperviousness to magnetic fields — all factors that increase the movements’s chronometric performance. The watch’s price will be announced at Baselworld 2017.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe - Abyss Blue - angle

Merken

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  1. It appears we are headed back to the era of 38mm watches, not a bad thing.

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  2. Bert Allen

    If this model at 38mm is feminine, I take it that the Tudor Black Bay 36 is juvenile. Please enlighten the insecure – at what size does a watch become masculine?

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  3. Don Tittle

    “a feminine, 38mm version…” Seriously? Since when did a 38mm divers watch become feminine? Sorry, but would just about guarantee that the 38mm would look better on most of the male population than the lugs over the wrist 43mm that is so commonly seen these days.
    With that said…appreciate all the great articles!

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