The one the French frogmen would recognise
By Tom Hargreaves, Falmouth, Cornwall ·
A bit of history I do actually care about. The Fifty Fathoms came out in 1953, built to a brief from French combat swimmers, people like Bob Maloubier and Claude Riffaud, who wanted something they could read and trust underwater. The Blancpain boss at the time, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, was a diver himself. That's a better origin story than most dive watches get, and it's real.
This 42.3 mm titanium version is the one I'd look at if I were spending this sort of money. The older 45 mm case was a dinner plate. Titanium takes some of the sting out of 14.3 mm of thickness, and 22 mm lugs means my strap drawer finally works with a Blancpain.
The domed bezel on these is lovely to look at. In murky Cornish water in February, with five mil gloves on, I'd want to know it grips properly, and a glossy sapphire bezel insert isn't my first choice for that. Lume on the Fifty Fathoms has always been good though, and the dial is about as clear as black and white gets.
Same 1315 movement as the rest of the range, five days of reserve, date window, open caseback I could do without.
$16,000 to $17,000. That's Sea-Dweller money and then some. Buy it if you love the story. Don't buy it because you think it's a tougher tool than a Sinn at a sixth of the price, because it isn't.