This year celebrates the 70th anniversary of arguably the most iconic dive watch in history. Debuting in 1953, Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms wasn’t the first timepiece to bolster its water resistance and underwater visibility but it did create the blueprint by which all dive watches have been following since its creation. And for that, it’s considered to be the first true diver. We’ve already seen two commemorative editions over the past few months: the first Fifty Fathoms with a 42mm case (Act 1) and a version of the Tech Gombessa with a three-hour immersion bezel (Act 2). Today’s release is called Act 3, and it will reissue a very important version of the watch from the late ‘50s.
Unlike previous “dive watches,” the original Fifty Fathoms, which was designed with help from the leader of the French combat dive unit, featured a locking rotating bezel with a quarter-hour scale to time your dive duration, an automatic movement, and an improved hour marker configuration. Dubbed 5901-5630-NANA, this new 70th-anniversary Fifty Fathoms is a nod to a model known as the MIL-SPEC reference, used by U.S. combat swimmers, which increased underwater safety by including a water resistance indicator on the dial so that divers were able to tell instantly if the watch’s integrity had been compromised.
Given a 41.3mm satin-brushed 9K bronze gold case, the commemorative edition features a black dial with matching bronze markings and hands (all lumed), a black ceramic bezel, and a gray water resistance indicator at the 6 o’clock position. Exhibited through the see-through caseback is Blancpain’s in-house 1154.P2 automatic movement, which boasts a whopping 100 hours of power reserve. The NATO strap in tow features the same black and bronze color scheme, pairing excellently with the vintage-inspired case.
With just 555 pieces being made in total, the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 diver is priced at $32,000 and comes in a vintage camera-style box. Learn more over at Blancpain’s website.
