The Fifty Fathoms is without question one of the most iconic dive watches in history, and arguably the first; however, it might never have been made at all were it not for one man — Jean-Jacques Fiechter of Blancpain.
In 1952, the French Navy and Secret Services tasked two veterans with a formidable mission. These men — Lt. Claude Riffaud of the Navy and Captain Bob Maloubier of the Secret Services — were to create a specialized unit of combat divers, meant to act under the utmost secrecy. Some of the missions they were to enact included attacking ports, disrupting supply lines and sabotage of enemy vessels.
Riffaud and Maloubier had a general idea of what gear the divers needed — compasses, depth gauges, and of course, watches. But as far as the watches were concerned, there was no watch on the market specifically designed for the purposes to which these combat divers would utilize.
So Maloubier, armed with a pencil and protractor, sketched a watch. Not just any watch, but a watch ideally suited for diving. It needed to have a robust, watertight case, and a dial that would be legible in the darkest of nights, at the deepest of depths.
Pitched to several well-known manufactures, Blancpain was the only house that agreed to produce Maloubier's new design. Fiechter, Blancpain’s CEO at the time, relied on Maloubier's expertise and diving experience to create a unique watch equipped with a Bakelite bezel and rubber gaskets.Nothing like it had been seen before - thus the world's first purpose-built diver's watch was born. Blancpain called it the Fifty Fathoms.
This example, a Reference 5008D-1130-64A, is a faithful modern reinterpretation of any early series model. It features a 40mm stainless steel case, a fully-graduated sapphire timing bezel with vintage inspired luminous tonality, a domed sapphire crystal, and the manufacture’s namesake engraved on the 9 o’clock case flank.
Its luminous dial is immediately distinguishable by its ‘No Radiations’ logo above the 6 o’clock marker. Early examples of the Fifty Fathoms not destined for military service would bear a special design on the dial signifying that the luminescent material was not highly radioactive Radium. Don’t worry, nighttime legibility for this piece is provided by Super-Luminova — No Radium (‘No Rad’) here, either!
Powered by Blancpain’s self-winding Calibre 1151 with a 100-hour power reserve and convenient date function, this piece is outfitted on a signed Tropic-style rubber strap with a signed steel pin buckle.
Limited to just 500 units, this piece comes individually numbered '204' and is in fantastic condition from top to bottom, and includes its factory leather folio, books, and warranty card dated March, 2021.
Historically tied to the Naval Forces of France, Germany and the United States, this modern homage to the early Fifty Fathoms is a darling in the collector community - we don't expect this one to last long!
