First, we saw it from the affordable design-savvy micro brands. But now, with the new Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, you can revel in your love of vintage designs and have haute horlogerie decorations. And yes, you can use this timepiece as a proper dive watch, but given its chocolate brown, hand-stitched leather vintage looking strap, it is probably meant to be more of a desk diver. But hey, with a 30 Bar water resistance, why not put an 18-millimeter Nato strap on it and go for a swim?
In 1956, the summer when Elvis Presley started subscribing to number one on the charts all over the world, everything seemed possible. A remarkably quick post-war recovery had led to families having more disposable income, despite normally having only one breadwinner. And in this decade holidays had become the norm. No wonder skin diving emerged as a popular recreational sport in the 1950s. Defined by breath-hold diving combined with newly available gear like rubber fins, and face masks, it was a forerunner of the modern scuba and freediving culture. With ten years of experience making diving watches for the military, it makes sense that Blancpain quickly caught on to this cultural phenomenon, and in 1956 became one of the pioneers for “skin divers” as this kind of civilian diving watches are referred to.
The name however comes from something way beyond skin diving: On August 26 1953, Auguste Piccard’s bathyscaphe Trieste descended to approximately 1,080 metres beneath the Mediterranean, south of Capri. (A bathyscaphe is a kind of submarine invented by Mr. Piccard.) This achievement captured attention far beyond the scientific community and reflected a growing fascination with underwater exploration. Just ten days later, on 5 September 1953, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, then CEO of Blancpain and himself a passionate diver, registered the name Bathyscaphe with the Swiss Commercial Office in an entrepreneurial move, already thinking about what was to come in several years.
The 70th anniversary of the Bathyscaphe is now celebrated with a 37.4-millimeter watch with a sunburst meteor-grey dial. If you play with the light, you will also see some brown hues. If you have the feeling that the baton hands and straight-line graphics feel more like 1960s than 1950s – well spotted! When Blancpain looked into its catalogue for inspiration, the team fell in love with a Bathyscaphe from 1968, which stood model for today’s creation. Internally Blancpain brand refers to the color of the beige Super-Luminova® as “Old radium.” One can see why: the it has that old look, but rest assured: the dangerous material was banned and abandoned by the watch industry in the late 1960s.
The unique case of the new edition – limited to only 300 pieces – has an historically inspired architecture. It was however developed around the movement while retaining the desired proportions and economics. The slender profile of 12.3 millimeters was achieved much thanks to the slender case middle. And to remain historically true, the case is polished, instead of having half a dozen different kind of finishes of sandblast and polishes as most cases of today. But we are not looking at simplicity here: just check out the steel bezel. It extends into a ring at the base of the glass box crystal, a little refined architectural detail brought back to life. Other details have however been modernized, for instance the yesteryear bezel insert of black hesalite has been replaced by durable ceramic with lacquered numerals. And now, the unidirectional bezel clicks atop a precise 120-tooth ball bearing system. Today’s version features a sapphire crystal case back, showcasing meticulous Haute Horlogerie finishes on the modernized movement which has an open-worked 18K gold oscillating weight. The movement provides 100 hours of power reserve and its silicon hairspring ensures antimagnetic properties. With all these improvements Blancpain is confident to give the new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe a five-year warranty.
Last but not least: Make sure you don’t miss this piece, as it will fly a bit under the radar, and only 300 pieces will be made. It is released today, and if I dare make a guess, I reckon it will sell out quickly.
Case: 37.4-millimeter stainless steel. Thickness: 12.3 millimeters.
Water resistance: 30 bar (300 meters)
Movement: Automatic 3 Hz (21’600 vph) Blancpain Manufacture Calibre 1150 with hours, minutes, seconds, and date. 100-hour power reserve.
Dial: Sunburst meteor grey. Baton-shaped hands and indexes in white gold with vintage-colored Super-Luminova®
Limited edition: 300 pieces
Price: 13,800 CHF (August 2026)
FAQ
Q: What is the new Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe?
A: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe is a 2026 watch marking the 70th anniversary of the original 1956 civilian diver's watch. Limited to 300 pieces, it has a 37.4mm case, sunburst meteor-grey dial, and Blancpain's automatic Calibre 1150 movement.
Q: How much does the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe cost?
A: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe is priced at 13,800 CHF as of August 2026. It is limited to 300 pieces, powered by Blancpain's in-house automatic Calibre 1150 with a 100-hour power reserve and a five-year warranty.
Q: What is a bathyscaphe?
A: A bathyscaphe is a self-propelled deep-sea submersible, invented by Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard. His bathyscaphe Trieste dove to roughly 1,080 metres off Capri in 1953, inspiring Blancpain CEO Jean-Jacques Fiechter to register the name for its diving watches.
Q: What is a skin diver watch?
A: A skin diver watch is a civilian diving watch designed for breath-hold "skin diving," the recreational sport that emerged in the 1950s. Blancpain became an early pioneer of the category in 1956 with the original Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe.
