The Bathyscaphe is Blancpain’s answer to the age-old question. Is it okay to wear a dive watch with a suit? We all know it’s not, but many of us do it anyway (I raise my hand) because, let’s face it, many dive watches look really good, they are the entry-level watch for many who succumb to this habit of ours, and these days, dress watches usually go a few steps further: I doubt too many people start their watch collection with a Piaget Black Tie.
If the original Fifty Fathoms was a seasoned salvage diver in search of some mythical doubloons, the Bathyscaphe is his suave supporter, at home on the water but more accustomed to arranging wire transfers than getting his hands wet.
Adventure novel cliches aside, the Bathyscaphe is a welcome relief from the first professional dive watch and was reintroduced into the brand’s current collection as part of the Fifty Fathoms’ 60th anniversary celebrations in 2013.
Now, Blancpain has enlisted the help of sister brand Omega (both owned by the Swatch Group) to be able to encase it in Sedna gold, the Biel brand’s proprietary 18-karat red gold alloy, in what I think is the first case of Omega allowing the metal to be used outside of its own collection.
To be honest, I’m a bit skeptical of this strategy. This is by no means the first evidence of “spec creep” from Omega to Blancpain, the Fifty Fathoms series already uses Omega’s Liquidmetal to produce markings on its ceramic bezel and elsewhere, and the proliferation of Tissot’s massive Powermatic movements has seen brands like Hamilton and Certina offer watches that are equally exceptional value.
So yes, on paper, there’s no denying that it makes perfect commercial sense to acquire a smaller stablemate from the advances developed by its big brother, and consumers are arguably getting value for money. Aside from (I’m betting on Omega and Rolex here) I don’t think the end consumer cares much about trademarked alloys with fancy names unless they offer actual benefits, such as the scratch resistance offered by Rolex’s Oystersteel and Hublot’s Magic Gold.
But getting back to the watch itself, there’s no denying that its 43mm Sedna gold case and deep blue-hued sunray-brushed dial are a handsome pairing, even if the color-matched date window would look better at six o’clock and four-thirty in the afternoon, rather than, as it does now, somewhat hesitantly.
The unidirectional bezel is also made of Sedna gold and features another Omega technology, Ceragold, to ensure that the same metal is used for the numerals and markers embedded in its ceramic insert. The in-house automatic calibre 1315 beats at 4Hz and uses a silicon balance wheel and three mainspring barrels in series, providing a power reserve of five days or 120 hours. A sapphire crystal caseback also allows a view of the movement and its Sedna gold rotor, and the watch is water-resistant to 300m.
Price and specifications:
Model name: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Sedna Gold
Ref: 5000-36S40-O52A (canvas strap)
5000-36S40-NAOA (NATO strap)
Case/dial: 43mm diameter x 13.40mm thickness, Sedna gold, sun-brushed blue dial
Water resistance: 300m (30 bar)
Movement: Calibre 1315, automatic, in-house, 35 jewels, 227 components
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 120 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Strap: Blue canvas or blue NATO Sedna gold pin buckle
Price: 23,450 EUR
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