A Nice Vintage-Inspired Surprise: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary

Over the past few years, we have seen great changes within the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms lineup. The brand celebrated the 70th anniversary of its iconic diver in multiple “acts.” On top of that, Blancpain created a full collection of Fifty Fathoms models in different sizes, offering something for everyone and addressing an issue many enthusiasts had with the brand for a long time. All these current offerings set the Fifty Fathoms up for a bright future, and with the impressive line of modern Fifty Fathoms Tech models, the collection looks as solid as ever. With all that going on, though, we sometimes forget about the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe line. Three years after Blancpain celebrated the 70th anniversary of its standard Fifty Fathoms, the Bathyscaphe gets its time to shine. Blancpain now celebrates seven decades of the Bathyscaphe with a reissue of a classic from 1968.

In all honesty, I don’t really keep track of Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe lineup. I have a bigger love for the regular Fifty Fathoms as the industry icon, and I prefer its design to that of the Bathyscaphe. With the Fifty Fathoms Tech models, I also found a great appreciation for the brand’s modern divers. They represent the future of Blancpain’s deep-sea tool watches, and every time I’ve spent time with one, I’ve been deeply impressed. With that many great Fifty Fathom options, there aren’t many Bathyscaphe models I love as much. A welcome exception has long been the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date Desert Edition. I love its retro design, and I am a sucker for a great desert-themed watch, so it is right up my alley.

The story of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary

The only issue was that I found its 43mm case too big. Had it been a 39mm watch, it would have been the perfect retro diver, but the size issue often makes it easy to forget. As many of you will recognize, sizing has long been a problem with the Fifty Fathoms collection. But after Blancpain solved the issues that many had, it looks like the Bathyscaphe line is next. To celebrate the model’s 70th anniversary, the brand now releases the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary. It’s a modern reissue of a classic Bathyscaphe model from 1968.

Taking one step back, the Bathyscaphe debuted in 1956 as the civilian counterpart to the Fifty Fathoms. While the Fifty Fathoms was developed as a professional diving instrument for military forces, professional divers, and underwater specialists, the Bathyscaphe offered an everyday interpretation, preserving the essential features that make a watch suitable for diving.

The Bathyscaphe featured the famous skin-diver aesthetic, shaped by leisure and the enjoyment of scuba diving rather than by professional diving. As a result, the watches had a greater appeal to the general public at the time. Overall, they were more compact and featured a more refined everyday style. As a result of this different approach, the Bathyscaphe models have always had a distinct look and feel from their larger professional brothers.

The details of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Bathyscaphe, Blancpain releases a modern take on a classic 1968 model. Thankfully, the brand kept it very close to the original, which will certainly please fans. The result is a great 300-piece limited edition that reminds us of Blancpain’s rich history in diving. Let’s first look at some details. The new 70th Anniversary model (ref. 5903 1110 63A) has a 37.4mm stainless steel case with a 12.3mm profile, a 46.5mm lug-to-lug, and a 300m depth rating. Consequently, it is a proper dive watch that you can take out on an aquatic adventure. But we can definitely question whether even one of the 300 pieces will ever see the great depths of the ocean.

What is more important is that the watch has a proper retro feel with these dimensions. The 18mm lug spacing also adds to the experience. As soon as the watch landed on my desk, the majority of the Fratello team was impressed by this new release. It looks fresh and distinct from the regular Bathyscaphe line, which is far more contemporary in design and uses modern colors and materials.

If you are used to that, this new 70th Anniversary model is a nice break from the norm. The case features a 120-click unidirectional bezel with a black ceramic insert with lacquered numerals. On the right side of the case, you will find the knurled crown, perfectly sized to be visually in sync with the case. Speaking of which, the case has a polished finish that really emphasizes its slim profile.

The gray sunburst dial features vintage details

Under the domed sapphire crystal, you will find a sunburst meteor-gray dial featuring applied 18K white gold indexes filled with vintage-tone Super-LumiNova. The date window fits neatly at 3 o’clock, and hovering over the dial are the baton-style hour and minute hands and the arrow-tipped seconds hand, all with Super-LumiNova to match the hour markers. A nice touch is the classic typography used for the branding and the text on the lower half of the dial. It’s in the same style as the classic Bathyscaphe this new limited edition takes after.

If you turn the watch around, you get a great view of the in-house Blancpain caliber 1150. This automatic movement operates at 21,600 vph, has 28 jewels, and offers a healthy 100-hour power reserve. The 210-part caliber features a silicon hairspring and also powers the 38mm Fifty Fathom Automatique models that Thomas reviewed last year.

For the Bathyscaphe, the rotor is slightly different, as the frosted and brushed 18K rose gold lacks a gray NAC coating. Otherwise, the movement finishing is impressive, with rifled soleillage and beautiful anglage on the plates and bridges. Furthermore, the case back features a unique LE number to indicate the watch’s special status.

Wearing the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary

Understandably, we couldn’t wait to try this 70th Anniversary model on our wrists. Its smaller size and retro looks make for a wonderful vintage-inspired diver. The great thing is that the watch looks fantastic on both smaller and bigger wrists. On a smaller one, it is the perfect substantial dive watch. On a bigger one, the vintage appeal is slightly more emphasized. But at no time did I feel it was too small on my 18.5cm wrist. I must admit, though, that my perception has changed over time. I have grown to love smaller watches. Just as an example, I vividly remember finding the Tudor Black Bay 58 too small on a strap when it first came out. That is similarly sized to this new Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary.

However, the strap also influenced that. The nice chocolate-brown calfskin strap of this Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary also adds visual mass compared to the fabric strap I tried the Black Bay on. The leather quality is also top-notch, making it a joy to wear the Blancpain. Because of the tough leather, you will have to break it in, though. At first, it feels stiff, but I’m sure that the strap will become more comfortable after wearing the watch for a few days.

Final thoughts on the new Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary

On the wrist, the watch wears well, and the quality is evident in every detail. For example, turning the bezel is an absolute joy, and after you unscrew the crown, there is zero play between it and the hands when adjusting the time. Additionally, the resistance the crown gives when being turned reflects the proper luxury feel you would expect from a brand like Blancpain.

Overall, I loved spending time with the new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary. It is a nice break from the regular Bathyscaphe lineup, and enthusiasts will certainly appreciate it. If there is one thing I would add as a footnote, it’s that the skin-diver aesthetic doesn’t offer any surprises. It’s a design style that many of us love, but we are used to seeing at different price levels. As a result, this Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary has to stand out through overall quality and watchmaking prowess.

And I am glad to say that it does. This new anniversary model feels like a proper luxury watch, a big step up from the usual skin divers we know and love. That is what you would expect from a watch with a CHF 13,800 price tag. On top of that, the watch tells a great story of Blancpain’s rich history in dive watches. And if this new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary is just the beginning, we are in for a treat when it comes to the celebratory Bathyscaphe models. I can’t wait to find out what Blancpain has planned next!