Blancpain is reissuing a timepiece from the 1960s. The Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad Limited Edition pays tribute to the original, which was delivered primarily to the combat swimmers of the German Navy. A special feature is the “no radiations” logo on the dial, which indicates the absence of radium. As a limited edition, Blancpain will only produce 500 pieces.
The very first Fifty Fathoms was created after French naval officers expressed their interest in a high-performance diving watch. In collaboration with Jean-Jacques Fiechter, an avid diver and General Manager of Blancpain back then, the specifications for the seaworthy watch were drawn up. The resulting product proved to be extremely successful and was even used by other naval forces, such as the German Bundeswehr. The combat divers of the Bundeswehr wore the Fifty Fathoms RPG 1, which is now known as the “BUND No Rad”.
Radioactive luminescent materials were used to make the indices and hands glow. Even then, however, these were known to be harmful. For this reason, Blancpain refrained from using radioactive materials for the civil market. To mark these models, the universal warning sign for radioactivity was placed crossed out on the dial. Later, watches for military use were also delivered without radioactive materials. Today, all these timepieces are among the most iconic Fifty Fathoms models and are coveted collector’s pieces.
The watch is housed in the classic Fifty Fathoms case made of stainless steel. It measures 40.3 mm in diameter – a size reserved for limited editions at Blancpain. The case also has a unidirectional rotating diver’s bezel. It has the scaling typical of earlier Fifty Fathoms models and is fitted with a sapphire inlay. In addition, the bezel is slightly domed, which, together with the box sapphire crystal, gives the dial a relief. Last but not least, the Fifty Fathoms No Rad is water resistant to 30 bar or 300 metres.
The watch is based on the historical model. Accordingly, it bears geometric indexes on the matt black dial. The diamond shape at 12 o’clock complements the round and rectangular markings. In addition, there is a date window with a white border at 3 o’clock. The white border is another reference to historical models from the 1960s. The main feature, however, remains the yellow and red “no radiations” logo that dominates the dial at 6 o’clock.
The hands and indexes as well as the scale on the bezel are coated with “old radium” Super-LumiNova. This luminous material, with its beige-orange hue, is intended to remind us of the patinated displays of aged dials. In the dark, the elements of the front glow in a rich green.
Blancpain equips the Fifty Fathoms No Rad with its in-house calibre 1151. This automatic movement has two barrels that together provide a power reserve of 4 days or 100 hours. Furthermore, the balance spring is silicon, which improves its resistance to magnetic fields. The oscillating weight has an opening in the form of a cartridge. This untypical shape is a reference to the very first Fifty Fathoms, which also bears this feature.
The watch comes on a “Tropic” rubber strap. This material is well-known among divers for its durability and wearing comfort. The Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad Limited Edition is released as a limited edition. Accordingly, only 500 pieces will be produced. The watch is priced at 13,070 euros.
