Swiss watchmaking is full of intriguing stories and fascinating characters, and those told over the centuries are well worth listening to. As such, the lack of documentaries telling the history of watchmaking has always been a source of frustration for those who want to learn the facts. Existing videos either lean too much towards marketing rather than factual reporting, or are inaccessible to the average watch enthusiast.
It was against this backdrop that a documentary film about modern diver's watches had its world premiere in 2019. Written and directed by Jeffrey Kingston in collaboration with Blancpain, the film is titled "Fifty Fathoms: The History as told by the pioneers who created it." It tells the various stories behind the origins of the Fifty Fathoms, the world's first timepiece that saved the lives of many divers. Let's take a look at how the film came to be.
Text by Logan R. Baker
The idea for the film was conceived by former Blancpain CEO Jean-Jacques Pfister
Discussions about making a film within Blancpain began in 2017. The decision on the content came about when former Blancpain CEO Jean-Jacques Pfister approached Jeffrey Kingston, a known Blancpain historian who had close ties to Blancpain.
"When they proposed the idea, I thought about it for a bit and suggested it should be a factual documentary," Kingston says. "I sat down with current CEO Marc A. Hayek and explained my idea."
The film reiterates the kind of material boutique managers would likely have to tell, and even for those familiar with the Fifty Fathoms, it's not a time-waster. Kingston actually draws on the stories of those who have worn the Fifty Fathoms. The first half of the film features numerous interviews with both Pfister, who developed the Fifty Fathoms, and French Navy diver Captain Bob Maloubier, who was involved in its development. (Maloubier, who passed away in 2015 at age 91, is filmed at a boutique event in Paris circa 2012.)
The film is divided into two parts: the first focuses on the watch's origins and early growth, while the second narrates the Fifty Fathoms's resurgence under the Swatch Group in the 21st century. While the components of a diving watch are now well-established, in the early days of scuba diving in the 1950s, there were no regulations or guidelines. Pfister, CEO of Blancpain and an early advocate of underwater activities, once lost track of time while diving off the coast of France, ran out of oxygen, and was forced to surface rapidly without making a decompression stop, putting himself at risk of bends.
The Fifty Fathoms was inspired by Jean-Jacques Pfister's own diving experiences
From this experience, Pfister realized that in addition to a mask, fins, and oxygen tank, divers needed a timekeeping device that would allow them to check their dive time at a glance. Pfister began researching waterproof watches, which would later become the predecessor to the Fifty Fathoms, and developed a double-sealed crown with a double O-ring to ensure the watch's water resistance. He also developed and patented a rotating bezel with a locking function to prevent accidental operation. At the time, it was considered impossible to operate a chronograph underwater. This enabled divers to measure the elapsed time underwater.
While the Fifty Fathoms was in development, Maloubier, a French intelligence officer serving with the Special Operations Executive (also known as Churchill's Ungentlemanly Warfare Department), needed a waterproof watch for his men to carry out their underwater espionage activities effectively. A number of watches were tested, with disappointing results. (Maloubier humorously recalls one of his subordinates reporting, "Commander, commander, my watch isn't waterproof. There are baby grouper fish in it!") Spirotechnique (later Aqua-Lung), a manufacturer of diving equipment, introduced Maloubier to Pfister and Blancpain.
