Taking on a harsh environment
Extreme watches are required to perform their mission of keeping time even in environments that make it difficult for the wearer to function, such as the unimaginable water pressures experienced at great depths and temperatures far below freezing. This time, we have selected and re-edited some of these extraordinary watches with cutting-edge specifications from articles in the German edition of Kronos to present to you. In addition to introducing extreme watches, this feature also looks at sponsorship activities for adventurers who venture into environments where these incredible specifications are actually required, as well as the efforts of brands to preserve the "mother nature" that serves as the stage for adventurers' challenges.
Translation by Yoshie Okamoto
Exploring the origins of extreme watches
The birth of the diver's watch
In 1953, Blancpain invented the first diving watch with a rotating bezel that displayed dive time. Named the Fifty Fathoms, this watch remains highly sought after today.
The Fifty Fathoms is one of Blancpain's most popular models today. Historically, it holds significant significance as the world's first diver's watch with a rotating bezel equipped with a locking mechanism to prevent accidental movement underwater. The rotating bezel allows divers to easily check the elapsed time underwater. Before beginning a dive, divers simply align the minute hand with the luminous square dot on the rotating bezel, allowing them to see how long they have already been underwater.
Along with the Rolex Submariner, released in 1954, the Fifty Fathoms laid the foundations for diver's watches. While the Submariner's rotating bezel rotated in both directions and had no safety mechanism, Blancpain's bezel was designed to only turn when pressed. By incorporating a locking mechanism to prevent accidental movement, Blancpain was one step ahead of its time.
The Fifty Fathoms was born out of the French Navy's demands and the passion of Jean-Jacques Pfister, Blancpain's CEO at the time. In 52, Captain Robert "Bob" Maloubier established the French Navy's special diving unit. Only men capable of dexterity, perseverance, high performance, and rigorous training were allowed to join this elite unit. Naturally, their equipment could not be inferior to their capabilities. The men needed a robust and durable watch that would withstand the rigors of underwater missions. Captain Maloubier sought a manufacturer capable of creating a watch that could meet his demanding requirements. His demands were so challenging that many watchmakers gave up midway. One watchmaker in Besançon, France, even declared that the watch Maloubier wanted had "no future."
And so Captain Maloubier encountered Blancpain. He had finally found the right address. Jean-Jacques Pfister, who served as Blancpain's CEO from 1950 to 80, was an avid diving enthusiast and a man full of a spirit of challenge. Captain Maloubier later recalled, "In the end, it was Blancpain, then still a small watchmaking workshop, that agreed to our project. The watch featured a black dial, large, bold numerals, and clear indices made up of triangles, circles, and squares, as well as a rotating ring that mirrored the indices on the dial. We wanted to be able to read the dive time by adjusting the bezel with the large minute hand before diving. We also wanted all display elements to be luminous."
Blancpain created a watch that met all of Captain Maloubier's requirements. The black dial featured high-contrast numerals and bar indices that glowed brightly in the dark. The knurled, easy-to-use bezel also featured a black ring with luminous numerals and indices. The first model from 53 already bore the typical characteristics of the Fifty Fathoms collection that would later grow.
50 Fathoms
The original Fifty Fathoms' round case, measuring 42 mm in diameter—large for a time when smaller watches were more popular—featured simple, robust lugs. Designed for diving, the watch was named "Fifty Fathoms" for its water resistance to a depth of 50 fathoms (approximately 91.5 meters). A fathom is a British unit of length equivalent to approximately 1.83 meters. This high level of water resistance was achieved through a screw-down case back and a newly developed, double-packed crown system. Screw-down crowns were not available at the time because they were patented by Rolex. To reduce stress on the O-ring and reduce the frequency of crown pulls, the Fifty Fathoms was equipped with an automatic movement. This movement was protected from magnetic fields by a soft-iron inner case. Blancpain patented the aforementioned fixed rotating bezel technology, which meant that other watchmakers had to come up with their own proprietary solutions to the problem.
The Fifty Fathoms proved to be highly reliable and robust for the French Navy's commando submarines, and other countries' navies, including Israel, Spain, the United States, and the former West Germany, began using Blancpain watches as part of their equipment.
The Fifty Fathoms gained instant fame when it accompanied ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and director Louis Malle in the making of the film "The Silent World," which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1957. Outside of the military, Blancpain watches also came to be considered important instruments and were sold in diving equipment specialists, where many Blancpain models were sold under the brand name "Aqualung."
The Fifty Fathoms' appearance underwent various changes until the mid-70s, including models with tonneau cases, line indexes, and pointed hands.
After a hiatus due to the rise and popularity of quartz watches in the 70s, the Fifty Fathoms reappeared in 97. The resurrected Fifty Fathoms featured a metal bezel with embossed numerals and indices. In 2007, the current family of models was released, serving as the prototype for a new era of Fifty Fathoms watches. The unidirectional rotating bezel's face plate is covered by a domed sapphire crystal, with the scale printed from below. Blancpain thus recreated a look similar to the original model's Bakelite scale. Meanwhile, the movement components were significantly more robust, and the watch was water-resistant to 300m.
Movement with a power reserve of approximately 5 days
Following the debut of the hand-wound caliber 13R0 in 2006, the new Fifty Fathoms introduced its second in-house movement, the caliber 1315, based on the original. Designed as a robust automatic movement for sports watches, its three barrels connected in series provide a power reserve of approximately 120 hours. The rate adjustment mechanism has been changed from a regulator to a free-sprung mechanism, making it extremely resistant to shocks. In keeping with Fifty Fathoms tradition, the caliber 1315 is protected from magnetic fields by a soft-iron inner case.
Starting with a three-hand model, Blancpain gradually developed the Fifty Fathoms into the diverse collection it is today by adding various complications. The first addition was the flyback chronograph, which allowed for a new start without stopping and resetting the timepiece. A specially gasketed pusher allowed the chronograph to be operated underwater. Even more remarkable was the Fifty Fathoms Tourbillon 8 Days, powered by the Caliber 25A, which combined a tourbillon with a power reserve of approximately eight days. Other features include a complete calendar with moon phase, a flyback chronograph with complete calendar, and the annual calendar, introduced for the first time in 2018, a rare feature in the diver's watch category. Other models in the lineup include a large date display, a day of the week display, and a second time zone display.
Among these, the "X Fathoms," released in 11, is arguably the most sensational model. The mechanical depth gauge added here is a complication, but it is practical for divers. The 90m-scale depth gauge, marked with an orange scale, indicates the current depth with an orange hand, while the red hour hand indicates the maximum depth reached. Furthermore, the 15m-scale depth gauge, marked with a blue and orange scale around the outer edge of the hour markers, measures depths up to 15m with a high accuracy of ±30cm.
A retrograde counter located between 10 and 11 o'clock allows you to time decompression and safety stops. Pressing the pusher at 10 o'clock starts the measurement. With a helium escape valve for saturation diving, water resistance to 300m, and a titanium case that is resistant to seawater, the X Fathoms is designed to handle any diving situation imaginable. The creator of this watch is current President and CEO Marc A. Hayek, who, like the CEO at the time of the Fifty Fathoms' founding, is a diving enthusiast.
Taking on even greater depths is the 500 Fathoms, water-resistant to 1000 meters. The 500 Fathoms GMT, with its second time zone, is perfect for vacations. The Fifty Fathoms collection also includes models with simpler mechanisms, such as large date and day displays. Blancpain also continually reissues special models from its history. One example is the Ref. 5008-1130-B52A, released in 17. This model pays homage to the original 1957 military specification, "Mil-Spec 1," delivered to the U.S. Navy. The Mil-Spec 1 featured a watertightness indicator, a disc at 6 o'clock that turned red when liquid entered the case. This feature is, of course, also present in the homage model.
A rich collection that reflects the times
Blancpain has also reissued another popular model: the Fifty Fathoms "Bund No Radiation" homage, which, like the original, features a crossed-out radiation symbol at 6 o'clock on the dial, a symbol that, at the time, indicated that radioactive radium was not used in the luminous material.
The Fifty Fathoms collection offers a wide variety of colors and materials. Including straps and bracelets, there are 73 different Fifty Fathoms models currently listed on the Blancpain website. In addition to the traditional black dial, there are also gray and blue dials, and women's models with bright mother-of-pearl and white dials are available. Cases are available in stainless steel, titanium, gold, and ceramic, and come in a wide range of colors, including black, gray, and blue. Blancpain is involved in ocean conservation efforts in collaboration with the Blancpain Ocean Commitment and has provided the organization with numerous limited edition models, most of which feature a blue theme.
An example of a design extension is the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, which was released as a sports activity model. It lacks the domed Plexiglas bezel of the original Fifty Fathoms, and is based on the 1956 model of the same name. The reissue model features a flat rotating bezel made of ceramic, and the numeral font and hands are also different from the regular Fifty Fathoms. It piques our interest to see what other models will emerge from the Fifty Fathoms collection in the future.
