When talking divers’ watches the Fifty Fathoms usually ranks up quite prominent in the discussion, probably right after the Submariner. And deservedly so, as the launch of Blancpain’s icon in 1953 marked the start of the modern divers’ watch. While the model was successful and adopted by many professional (military) divers, the quartz crisis caused Blancpain to cease production in the early 1980’s, only to be reintroduced in 2003 when Blancpain was successful again in the hands of the Swatch Group.
So 2023 marks two important anniversaries: the 70th birthday of the historical Fifty Fathoms and 20 years of the modern interpretation that we know today. Time to dive into this versatile watch from an illustrious brand. Today we highlight a recent model, the Bathyscape Quantieme Complet.
Launched in 2022, the Quantieme Complet is a great example of the versatility of the model. The Bathyscape is historically the smaller, more contemporary and less “toolish” line of the Fifty Fathoms. Probably less attractive for diver purists, but more diverse in variation and complication. Over the years Blancpain has also used the Bathyscape line to introduce different materials and colours, and the Quantieme Complet is a good example.
