|
Magnus (Moderator)
|
Thursday 05 July 2007 6:25:32 pm
BASEL NEWS 2007: As promised: pictorial presentation of the new 50 Fathom series!
Dear All:
firstly, I could not be present at this year's Basel Watch Show, but what I realised from the distance is that the new Blancpain 50 Fathoms series made a great impression on the watch collecting community.
Sadly, so far it was barely covered in the novelties' presentations online, a fact that needs to be corrected - this is what I am going to do right now!
The original Blancpain 50 Fathoms already was considered a broundbreaking divers watch coveted and used as original piece of equipment by numerous scuba diving equipes, and also by the military:
A most distinct feature was the curved bezel. 50 years later, when in 2003 the Blancpain Anniversary 50 Fathoms was anounced, the watch aficionados marvelled about the translation of this feature into modern production terms: a curved bezel and a crystal reminiscent of the old acrylic ones, both crafted in Sapphire adorned this limited edition watch:
Fast forward: Blancpain presented this year a totally new 50 Fathoms collection, a complete collection with an Automatic, a Chronograph Flyback and a Tourbillon watch, new but still deeply rooted in the paths its ancestors layed:
Grown to a manly 45 mm, this watches feature the same water-resistance to 300 metres. The same oversized hour-markers and hands ensuring optimal readability. The same black dial, the same novel hands, indices and bezel colour, against which the luminescent indications make a striking contrast.
The rotating bezel remains a key element of the watch, with its notched profile facilitating handling and its unidirectional rotating system that avoids any inadvertent extension of the dive times. Crafted from scratch-resistant sapphire, one of the hardest materials in the world, and featuring a slightly cambered raised effect that reduces its vulnerability to shocks:
The case, as mentioned, is 45mm in diameter and sports a water tightness of up to 300m. As it befits a true robust divers watch, it is designed to provide utmost resistance to environmental influences, with a solid case back, and the crown is protected by a screw-down mechanism with its sensually sculptured shoulders right and left from the crown:
The new 50 Fathoms collection sports also a novel tang buckle, simplyfied to the max, I might say, perpetuating the motif of the newly shaped indices:
Now, several people already complained about the size. on the contrary, I think it is a perfect reflection of what the 50 Fathoms always was: A tool, designed to deliver under extreme conditions. Always reflecting the contemporary technical savoir-faire, the 50 Fathoms always was a large watch: even the vintage ones can be found in 41mm cases - at a time when 36mm was considered huge! Too big? you are the judge: here it is on my perfectly normal wrist:
Before I forget: the 50 Fathoms also houses a completely new, robust, long-power reserve automatic movement, the cal. 1315. This is derived from the Cal. 13R0 which debuted last year. But this again warrants a separate post I will write tomorrow - so check back!
Best,
Magnus
Technical Data Ref. 5015-1130-52:
Case: Stainless Steel - Diameter 45 mm - Thickness 15,50 mm - Water-resistance 300 m - Between horns 23,00 mm
Movement: Cal. 1315 - Diameter 30,6 mm - Thickness 5,65 mm - Power Reserve 120 h - Rubies 35 - Components 222 handfinished parts
Price: Ref. 5015-1130-52 (CHF 13.000.-). Also available in Red Gold (ref. 5015-3630-52, CHF 26.000.-)
|
