23 Blancpain Very Rare and Well Preserved, Fifty-Fathoms Milspec I, Automatic Wristwatch in Steel, With Black Glossy Dial and Humidity Indicator

Estimate: €6,000 –⁠ 12,000

Model: Fifty-Fathoms Milspec I
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Bracelet Material: Rubber
Year: 1964
Movement: Automatic
Caliber: 1700/01
Case N°: 100 363
Dimensions: 36 mm
Signed: Dial, Movement and Case

Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms was launched in 1953 and has since defined the specifications and qualities of the modern diving watch. Made upon the request of the French Navy, Captain Robert Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud provided technical specifications for a watch designed for combat divers. The design revolutionized the unidirectional bezel, which ensured divers could not inadvertently turn the bezel backwards thus threatening their air supply. The watch combined cutting edge features such as an anti-magnetic and water-resistant case, a screw down caseback, a “double O-ring crown system”, an automatic movement and a rotating bezel. Extremely robust and reliable, it was truly designed by military professionals, and was soon selected by other militaries around the world for their diving units, including the U.S. Navy. Blancpain added their own critical feature, a humidity indicator which showed blue if the air in the case was dry. If water penetrated the case, the indicator would turn pink as a warning to the diver. While initially developed for the military (destined for militaries in the United States, France, Israel, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and others), these watches found their way onto civilian divers and hobbyists too, often sold through those specialized dive shops or retailers. Fifty Fathoms was named after the British measurement of 50 fathoms, or approximately 91.45 meters, considered the maximum depth which a diver could achieve with the oxygen mixture available at the time. Presented today in excellent condition with a superb glossy black dial, this watch is a rare opportunity to own a truly historic icon.