Blancpain invented the dive watch with the original Fifty Fathoms, introduced in 1953 with a 42mm steel case.
Since then, Blancpain has resolutely kept its iconic dive watch in the 44mm to 42mm range, only recently straying into 40mm territory. But the winds of change blow steadily like the Trade Winds, and watch cases are invariably getting smaller.
Blancpain finally bent to the will of the people, downsizing the Fifty Fathoms to a 38mm case, but there’s a catch.
The most wearable Fifty Fathoms yet is luxuriously appointed (re: expensive) and, from a marketing position at least, meant for women. This is suggested in the pink and white reference for a titanium case and spelled out in the marketing copy.
But I assure you that the black and 18-karat rose gold reference with a mother-of-pearl dial and choice of three black dive-friendly straps is perfectly suited for any gentleman’s wrist.
Going for almost double the cost of the new 42mm steel model released earlier this year, which I touted as the most affordable modern Fifty Fathoms at $15,500, makes this a bittersweet, almost mocking offering for narrow-wristed gentlemen, like myself.
