{"id":26045,"date":"2021-03-22T06:31:38","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T06:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horbiter.com\/blancpain-fifty-fathoms-bathyscaphe-gray-plasma\/"},"modified":"2023-10-25T06:37:44","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T04:37:44","slug":"blancpain-fifty-fathoms-bathyscaphe-gray-plasma-baselworld-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horbiter.com\/en\/blancpain-fifty-fathoms-bathyscaphe-gray-plasma-baselworld-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Gray Plasma watch hands-on"},"content":{"rendered":"

The origins of diving.<\/h2>\n

It took me a while to understand the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe<\/strong>, both the timepiece itself and Blancpain<\/strong>\u2019s choice to insert the modern re-edition of this watch in their Fifty<\/strong> Fathoms<\/strong> collection.<\/p>\n

\"BlancpainThe classic<\/strong> Blancpain Fifty Fathoms<\/strong><\/span><\/a> with its sapphire-made bezel was originally crafted as a professional diver\u2019s watch in the 50s when exploring the depth of oceans and seas had reached its peak of interest. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe<\/strong>, on the other hand, was the bourgeois commercial alternative to a real professional tool that was conceived for a\u00a0military use too (Jean-Jacques Fiecther<\/strong>, the CEO<\/strong> of Blancpain<\/strong>, was a professional diver back in those days).\u00a0We are in an era before the first Sea<\/strong>\u2013Dweller<\/strong><\/span><\/a> was officially launched (1967<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

The first Bathyscaphe used a Perlon strap.<\/h2>\n

The original\u00a0Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe<\/strong> used a strap made of woven fabric that was very similar to what we call today an aftermarket \u201cPerlon strap<\/em>\u201d and it sported an oversize buckle while the first Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe<\/strong> that was released in 2013<\/strong> featured a NATO<\/strong>\u00a0strap that reminded us of the original one.<\/p>\n

\"BlancpainThe 2013 Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe<\/strong> made it to the Blancpain<\/strong> catalogue on a different pace than its original counterpart because today, the brand would need to add in my opinion something\u00a0to what is probably the most classic and authentic diver\u2019s watch ever crafted in history, something that could attract the interest of a different Fifty Fathmos<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u2019s fan, who is currently looking for a modern take of the diver\u2019s watch, equipped for example with a ceramic bezel.<\/p>\n

The style of a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe<\/strong> is, without a doubt, the most linear, no-frills and most simple style that a premium diver\u2019s watch has to offer, it is the quintessence of simplicity.<\/p>\n

\"BlancpainBlancpain<\/strong> have also simplified the original timepiece by faithfully copying the shape of the case and of the bezel and by replacing the baton-like indexes with round indexes on the dial. The date has been moved to 4 o\u2019clock, a visual choice that enhances even further the perception of lightness and order if compared to the date\u2019s original location at 3 o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n

\"BlancpainWhat could not be achieved through style, was nevertheless achieved through the use of colour. In conjunction with\u00a0the Ocean<\/strong> Commitment<\/strong> project, Blancpain<\/strong> have launched, last year, a limited-edition Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe\u00a0Chrono<\/strong>\u00a0(you can discover the standard version by taking a look at the photos we took during the Lamborghini Super Trofeo<\/strong><\/span><\/a>) that has caught everybody by surprise for its beautiful blue<\/strong> dial<\/strong> and a Liquidmetal-made bezel<\/strong> that are coupled with the gray colour<\/strong> of plasma-treated ceramic<\/strong>. Two years ago, the very same features have been applied to the three-hands Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Gray Plasma<\/strong>\u00a0also.<\/p>\n

About Plasma Ceramic.<\/h2>\n

The plasma\u00a0ceramic of the case (the brand has perhaps drawn technical inspiration by their sister company Rado<\/span><\/a><\/strong>) of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Gray Plasma<\/strong> features a brushed gray colour<\/strong> (the brushing treatment involves the use of a diamond tool) that makes this material resemble a titanium<\/strong> alloy<\/strong> and gives it a surface hardness of 1,800 Vickers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"BlancpainCoupling this\u00a0case with a blue dial<\/strong> and Liquidmetal<\/strong> bezel<\/strong> is the cherry on the cake.<\/p>\n

The Liquidmetal technology.<\/h2>\n

The Liquidmetal technology applied to watch-making (it debuted on the\u00a0Omega Planet Ocean<\/a>) features a characteristic that makes it different to all the other technologies used to craft ceramic-made bezels for diver\u2019s watches and I am always eager to remind my reader what this is all about; the scale and the numbers are not engraved within the ceramic<\/strong> material but it looks as if they were actually floating inside the bezel.<\/p>\n

Besides, if the light hits the dial from different angles, the blue colour of the bezel emanates different hues ranging from a blurred blue to a bright one. Apart from the scratch resistance and durability, two characteristics that you learn to appreciate with the passing of time, this is actually the feature\u00a0that makes this timepiece quite unique and cool.<\/p>\n

\"BlancpainWhen the timepiece is hit by a feeble<\/strong> ray<\/strong> of light<\/strong>, you can\u2019t almost distinguish between the bezel and the dial, but when you look at this watch under direct light<\/strong>, the bezel\u2019s colour is suddently transformed into a bright<\/strong> blue<\/strong> hue that completely clashes with the almost blurred deep blue colour<\/strong> of the dial and viceversa.<\/p>\n

In the second case scenario, you could spot three<\/strong> different<\/strong> hues<\/strong>, ranging from the gray colour of the case to the blue colour of the dial, an extraordinary sensation that I first experienced a few years ago when I first saw a Planet Ocean Chrono<\/strong> made of titanium<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"BlancpainThe caliber of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Gray Plasma<\/strong> is the 1315<\/strong> caliber<\/strong> whose balance-spring was later updated with a silicon-made<\/strong> balance spring that debuted first on the professional diver\u2019s X-Fathoms<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is an extremely refined movement that perfectly shows Blancpain<\/strong>\u2019s ability to minimize the size of components and complications and integrate them at the same time by providing their timepieces with out of the ordinary performances like the 5-day-power reserve<\/strong> obtained through the use of three barrels in series<\/strong>. The retail price of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Gray Plasma<\/strong> falls slightly below the 13,000<\/strong> US dollars threshold.<\/p>\n

\"BlancpainIt is quite an important retail price for a three-hands Bathyscaphe<\/strong>, a type of watch whose technical features, style and colour I have never had any doubt about but that I couldn\u2019t quite grasp from a quality point of view. As I wrote to one of my readers a few days ago in reply to a comment, the retail price of a timepiece is linked to its exclusivity and when you buy a Blancpain<\/strong>, be sure you are purchasing a very\u00a0exclusive timepiece.<\/p>\n

It is an extremely rewarding sporty watch with no \u201cifs\u201d or \u201cbuts\u201d and I am sure that it will maintain this look for quite a long time. This is definitely not a secondary aspect and only a selected bunch of people will decide to opt for this timepiece.<\/p>\n

The only flaw is that that retail price overlaps a\u00a0Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chrono<\/strong>\u00a0and this consideration, together with\u00a0the fact that two of the technologies used by this timepiece have been borrowed, I guess, from other brands\u00a0belonging to the same group, I would have personally kept the retail price under the psychological 10<\/strong>,000<\/strong>-US-dollar-threshold.<\/p>\n