Blancpain X Swatch, an innovative collaboration to mark the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms
Blancpain is collaborating with Swatch to create a playful and unexpected version of its iconic Fifty Fathoms scuba diving watch. Five Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms models celebrate the oceans that Blancpain is so deeply committed to preserving and safeguarding.
Blancpain and Swatch are teaming up for a non-limited collection of five models full of joie de vivre, colour and technology. Together, the two Swatch Group brands are diving into the five oceans of the blue planet, combining the best of both brands with innovative, bioceramic, water-resistant timepieces and a mechanical movement with a 90-hour power reserve.
The two brands have joined forces to create a collection of five watches called the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection. Each model celebrates one of the five oceans, the conservation of which is so dear to Blancpain's heart. The obvious choice for this project was the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, a watch born exactly 70 years ago and that revolutionised watchmaking by becoming the first true diver's watch.
These five Blancpain X Swatch models are made from bioceramic, a unique and patented blend of two-thirds ceramic and one-third biomaterials derived from castor oil. While the colours chosen for this collaboration clearly indicate that this is not a traditional Blancpain watch, all fans and enthusiasts will recognise at first glance many of the features and characteristics of the iconic Fifty Fathoms, as well as nods to the Swatch Scuba collection.
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A new ocean is joining the five watches and five oceans in the Blancpain X Swatch collaboration.
Even though planet Earth only has five, Swatch is welcoming OCEAN OF STORMS into its Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection that celebrates Blancpain’s iconic Fifty Fathoms, a watch that revolutionized watchmaking by becoming the first true diver’s watch more than seventy years ago. Known by the Latin name Oceanus Procellarum, this is actually a lunar mare located on the western edge of the near side of the moon. Meaning Ocean of Storms, it is the biggest mare or "sea" on the moon, spanning more than 2,500 kilometers from north to south and covering around 2 million square kilometers. The new Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms OCEAN OF STORMS, however, is nowhere near that big. In fact, it has exactly the same dimensions and features as ARCTIC OCEAN, PACIFIC OCEAN, ATLANTIC OCEAN, INDIAN OCEAN and ANTARCTIC OCEAN.
OCEAN OF STORMS has been given its own nudibranch (scientific name: Nudibranchia), Okenia Luna. It is featured in a digital print on the movement’s rotor, the part that allows the watch to recharge automatically with a simple movement of the wrist. The full moon zoomed in on the Ocean of Storms is also digitally imprinted on the oscillating weight.
SISTEM51
The watches in the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection are equipped with Swatch’s mechanical movement SISTEM51. Launched in 2013, Swatch SISTEM51 is the first and only mechanical movement whose production is entirely automated. This Swiss-made mechanism features just 51 parts including only one central screw, has a 90-hour autonomy and is fully anti-magnetic thanks to its hairspring made with Nivachron™, ensuring high precision.
In true Swatch fashion, every SISTEM51 movement is visible thanks to a transparent display back. All five watches in the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection feature an illustration of one of the five magnificent, colorful nudibranchs found in each of the five oceans. The animals are featured in a digital print on the movement’s rotor which allows the watch to recharge automatically with a simple movement of the wrist.
Fifty Fathoms
5015 12B30 NABA
Fifty Fathoms
Seventy years ago, an icon was born: the Fifty Fathoms. The watch that would revolutionise watchmaking by becoming the first true diver's watch was the brainchild of a passionate scuba diver, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, then co-CEO of Blancpain. A pioneer in a discipline that was still in its infancy, he understood the need to track time underwater. The tool he designed to meet his own needs immediately won unanimous approval among military and civilian divers, so much so that it became their infallible ally. By enhancing diving safety, the Fifty Fathoms contributed to the development of this sport and encouraged the discovery of the world of the oceans.
It enabled Blancpain to forge close ties with the ocean community – ties that have been strengthened over the past 70 years – and has become the catalyst for the Manufacture's commitment to ocean conservation. The year 2023, which marks the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms, also resonates as a reboot of its birth through the arrival of several innovative anniversary diving watches, launched throughout the anniversary year. Like this unique collaboration with Swatch.