By TLex During the past 60 years the world’s oceans’ have seen a dramatic decline. Oil pollution, toxic contaminants, marine debris, and ocean mining and dumping are all contributing to the ailing health of our oceans. We have seen a depletion of fish stocks to unacceptable levels from overfishing and each year a hundred million sharks are slaughtered for the finning industry.
Blancpain, a watch company whose history is steeped in ocean exploration clearly recognize the need to do their part in bringing awareness to the state of the oceans and towards protecting them. At the very least so that their timepieces may continue to fulfill their true roles as diving instruments! In light of this they are now a mission partner of the National Geographic and proud supporters of the Pristine Seas Expeditions.
Through their diving watches, in particular the Fifty Fathoms family, underwater photography exhibitions (robbery), and the Edition Fifty Fathoms, a collection of books published by Blancpain featuring amazing works from some of the best underwater photographers in the world, they serve their mission to conserve the oceans. Their three mission objectives are; to raise awareness, transmit their passion, and to respect and help protect the oceans.
It wouldn’t quite be fair to say that Blancpain have simply jumped on the ocean-eco bandwagon along with contemporaries such as IWC, who work with the Galapagos based Charles Darwin Foundation or even Jaeger-LeCoultre, who have signed a long-term 'Tides of Time' partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre as they have played an important role in the underwater realm since the 1950’s, when modern diving equipment was first invented.
In 1953 they created the Fifty Fathoms, the first modern diving watch with the ability to safely display elapsed and remaining dive time through an indicator on its rotational bezel; a technical achievement that completed the diver’s safety equipment and greatly facilitated diving as both a military activity and later on as a recreational sport.
Blancpain's creation of the Fifty Fathoms in many ways contributed to the discovery of the oceans and our knowledge of them. Today they continue to innovate in this field, creating exceptional diving watches and unprecedented concept-watches such as the new X-Fathoms.
Their approach has always been to aid as many people as possible to learn about and become familiar with the oceans. They believe that people can only respect and protect what they love, and can only love what they know and understand.
