BLANCPAIN Fifty Fathoms TITANIUM

So, this is what 66 years of evolution looks like – at a glance not much has changed which is great but things aren’t’ what they seem, the FF has been given another significant update but was it for its betterment?



Blancpain’s iconic Fifty Fathoms has been released (for the first time on a regular FF) in Titanium, some 12 years after receiving its major 2007 update with a date window placement between 4 and 5 o'clock –

and since it was first launched all the way back in the middle of the last century. That gives us some perspective of how long this famous dive watch has actually been around, but also a reminder that it is not a design that aficionados will appreciate anyone messing with, either.



Blancpain’s famous diver’s family is actually no stranger to this high-tech material – Titanium was the metal of choice for the brand’s not so popular oversized dartboard-looking 500 Fathoms, their totally bonkers X Fathoms and more recently, the new FF GRANDE DATE.

Today, Blancpain is offering a new version of the regular Fifty Fathoms Automatic which now combines its ebony-black color for the first time with a new satin-brushed Titanium case. Six decades on, its main technical and aesthetic characteristics, revisited and complemented by a date in 2007, are now teamed with a new case material.



Known for its robustness as well as its high resistance to impacts and corrosion, Titanium also has a low density that makes it particularly light. This major advantage, which distinguishes it from steel, has enabled Blancpain to produce the new FF as a larger 45mm diameter model.

I’m not sure that’s really a good thing or at all necessary given the current and growing trend towards much smaller diameters, but there you have it. As with all FF the new case material is engraved on the underside of its lugs – in this instance its now says “TITANE” rather than “SETEL”.



Measuring 45mm in diameter and water-resistant to 300 meters, the new Fifty Fathoms Automatic in Titanium features a ratcheted unidirectional rotating bezel, fitted with a scratch-proof domed black Sapphire inlay.

For enhanced visibility in all circumstances, its markers, dial hour-markers and hands are made of SuperLumiNova, a coating that strikes an ideal contrast with the sunburst black dialof the watch.



The Sapphire crystal case-back affords a view of Blancpain's 1315 caliber, notably endowed with an optimal five-day power reserve enabled by the use of three series coupled barrels housing high-performance springs. Its silicon balance-spring protects it from the negative effects of magnetism without the need to isolate it behind a Faraday cage.

Ensuring this movement is every bit as beautiful as it is reliable, meticulous finishing performed in the purest watchmaking tradition combines straight-graining, beveling, circular-graining and circular satin-brushing techniques to enhance the exclusivity of this new Fifty Fathoms Automatic.



Thoughts? As a self-confessed Titanium fanboy; I’m much in favor of the new case material, but feel that 42mm would have been a much better choice even with the new Ti case. What do you think?