Black, meteor grey, blue and now green; Blancpain’s flagship retro diving chrono, the Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback is the latest member of the Fifty Fathoms family to go green.
You may or may not remember (how could you forget such a beauty) the Bathsycaphe MOKARRAN Limited Edition watch with its stunning green dial which was in a limited series of just 50 pieces as a tribute to a hammerhead shark study in Polynesia.
Once again Blancpain have looked to the natural aquatic world for inspiration for this new green model; scroll down to see what I’m talking about - that water looks good enough to drink (don’t though) and is that SCUBA diver about to scale a tree?!
Gorgeous green aside; like any FF, the watch owes all its charm and charisma as well as its performance and levels of robustness, as well as its unique style (which has evolved over the decades) to models of the past.
But good as the Bathyscaphe is, what Blancpain are really trying to showcase with this new release is the stunning new dial which has been paired with a cutting-edge ceramic bezel inlay in matching green.
Apparently (say Blancpain with their considerable expertise in dial-making), dozens of steps are required to achieve the perfect color and finish, not to mention the considerable research and development involved in finding the ideal shade.
Once the initial phases devoted to the shape and apertures have been completed, the dial is polished in two stages: the first to remove scratches; and the second to get its soft and smooth appearance.
This is followed by a series of processes designed to give the surface a special texture, including a sunburst effect that gives the dial its dazzling pattern of lines radiating out from its center.
The chronograph counters are then hollowed out and snailed to create greater overall depth. The highly technical coloring process can now begin. The dial is coated with several nanometric layers of material.
Transformed by the surface, rays of light reflect the desired hue. The dial of the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback can then reveal its subtle shades of green which change according to the angle of illumination, sometimes taking on metallic shades.
While the colors, surfaces and textures surely do the watch justice, so does the Manufacture F385 caliber that powers it. The F385 can be seen through a Sapphire crystal exhibition case-back.
The self-winding chronograph movement beats at a frequency of 5 Hz, allowing each second to be divided into 1/10th intervals.
This high frequency guarantees increased accuracy, particularly when timing events. The F385 movement is equipped with a vertical clutch and a chronograph mechanism controlled by a column-wheel.
It has a flyback function that enables the chronograph to be reset to zero and restarted instantaneously by simply pressing the push-piece located at 4 o'clock.
The new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronograph Flyback comes in a 43.6mm satin-brushed black ceramic case topped by a rotating bezel featuring a green ceramic insert. It comes presented on a choice of a green NATO or canvas sail strap.
Thoughts? To be fair until I read it, I wasn’t really aware just how fastidiously made the dial was. I’m a huge fan of this green. How about you?
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