It’s been more than a decade since Blancpain did a No Rad reedition. The 2010 FF No Rad tribute watch was perhaps more of spiritual successor to those watches that it was inspired by hailing from the 60s whereas this little beauty, which is still a reinterpretation of that icon has been more faithfully reproduced – it is perhaps the watch that the purists have really been waiting for.
This is the new Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad, a Limited Edition watch that recaptures the look and feel of that iconic model from the 1960s, reinterpreting one of Blancpain’s most emblematic historical diver’s watches, the Fifty Fathoms "no radiations".
The No Radiations diver’s watch, of which one famous version was put into service by West Germany’s Navy Combat Swimmers, had the unique characteristic feature of being stamped with a "no radiations" logo indicating that Blancpain was not using harmful luminescent materials composed of radium.
This distinctive symbol on the watch dial has become a much sort after, exotic rarity in the collectors’ market; the watch and its variants are now among the most iconic Fifty Fathoms models, which the new a 500-piece Limited Series, Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad pays homage to.
The Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad watch recalls the historical model that inspired it. Its matt deep black dial is punctuated by geometrical hour-markers, combining traditional round dots as well as rectangles and a diamond-shaped mark at 12 o'clock.
Meanwhile the chapter ring, the hands and the time scale on the bezel all feature old radium-colored SuperLumiNova recalling the beige-orange tones of vintage indicators that would have aged in this manner over time.
You can’t fail to miss the date aperture with its white frame at 3 o’clock, just like the one seen on one of the 1960s models. However (personally) I feel that they (Blancpain that is) could have omitted this historical feature.
An historical feature that of course had to be retained, one that this watch is all about is the yellow and red "no radiations" logo which dominants the dial, adding a sense of WTF is that hideous eyesore to the uninitiated and sense of awe and wonder to the rest of us sad bastards in the know.
The unidirectional rotational diver’s bezel, features a graduation typical of the early Fifty Fathoms models, and is fitted with a Sapphire inlay, a feature found on models from within the modern collection.
Its cambered profile contributes to the depth effect of the watch dial, enhanced by the use of an old school box-type glass, only in sapphire crystal rather than the acrylic ones used in the 60s.
Water-resistant to 300 meters, the watch’s Stainless steel case measures 40.3 mm in diameter, a size that is exclusive to Limited Edition Fifty Fathoms.
It houses a Blancpain Caliber 1151, self-winding movement equipped with an Si (silicon) balance spring and boasting four-days of autonomy.
Its dual barrels are wound by means of a rotor with a cartouche-shaped aperture, a nod to some of the historic diver’s in the collection, including the OG Fifty Fathoms.
This now atypical detail was formerly used to increase the suppleness of the oscillating weight in order to safeguard the movement in the event of impacts.
The watch comes with a Tropic-style rubber strap, of the type that was popular with divers back in the day owing to its durability and wearer comfort.
The Limited Series FF has become a cult instrument from Blancpain’s past when they supplied the navies of numerous armed forces around the World.
For example in 1953, French Combat Swimmers were the first to use the Fifty Fathoms for their underwater missions.
Others were to follow, including the German military, which in the mid-1960s acquired the Fifty Fathoms RPG 1 model, now better known as "BUND No Rad".
This name refers to the term "Bundeswehr" (armed forces), engraved on the back of the watches that equipped the "Kampfschwimmer", the elite German frogman commando unit, until the 1970s.
The distinguishing attribute of the RPG 1 model was the "no radiations" logo, featured for the first time on the dial of a Fifty Fathoms.
In the early 1960s, radium– a radioactive element used in watchmaking for its luminescent properties – was declared harmful to health.
To reassure professional divers, as well as experienced amateurs who purchased their Fifty Fathoms watches from specialist equipment providers, Blancpain decided to clearly indicate that its timepieces were radium-free thus harmless.
The special symbol consisting of three red segments on a yellow background with a black cross was accompanied by the words "no radiations" designed to ensure that the message was easily understood.
The same logo subsequently appeared on the Fifty Fathoms RPGA 1 model, a calendar-based variant of the "BUND No Rad", for which it would remain the main criterion.
Thoughts? Who cares if one of the OG models had a massive framed date aperture – this watch just doesn’t need one as it already as that big f#@k off No Rad logo – which should be allowed shine all on its own. What do you think – am I just a heathen?
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