Introducing The Blancpain Ref. 5007 Fifty Fathoms, In 38MM

The first Blancpain Fifty Fathoms I can remember seeing and wanting was the 50th Anniversary model, which was launched in 2003 in a 40.3mm steel case, and with, for the first time, a sapphire bezel; I thought it was a spectacularly beautiful watch and like many first loves it set my tastes in stone for the Fifty Fathoms ever after. In subsequent years, the Fifty Fathoms models would proliferate into a dizzying variety of styles, but the basic design has never lost its appeal, though the watch has tended to be on the larger size, with regular production models starting at 42mm in diameter – this is not such an absurd size, either for a dive watch or for the Fifty Fathoms; the first FF model, in the early 1950s, was 41mm in diameter, and a larger diameter for a dive watch is a practical feature as well, assisting as it does in legibility.

History notwithstanding, there has been in recent years an increased demand for a Fifty Fathoms in a smaller case, partly for wearability reasons, and partly because modern tastes have swung back to embrace smaller watches in general. Earlier this month, Blancpain introduced two new Fifty Fathoms watches, in 38mm cases, but they were, so says Blancpain, specifically aimed at the ladies’ watch market – both have mother-of-pearl dials (which is a tough, durable material – if it’s tough enough for an oyster or an abalone, it’s probably tough enough for you, but stereotypes die hard) and one of them was in shades of shocking hot pink that seemed deliberately designed to provoke outrage among tool watch purists.

However, it’s only been a few days since that launch and Blancpain has just announced what dyed-in-the-wool pragmatic dive watch were saying they really wanted – a new 38mm Fifty Fathoms, which will join the 42.3mm and 45mm models in the Fifty Fathoms Automatique family. The new ref. 5007 38mm watches are available in steel, grade 23 titanium (a highly corrosion resistant and high strength titanium alloy, which is the most common one used for medical implants, just in case your FF starts to grow on you, hahahahaha) and 18K red gold. Sunburst blue and black are your only dial choices.

The movement is the Blancpain cal. 1150, which is in turn originally derived from the F. Piguet 1150; the latter is an ultra flat automatic which F. Piguet (which is now Manufacture Blancpain) starting producing back in 1988. The version used by Blancpain is a modern, still quite thin automatic, 26.20mm x 3.25mm, with a 100 hour power reserve out of double mainspring barrels, and with a silicon balance spring. Occasionally Blancpain takes a little heat for using what was originally an extra flat dress watch movement in a tool watch, but I think that if the 1150 had to swoon on its fainting couch every time things got a little rough, we’d probably know it by now.

Now in a way, “Blancpain Introduces A 38mm Fifty Fathoms” is pretty much the whole story but as always, there are some interesting extra considerations. The first is that a 38mm Fifty Fathoms, while not historically accurate if you want to be picky about it, nonetheless feels historically accurate, which is probably more important in the current market than actual high fidelity to the original (which also had a bakelite bezel and, mon dieu, radium on the dial, which I don’t think anyone except the most retro-grouchy of retro grouches would actually want, though the idea has a certain perverse fascination).

The second is that it’s hard not to feel as if Blancpain is trolling us; I think they knew perfectly well what they were doing in launching those two ladies’ models first (especially that hot pink number which despite the fact that I would never buy one – at least I think I wouldn’t – exerts an undeniable weird fascination) and getting peoples’ knickers in a twist over the perceived betrayal of that red blooded, hairy chested, burlier than burly dive watch ethos of The Good Old Days. In short, it was pretty clever and it’s an interesting thought experiment to wonder how the 5007 would have landed, had it not been preceded by a little bit of poking the ol’ dive watch purist bear.

One of the high points of my professional life was interviewing Captain Robert “Bob” Maloubier, the World War II Frenchman who became a hero of the Special Operations Executive, and who would go on to found the French Navy’s combat diver corps, along with Lieutenant Claude Riffaud. Maloubier and Riffaud came up with the specifics for the Fifty Fathoms, and Blancpain produced the watch to those specifications. I definitely caught the hard men in hard places vibe from him so I equally definitely get the belief that on a certain level the FF should be a no-nonsense tool watch, but some of the most famous and historically important no-nonsense tool watches have since their introduction come out in less pragmatic iterations (in solid gold for one thing, you know who I mean) and are none the worse for that. For me, I’d like a Fifty in 40 with a matte dial (and maybe lose the date) but I still drawn the line at bakelite.

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique, ref. 5007: cases, stainless steel, grade 23 titanium, or 18k red gold, all 38.2mm x 12.0mm, water resistance 300 meters with sapphire crystals front and back. Movement, Blancpain caliber 1150, extra flat automatic, 26.2mm x 3.25mm, running at 21,600 vph in 28 jewels, with a 100 hour power reserve.

US prices, $16,700 (Steel on Strap with Pin Buckle), $18,200 (Steel with deployant), $19,500 (Steel with bracelet); $17,900 (Titanium on Strap with Pin Buckle), $19,800 (Titanium with deployant), $21,100 (Titanium on bracelet); $30,600 (Gold with pin buckle), $34,000 (Gold with deployant). Available now; for more, visit Blancpain.com.