blancpain fifty fhatoms grande date closeup with caseback

FIFTY FATHOMS GRANDE DATE

A BIG DATE FOR THE DEEP BLUE SEA

For Baselworld 2018, the brand introduced a new model in the diving watch collection Fifty Fathoms, equipped with a very visible date.

A diving watch gives divers access to excellent readability of time information in all conditions. Even though the date is not itself an important element for safety during a dive, what could be more natural than to give it a giant display on the dial? This idea is now a reality with the Fifty Fathoms Grande Date. For this model, Blancpain has used the perfectly mastered mechanism found in watches in the Villeret collection. So out goes the small opening between 4 and 5 o’clock and in come two large sub-dials at 6 o’clock. The date changes instantly at midnight. It is still easy to adjust using the crown, as are the sword-type hour and minute hands with their luminous coating.

blancpain fifty fhatoms grande date closeup with casebackAs for the movement, performance is present and correct with an automatic calibre and a generous power reserve of five days driven by three barrels fitted as standard. The rotor in the calibre 1315 is unveiled through the sapphire back of the robust 45cm-wide titanium case.

The Fifty Fathoms Grande Date has kept all the features that make it the ideal tool for exploring the sea depths: a unidirectional sapphire bezel, watertightness down to 300m, resistance to magnetic fields thanks to its silicon spiral, etc. The new watch also comes with two straps with a nautical flavour. One is made of sail canvas and the other is a NATO strap.

Price: 16,370 EUR blancpain.com

By Dan Diaconu