Blancpain has a way with their customer base. The general theme is, they do what they want under the protection of the massive Swatch Group phalanx, and the pandering of their small but passionate customer base and fans be damned. If consumer demand were the prime motivator of Blancpain’s output, we’d have seen a 41-42mm standard production Fifty Fathoms at least half a decade ago, with a plethora of cool variants in tow. Instead, the world gets a handful of tantalizing and all but perfectly attired limited editions that are nearly impossible to obtain at retail and carry significant premiums when available on the secondary market. So close…yet so far! The watches you can readily get, ones which some of us (like me) admittedly love despite it all, represent the gorgeous but sizable classic 45mm Fifty Fathoms, deemed as “the most beautiful dive watch in the world, but too big for most” and the more easily wearable, yet quirky and often misunderstood Bathyscaphe variants which run the same superb caliber in the 43mm variant and suffer from what I’ll playfully call “Excessive Negative Dial Space Syndrome” (ENDS, if you wish). The penny whistles and groans from the forums and Instagram feeds are almost audible at each new Blanpcain release, in the same instant as dreams for the perfect daily wear diver are dashed yet again. Yes, it’s amazing what you can get away with when a multi-billion dollar, family-owned luxury conglomerate has your back.
Is this really bad, though? Blancpain makes dive watches, which aside from being exceptional examples of classic high horology in every sense, are also some of the most dedicated and purpose-driven tools for that task you will encounter–a strange and seemingly conflicting set of identities in the world of mechanical watches. No, I’m not talking simply making a watch which can go way, way deeper under water: we’ve seen that very recently. No, what I mean in this context, is a dive watch with brains, one that can measure–as a primary or backup to more modern systems–those specific durations of time that those hardcore users need most, lest they fail to return to dry land…alive. Those not sure of the veracity of that statement, need only look back to the extraordinary X Fathoms, which was–and is–possibly the most advanced and ambitious mechanical dive watch ever conceived. This year, while naturally disappointing their clients yet again, Blancpain has created another exceptional tool for modern pushers of underwater boundaries, the aptly named Fifty Fathoms Tech, which is the first dive watch specifically set up to allow for the longer dives that divers can now undertake, the sort of which Laurent Ballesta, a leader in the field of ocean exploration and photography (and happily for Blancpain–a luminary brand partner) does often with his team, as they explore and chart important marine environments, and the creatures they inhabit. Ballesta, who has been known to rely upon the above mentioned X Fathoms in timing the periods underwater in which he does his award-winning work, has now helped the brand to conceive a different Fifty Fathoms model, which–while obviously less complex than the X– is again tailored to specific needs. In a more haute horlogerie kind of way, the Tech Gombessa appeals to me for much the same reason as the Tudor Pelagos FXD–which was conceived with objectives from French naval divers–and like that watch, yet with subtle differences for needs underwater, is very much intended to be a tool for specific work, its lofty price tag notwithstanding.
Let’s discuss the basics, first. The watch movement inside the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa is dubbed 13P8…yet astute eyes will grasp quickly that the base caliber is the rugged, refined, and proven 1315 base caliber with 6-position adjustment, impressive 5-day power reserve, and free sprung balance wheel that has for some time now proven its mettle in Fifty Fathoms models such as the 5015 and its slightly less flamboyant Bathyscaphe brethren. The caliber range also has a silicon balance spring now, making these movements champions against magnetic interference. I’m hardly the first to gush over the caliber’s sturdy construction yet beautiful, tasteful decoration (the buttery anglage in particular, the kind of which can only be laid down by hand, is simply sublime) yet the Rolex-like durability and performance under pressure is what keeps this specialized engine a real one, despite luxury touches like the skeletonized 18K gold rotor and the general excellence of every small detail. To reiterate, watchmaking refinement doesn’t necessarily mean….fragility, and the 1315 has proven that the two can in fact, happily coexist. Blancpain has, in this instance, adapted this prodigy to drive a special 3-hour dive time hand, supplementary to the standard 12-hour one, which completes a single trip around the dial in appropriate time. Paired with the unique bezel calibration, we now have a straightforward and instantly legible tracking of dives of up to 3-hours duration–the kind which Laurent Ballesta and his colleagues perform with regularity in their oceanographic adventures. The conical crown at 10 o’clock controls a helium escape valve, a feature which is hyper-specific to certain extreme dive application, but isn’t entirely out of place here given the extreme duration divers that can appreciate the timing capabilities of the Tech Gombessa must endure, and the specialized gas mixtures they must breathe through the lengthy periods they move under water at significant depth. As with saturation divers, recuperation in underwater dwellings may require periods where such gasses are best vented out of the watch via a specialized valve, making it–on this watch–more than just an additional technical boast for serious use with no further qualification.
The Grade 23 titanium case is large, there’s no denying that point. At 47mm, and just shy of 15mm tall, this Blancpain diver isn’t exactly for the faint wristed—and that’s where a lot of the complaining in the webisphere is coming from (“another giant Blancpain dive watch?? C’mon man!…”) Yet, the case design, reminiscent to me of early Ikepod watches that first surfaced in the 1990s, and sort of space saucer like, has an interesting aesthetic appeal all its own, much like other pieces of specialized diving gear. Besides that, when married to the curved rubber strap that plunges right off the edge of the case at integrated lug attachments, it becomes quite clear that this sea creature will indeed wrap itself very compactly to the wrist. This, in concert with the feathery weight of the titanium, gives the design a lot more utility (and adaptability to myriad wrist profiles) than might otherwise seem to be at first glance, so I’d suggest taking a closer look if the watch tickles your fancy. I feel too, that with the dedicated tool watch ethos that brought this specialized Fifty Fathoms variant to life, the large size just makes sense. While the hoots and jeers of the peanut gallery tell us that the mechanical tool watch is now nothing more than an utter anachronism, you know, “no one” uses them, and luxury dive watches should reflect market realities for the Desk Diver, Blancpain has, nevertheless, done it their way. (And really….just because you don’t, doesn’t mean some other enthusiast, somewhere, might not.) The Fifty Fathoms Tech might be nearly thirty grand, at retail price, but the heads of the stubborn little manufacturer intended it to be the best, mission-specific diver they could, all while giving us the usual Blancpain attention to finishing detail, and watchmaking quality that can only be found at the haute horlogerie level. This is apparent in every aspect of the watch, from the base movement, to the case finishing, the dial detail rendered over a base in nearly “absolute black” finish for exceptional light absorbtion, and the superbly rendered luminous bezel with its glossy sapphire cap. Some may scorn the brand for making an oddball hybrid high luxury hardcore dive tool, and insist that this is why Blancpain remains in comparative obscurity next to its peers as relative to the quality of its watches, but the contrarian in me quite profoundly admires the sassy bastards at Blancpain all the more for it. Maybe someday the magical standard-issue Fifty Fathoms in a 40-42mm size will see the light of day, but I’m honestly pleased with what Blancpain is doing now…but then again, I love the underdog Bathyscaphe and standard 45mm Fifty Fathoms plenty, so I can’t really wish for more, minus my own desire that fellow watch lovers someday find a Blancpain diver they can see donning with pride. Should that day come, I promise you…you will find the Blancpain diver on your wrist something quite special, against anything else on the market.
There are lots of classic looking dive watches out there, most of them homages to the Two Greats of the 1950s: the groundbreaking Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, and the eternal Rolex Submariner. Being that Blancpain started the genre we now know and guard so much, I think they have earned the privilege to do as they like. The fact that brand CEO Marc Hayek is a hardcore diver, and actively plays a role in the development of watches like the Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa is massively cool, and in fact, if it weren’t for his role, the Fifty Fathoms line might never have seen the resurrection it had beyond the tribute model in the “Trilogy” line from the late 1990s. The modern Fifty Fathoms occupies an interesting niche, both a beautiful luxury watch, and a tool for serious use. But what I admire most about the Fifty Fathoms, is that its origin was rooted in real life use, and it has stayed true to that mission, even with the high horology credentials of Blancpain that emerged from the brand’s resurrection in the 1990s onward. The Tech Gombessa is obviously a tool first, and a luxury object next, an idea which is anathema to some, but will appeal to a select few. Will most of these watches see hard use under the waves? Doubtlessly no, but to say that no one will, is rather presumptuous, and those who will will probably find great utility in the Blancpain Tech as a backup instrument. The remaining buyers will enjoy a unique object with superior watchmaking inside it, as well as a purpose-built aesthetic. I appreciate that Blancpain continues to have a purpose-focused approach to building its dive watches, even if those watches happen to be among the most beautifully finished and constructed in the world. Indeed, quite probably the most. Who says you can’t have Beauty and Beast, all in one?
