A Pre-Owned Gents Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 300m automatic wound wristwatch. A beautiful and rare divers watch from the oldest watch manufacturer still in operation today.
In 1953, the Fifty Fathoms was the first divers watch installed with a unidirectional rotating bezel after Jean-Jacques Fiechter, CEO of Blancpain and a passionate diver, developed it after a near-fatal dive incident.
Blancpain treats its premium sport models as limited-run manufacture pieces. Instead of mass-producing unnumbered backs, every authentic steel 2200 case back features a deeply engraved, low-digit individual number. This watch is exactly the 420th built in this specific configuration
Case:
The watch features a 40mm Stainless Steel Case. Unidirectional bezel. Screw-locked crown and a scratch resistant sapphire crystal. It features a solid polished case back with just the watch serial number engraved. It also has Blancpain boldly engraved into the side of the case.
Dial:
This model showcases a deep, ink-like pure black finish that maximizes legibility having applied 18k white gold frames surrounding a highly luminous quarter Arabic layout with bold numbers at 12, 3, 6, and 9 alternating with sharp baton plots. An outer minutes ring and classic skeletonized sword-style hour and minute hands paired with a sweeping seconds hand tipped with a vibrant red arrow. The is a date window betwixt 4 and 5. The watch has a raised, deeply textured metallic 60-minute dive bezel. It turns in one direction (unidirectional) with crisp clicks.
Movement:
At the heart of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is the Blancpain Calibre 11.517 Automatic movement. It contains 28 Jewels and impressively, has a power reserve of approximately 100 hours.
Strap/Bracelet:
The watch comes with the legendary Blancpain X-71 bracelet. It is widely considered by collectors to be one of the most comfortable, over-engineered, and beautifully finished steel bracelets ever made, featuring seamlessly integrated, polished links with a signed hidden clasp. This watch is loose on my 19cm wrist and would comfortably fit a 20/21cm wrist with easily removable links if you needed a smaller size.
This model is from approximately 2003.
This watch has been checked and certified as clear by ‘The Watch Register’ the Global Database of Lost, Stolen and Counterfeit Watches. This database covers a broad range of incidents including robberies, burglaries, snatches, frauds, postal losses, accidental losses and fakes.
Watch working on test.
This watch presents in excellent condition for its age, with minimal signs of wear (scratches and/or marks), commensurate with careful ownership and use. Please refer to the photographs.
Please note that the movement has not been professionally tested for the accuracy of time and may need a service at the buyer's expense.
When purchasing a watch for delivery outside of the UK, all local Customs Authority charges i.e. VAT and import charges etc. are the responsibility of the ‘Buyer’ and are not included in the sale price of the watch.
The photos form part of the description.