Diver and pilot offerings from Blancpain

Blancpain Offerings

It was in 1735 that Jehan-Jacques Blancpain registered his eponymous watch brand that would remain family-owned for nearly 200 years. In 1932, Frédéric-Emile Blancpain died, leaving the company to his long-term assistant Betty Fiechter, who became the first female CEO of a leading watchmaking company. We take a look at this some of this year’s offerings from this iconic brand…

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique

Water-resistant to 300 meters, this new 45 mm Automatique in titanium features a ratcheted unidirectional rotating bezel and a scratchproof domed black sapphire insert. Its markers, dial hour-markers and hands in Super-LumiNova contrast with the sunburst black face of the watch. The Blancpain 1315 calibre with a five-day power reserve is visible through the sapphire crystal case-back.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda – Limited edition of 500

The new Fifty Fathoms Barakuda faithfully reinterprets the aesthetic codes of 1960s timepiece. Its black dial is punctuated by large red and white hour-markers coated with “old radium”-type Super-LumiNova. The 40 mm satin-brushed steel case of this watch, water-resistant to 300 metres, houses the 1151 self-winding movement, and is paired with a tropical rubber strap.

Blancpain Air Command – Limited edition of 500

The 2019 edition is styled on the original 1950s model, with a ratcheted “countdown” rotating bezel. The time scale of the bezel, dial hour-markers and hands are of “old radium”-type Super-LumiNova, in an orange hue, with a 30-minute totaliser at 3 o’clock and a 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock. A tachymeter scale indicates speeds based on a 1000-metre distance. The timepiece is powered by the F388B movement.