In 2023, Blancpain celebrates the 70th anniversary of the first modern diving watch. Timepieces and exclusive experiences will punctuate the next 12 months, orchestrated around the key number 70, as well as 20 and 10: 70 for the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms; 20 for the 20th anniversary of the contemporary Fifty Fathoms and Blancpain’s Ocean Commitment; and 10 for the 10th anniversary of the Gombessa expeditions
Jean-Jacques Fiechter, CEO of Blancpain from 1950 to 1980, was dreaming of a watch sufficiently rugged, reliable, water-resistant, and readable to be his trusted underwater companion. What emerged from his creative quest is the world’s first modern diving watch and one that has defined the characteristics of diving watches ever since.
Jean-Jacques Fiechter’s other passion was literature, and it was Ariel’s Song from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” that inspired him when the time came to name the new watch coming out of Blancpain’s workshops.
Early in the 1950’s, two French naval officers, Captain Robert “Bob” Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, were charged with creating the French Combat diving corps. One of the essential pieces of gear for their divers was a timepiece. Tests on watches that they found on the market in Paris were disastrous; the watches were too small, difficult to read under water, and, most catastrophically, leaked… badly.
After having met with Jean-Jacques Fiechter in Switzerland, the French officers left with sample Fifty Fathoms watches for testing. The watch passed with flying colours and the French Navy adopted the Fifty Fathoms as its diving watch. One year after the first official delivery, Claude Riffaud wrote a letter to Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms distributor, the Spirotechnique, to communicate the combat divers’ satisfaction.
Jean-Jacques Fiechter’s first patent application was filed early in 1954. Three distinct innovations were patented in numerous countries: the locking rotating bezel, the double case back, and the double “O” ring crown system. With its water resistance, robust doubled-sealed crown, self-winding movement, contrasting dark dial with luminescent indications, secured rotating bezel and anti-magnetic protection, the Fifty Fathoms became an indispensable instrument for divers on their underwater missions.
It was Allen Tornek, a jeweller on 45th street in New York, and Blancpain who successfully landed a contract to supply the American Navy with Fifty Fathoms watches. Thus, the famous “Milspec 1” Fifty Fathoms was born as the US Navy’s dive watch, and was soon adopted by the United States Navy Seals, America’s most elite diving corps, and also by the German and Israeli navies. Peaceful uses were also found for the watch through its selection by the French GERS (Undersea Study and Research Group), a world leader in undersea research. It was thus that Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s legendary team of divers wore Blancpain Fifty Fathoms watches when they filmed the award-winning movie “The Silent World”.
It was in the 2000s that the arrival of Marc A. Hayek at the helm of Blancpain saw the revival of the Fifty Fathoms. A passionate diver like Fletcher, Hayek was immediately seduced by the charm of the vintage Fifty Fathoms timepieces in Blancpain’s vault and vowed to bring Fifty Fathoms back to life.
The 2003 50th Anniversary Fifty Fathoms displayed the same dial and the same oversized luminous numerals and markers as the original 1953 design, reflecting the same adventurous spirit. Stainless steel was still used for the watch case, but the stainless steel case used for the 2003 version was now water resistant up to 300 meters, or about 165 fathoms, thanks to its screw-case, screw-locked crown, and thick sapphire crystal.
Along with the presentation of the contemporary Fifty Fathoms, Blancpain unveiled its first ocean preservation initiative, the Whale Shark Project, which echoed the role played by the Fifty Fathoms in the discovery of the ocean world. The Fifty Fathoms was the catalyst for Blancpain’s commitment to the preservation of the ocean. It played an essential role in the development of scuba diving and the discovery of the ocean world and has enabled Blancpain to forge close links with the ocean community that have been consistently strengthened over the past 70 years.
Among the Blancpain Ocean Commitment stands the brand’s partnership with French diver, underwater photographer, and biologist Laurent Ballesta. Blancpain has been supporting his Gombessa Expeditions since the very first edition in 2013.
To date, there have been six major Gombessa expeditions – and many other underwater missions – all underwritten by Blancpain. The first took place in the Indian Ocean in 2013 in search of the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish once thought to have become extinct 70 million years ago.
