Blancpain update the Fifty fathoms with the new "X Fathom".

Although Blancpain draw the occasional blast of criticism for their marketing (they claim to have been in continuous production since 1735 but had a long period of ceasing production following the quartz revolution) their rebirth in the modern age is an unquestioned Phoenix-from-the-ashes story, and even the most die hard critic cannot argue that their current product line up represents some of the finest examples of true 'manufacture' pieces in the world of Horology today.

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is one such watch, regarded as the Par excellence of Diving Watches, both in its original form being the watch of Choice of Jacques Costeau, John F Kennedy, and various other Luminaries, as well as the watch of choice of the Navy Seals, and French Navy's diving team for many Years.  This remarkable watch, designed by Blancpain in 1953 in their last glory days before the quartz apocalypse, in its original form was THE diving watch of choice, and it it's reworked form for the new millenium Blancpain, has become the Diving watch you buy when you grow up and out of the Rolex Submariner.

And so we come to this new version of the Fifty Fathtoms, called the 'X Fathom' it can rightly claim to be one of the most advanced mechanical diving watches in the world, with a number of features which allow it to make this claim, it is beyond the category of 'diving watch' and makes claim to fame of being a 'Super Diver'.  

Aside from its retro futuristic design, which both nods back to the Fifty Fathoms and looks to the future, the watch has a mechanical depth gauge that measures up to 90 meters, and is the most accurate in the world, which features two hands that measure both current and maximum depth reached, with super bright lume, and the most complicated rubber strap ever made along with a 5 days power reserve.  All the dial features can be seen above, and below are two diagrams of the watch and its component parts.

There is no information on pricing yet, however since it is now the market Leader in Super Dive Watches, a position previously occupied by the Jaeger Le Coultre Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic Watch which Retails for around £20,000, expect a similar sort of pricing for the watch also.