This watch (and release strategy) explicitly inspired this year’s 70th anniversary “Act 1” release announced last week. It was similar to the Trilogy Series, measuring 40.3mm in diameter, but it added – for the first time – a sapphire bezel. For Schwiening, this made the watch a more faithful re-creation of the original. When the Fifty Fathoms was introduced in 1953, it used radium for the lume on the dial and bezel. Nowadays, this turns off some collectors because of the potential radiation exposure; Golden mostly shrugged off the concern but did acknowledge it’s a turn-off for some cautious collectors – ask another dealer and you might get a different opinion. He also told me he just prefers the black dials on these earliest Fifty Fathoms from the ’50s because the glossy dials are richer – they don’t make ’em like they used to and all that.
“That brought a lot of watches to market, and prices went up too.” He pointed to 2015 as an example of this, highlighted by the curious Blancpain U.S. Navy prototype that sold for a whopping $125,000, well above its $35,000 high estimate. We say curious because there are literally four or five of these watches known, and no one really knows their full story. If you’re looking to buy a vintage watch, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms isn’t the first place you’d go. It’s niche, expensive, and, like many vintage watches, trouble is everywhere. But damn it if it’s not one of the most fascinating, confounding, and collectible dive watches.
After two centuries of family ownership, Blancpain was sold to the SIHH and underwent several changes in management control with Marc A. Hayek becoming CEO in 2002. The company set up production at Le Brassus in the Joux Valley, and in 2010 gained access to a new production site with the acquisition of Frédéric Piguet. Blancpain has committed itself to the production of “grande complication” wristwatches, and its constant innovations have continued to bring tremendous expansion and success. Using the words “tradition” and “innovation” to describe the Blancpain philosophy is no contradiction in terms. On the contrary, the two are inextricably entwined at the very heart of brand history.
Due to Swiss laws, this presented a dilemma since there was no longer a member of the original founding family involved in the business. Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain in the Swiss Jura, Blancpain is known as the world’s oldest watch brand. Loyal to its tradition of innovation and confirmed by countless horological complications invented over the years, the Manufacture is constantly pushing the boundaries of watchmaking to take this art to places where it has never been before. Blancpain is proud of its history, which from 1735 to the present has made it the oldest existing watch brand in the world.
The Le Brassus collection is named after the birthplace of their very first watch. It represents the seminal point in the luxury watchmaker’s existence from which all of their great timepieces came to be. Can you think of a name more deserving for a watch collection that contains six unique masterpieces?
Like in 2017, Blancpain introduced a limited edition referencing an original Fifty Fathoms, this time the Barakuda (based on a vintage Fifty Fathoms made for the German Navy in the ’70s). And like in 2017, Blancpain would also make a unique example of this limited edition for Only Watch, which sold for CHF 45,000. Then in 2017, Blancpain began explicitly revisiting its heritage, releasing one Fifty Fathoms limited edition each year that directly references a vintage Fifty Fathoms those pesky purists love, each featuring a 40.3mm case. For some, like vintage dealer Golden, these heritage-inspired limited editions are still lacking. I love the vintage Fifty Fathoms because it’s a real choose-your-own-adventure – the best collecting always is – and we’ve hardly scratched the surface.
Blancpain watches do appreciate over time due to their limited quantity produced yearly and because of their reputation for complications and longevity. Over longer periods of time, and maintaining the watch’s condition, you should experience appreciation in value over time. Both are excellent movements The Rolex caliber 3135 has been upgraded to a caliber 3235 which has been discussed at length in this article. The biggest and most obvious difference is in the power reserve features for both movements.
qlzoman 