BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Blancpain introduced the Bathyscaphe in 1956 as a professional diver’s watch that was compact enough to be worn every day. It was reintroduced in 2013, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of one of the very first dive watches ever made. The Quantième Complet versions were originally presented in 2018, fast forward to 2022 and now Blancpain adds two new editions of Quantième Complet in their Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe line, the versions in gray titanium and in red gold and blue.
The grey variant (ref. 5054 1210) is crafted with grade 23 titanium and has a darker, monochromatic appearance. The dial of this titanium model has a sunburst anthracite construction with gold hour-markers, rhodium-plated hands. The anthracite ceramic bezel is affixed onto the dial and features a matte effect owing to satin-brushing, it also has a graduated Liquidmetal scale.
The other model (ref. 5054 3640), comes in red gold and is matched to a brilliant sunburst blue-gradient dial. It has gold hour-markers, hands and moon, matching the color of the case. The blue ceramic inlay is satin-brushed like in the titanium model, it has a Ceragold time scale. In both the models there’s a moon phase positioned in a large window at 6 o’clock. The Complete Calendar complication indicates the date, day of the weeks and the month. The depiction of the moon phases on the dials of Blancpain full calendar watches harkens back to the long-standing ties between watchmaking and astronomy.
The case size of both the models is 43 mm x 13.40 mm with unidirectional rotating bezel with a brilliant blue ceramic inlay featuring a Ceragold™ time scale. The water resistance rating is 30 bar (300 meters / 1,000 feet). The transparent sapphire crystal caseback allows the appreciation of the movement, which is 6654.P self-winding calibre, with 72 hours power reserve and a frequency of 4 Hz, translating into 28,800 vibrations per hour. Depending on the version, the movement includes an oscillating weight in red gold or gold with an anthracite NAC coating. A security safeguard protects the movement and allows one to handle each indicator at any moment without endangering the movement.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet in titanium costs EUR15,770 on a grey NATO or sailcloth strap or EUR18,330 on a titanium bracelet. The red gold model is available with a blue NATO or sailcloth strap, with the latter offering the option of a pin buckle or a folding clasp, and has a suggested retail price of EUR31,430.
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