BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Blancpain has launched a new watch, the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2 Tech Gombessa, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms line and the 10th anniversary of the Gombessa project, which Blancpain helped create. The Gombessa project studies the behavior of the great hammerhead shark, Sphyrna mokarran, in French Polynesia. The Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2 Tech Gombessa was developed five years ago by Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain, and Laurent Ballesta, founder of the Gombessa project. This advanced diver’s watch is designed to measure up to three-hour-long tech dives and exits from a saturation system.
The case of the watch is crafted from Grade 23 titanium, the purest type available. It is 47 mm x 14.81 mm, making it remarkably light despite its imposing size. The case is water-resistant to 300 meters and is equipped with a helium valve. The bezel on the Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa has a three-hour scale and is linked to a special hand that completes one full turn in three hours, a world first for which a patent has been filed. The dial is finished in absolute black and is able to capture 97% of the light for maximum readability in the dark. The hour-markers are formed by luminescent block-shaped appliques in orange with blue emission.
A 13P8 self-winding movement with a 120-hour power reserve powers the watch. It beats at a frequency of 4 Hz. The Gombessa Expeditions logo is embossed on the anthracite-colored oscillating weight, which also has a unique shape with three sizable openings for viewing the movement.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2 Tech Gombessa comes with a black rubber strap screwed to the back of the central lugs, an internal titanium reinforcement, and an extension for wearing the watch over a tech-diving suit. It also includes a water-resistant and shock-resistant Peli presentation box, a strap extension, a travel pouch, a magnifying glass, as well as a set of dividers and cutting tools for organizing the box. The new Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2 Tech Gombessa Ref. 5019-12B30-64A is priced at EUR29,200.
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