The Swiss company Blancpain, part of the Swatch Group, is known for its Villeret watches, its Air Command aviation series, its Ladybird ladies’ watches and its Fifty Fathoms diving collection.
The diving series was born in 1953 after a close call when co-president Jean-Jacques Fiechter ran out of air during a dive off Cannes, France. The experience made him realize that he needed to invest in a more functional dive watch, and he created the original Fifty Fathoms, introducing a bezel that rotated only counterclockwise so that a diver wouldn’t exceed the capacity of the air tanks, a hallmark of dive watches today.
Today, under the leadership of Marc A. Hayek, who has been President and CEO of Blancpain for more than 20 years, the brand is celebrating two milestones: the 70th anniversary of the original Fifty Fathoms and the 20th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms line, which he redesigned.
To mark the occasions, the company has introduced three new versions: the 42-millimeter Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3, which debuted in September ($32,000) and uses an alloy it calls bronze-gold that includes copper and 9-karat gold; the Act 1, a 42-millimeter stainless steel watch ($17,400) released in January; and the Act 2, a 47-millimeter titanium Tech Gombessa dive watch ($28,000) released in February.
