All icons begin their lives somewhere and for the dive watches we know and love today, they can all trace their roots back to the first Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Now, the original diver is celebrating its 70th anniversary with the launch of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa, the first of several special Fifty Fathoms watches that will be released in 2023 to commemorate the occasion.
The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa has been under development for five years, during which time no less than four different prototypes were pushed to their limits on the wrist of marine explorer, biologist and conservationist Laurent Ballesta, who spent 50 days at a depth of120m during two Mediterranean expeditions. Featuring an unmissable case profile of 47mm in diameter and 14.81mm thick, its wrist presence is contained by the Grade 23 Titanium (surgical grade) it’s constructed from and the integrated central lug that attaches to a robust rubber strap.
Its dial is blacker than almost all others on the market, absorbing 97% of light to provide the perfect contrast against the solid emergency orange luminescent hour markers and hands, while the sloped glossy bezel is reminiscent of the bakelite material used for the original Fifty Fathoms. In addition to the time-telling hands, this latest technical dive watch from Blancpain boasts a new complication designed specifically for saturation diving, with an additional hand that tracks three-hour cycles of time against the unique three-hour bezel markings, made possible thanks to a debut movement.
Powered by the new in-house calibre 13P8, it not only tracks an additional unit of time but also boasts a 5-day power reserve and is visible via the sapphire crystal caseback, which reveals a level of finishing few watchmakers are capable of. With 300m of water resistance, a manual helium escape valve and a new benchmark for professional specification dive watches, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa, arrives with an Australian RRP of $38,900 with deliveries expected to begin from the middle of this year.
