In-Depth Review: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe (2024)

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Today, I am reviewing the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Titanium edition (5000 1210 G52A). Introduced as a modern reinterpretation of Blancpain’s iconic diver's watch from 1956, the Bathyscaphe combines vintage aesthetics with contemporary watchmaking technology. Known for its rugged durability and timeless design, this watch has been on my radar since its release. Finally, I got my hands on one and I am excited to share my thoughts.

The Bathyscaphe is an interesting watch – while it shares the “Fifty Fathoms” name with the more robust and larger model that most people attribute to Blancpain, the Bathyscaphe has mostly slipped under the radar since its introduction in 1956. Billed as a simpler, smaller and more robust sibling to the Fifty Fathoms, the Bathyscaphe was designed to be a tool watch through-and-through.

The Fifty Fathoms family of watches were developed in the early 1950’s (just before the debut of Rolex’s Submariner) by Blancpain to withstand the rigorous requirements of diving. While the original Fifty Fathoms found favor in commercial settings, the Bathyscaphe was designed for the civilian explorer looking for a robust watch that wouldn’t fail them on recreational dives.

The Fifty Fathoms family of watches were built with such impressive specs and durability at the time that the specifications for water resistance and other design requirements of the Fifty Fathoms eventually formed the basis for the ISO-6425 standard that is still used to this day to measure watches for water resistance.

From a design perspective, the Bathyscaphe is rendered in a monochrome grade 23 titanium case measuring 43.5mm by 13.5mm – making it the perfect dive watch companion that is lightweight but feels utterly solid. Powered by the extremely impressive in-house caliber 1315 boasting a 120-hour power reserve and a solid 18k white gold rotor, it is surprising that more enthusiasts haven’t caught on to the impressive work that Blancpain has been accomplishing since the re-launch of the Fifty Fathoms in 2007.

To get the scores out of the way, I rated the design of the watch 22.5 points, its impressive construction earned 22.5 points as well, the excellent movement scored an incredible 23.0 points and lastly I awarded 21 points for “other factors”. All in all, the Blancpain Bathyscaphe earned 89 out of 100 points in this review, which clearly indicates Blancpain is on to something genius with this faithful modern reinterpretation of a classic dive watch. So, let’s “dive in.”

Design: 22.5 pts
1. Case (size, shape, construction): 4.5/5 pts
2. Dial (color, indices, hands): 5/5 pts
3. Strap/bracelet (material, comfort): 4/5 pts
4. Bezel (indices, rotation): 4.5/5 pts
5. Originality (design, homage): 4.5/5 pts

Construction: 22.5 pts
1. Overall quality (case, dial, hands): 5/5 pts
2. Materials (type of metal, finishing): 5/5 pts
3. Resistances (water, magnetism): 4.5/5 pts
4. Ancillaries (lugs, crown): 4/5 pts
5. Bracelet/clasp (link type, integration): 4/5 pts

Movement: 23 pts
1. Origin of Movement (sourced, in-house): 5/5 pts
2. Complication(s) (design, usefulness): 4/5 pts
3. Accuracy (overall, variances): 4/5 pts
4. Power Reserve (length, indicator): 5/5 pts
5. Finishing/Design (decoration, finishing): 5/5 pts

Other Factors: 21 pts
1. Price (value, MSRP): 4/5 pts
2. Quality Control (finishing, cleanliness): 5/5 pts
3. Certifications (COSC, METAS): 3.5/5 pts
4. Warranty (limitations, extensions): 4/5 pts
5. Presentation (box, certificates, etc.): 4.5/5 pts