The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph

Blancpain has released another watch to its Fifty Fathoms line up – the Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph. For fans of Blancpain watches, the Fifty Fathoms collection is iconic, in the way that the Nautilus or the Royal Oak is for Patek and AP respectively.

The new watch looks great and is packed with some pretty great features. This timepiece comes in a 43mm case diameter in either black, brushed ceramic or brushed stainless steel. The ceramic version comes on a black NATO strap, while the steel version has the option of a stainless steel bracelet; which, by the way, is the first time it has ever happened for a watch from the Fifty Fathoms series. The bezel is unidirectional, which can measure elapsed time – a useful function for divers. The model in ceramic uses LiquidMetal® to create the elapsed time scale. The chronograph pushers can be used under water to a depth of 300 meters.

Even though it is a diving watch, this model has a see-through exhibition case back revealing the movement. This is made possible thanks to a balance made from anti-magnetic silicon. This allows Blancpain to forego the use of a Faraday cage. The oscillating weight is crafted from 18kt gold and covered in NAC, which is a platinum alloy. The chronograph complication features both a column wheel and a vertical coupling clutch for added precision. Speaking of precision, this timepiece from Blancpain vibrates at 36,000 VpH, which puts this watch in the top tier of precision for mechanical chronographs. The Flyback function allows the chronograph to time successive events without the need of stopping to reset the chronograph.

The dial is set with indexes and hands generously coated with Super-LumiNova® for the best in legibility. At the 4 position is a date aperture. The ceramic version comes with a black dial, while the stainless steel edition is offered with a meteor grey dial.