THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: BLANCPAIN
MODEL: FIFTY FATHOMS 1000
YEAR: c1970
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 43MM
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: RUBBER
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC
In the world of dive watches, while the Rolex Submariner is rightly the most famous, it was Blancpain that introduced the first purpose-built dive watch: the Fifty Fathoms. Its creation was not simply an exercise in engineering, but the result of a remarkable collaboration between military necessity and civilian innovation.
The story begins in wartime France, where Jacques Cousteau, a decorated Resistance fighter, helped adapt a fuel regulator into what became the Aqualung, unlocking mankind’s ability to explore beneath the waves. But air alone was not enough—divers also needed a reliable way to measure time. Fast forward to 1952, when Captain Bob Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud were tasked with forming the French Combat Swimmers. They required a watch capable of withstanding extreme conditions: highly legible, automatic, and water-resistant. No existing watch met their standards. After being turned away by several French manufacturers, they were introduced to Jean-Jacques Fiechter, Blancpain’s co-CEO and an avid diver who understood these challenges firsthand.
Fiechter brought their vision to life, incorporating groundbreaking features such as a double-gasket crown, screw-down caseback, and a locking rotating bezel. It also happened to be one of the most beautiful dive watches ever designed. In 1953, the Fifty Fathoms was issued to Maloubier’s elite unit, its bold 42 mm case dwarfing most watches of the era. Its reputation was cemented when Cousteau wore one in The Silent World, inspiring a generation of divers. Across the Atlantic, the U.S. Navy adopted the Fifty Fathoms for its combat divers, marketed under the Tornek-Rayville name in accordance with post-war "Buy American Act" regulations.
Fast forward nearly twenty years and the Fifty Fathoms had become a major success. By the late 1960s, technology had advanced—but so had the demands placed upon military dive watches. The German Bundeswehr required a more robust model and, through retailer Barakuda, Blancpain supplied an upgraded Fifty Fathoms. The watch now featured a slightly larger anti-magnetic case with a 1,000 m depth rating, a separate screw-down retaining ring to prevent the crystal from popping out during decompression, a mineral crystal in place of the earlier acrylic one, and a clicking bidirectional bezel replacing the original friction-fit design.
The present example is a slightly later civilian version of this remarkable watch. It has survived in superb condition. The case and caseback have been lightly polished in the past, while the Bakelite bezel insert remains free from cracks and rotates perfectly. The tritium dial and hands are near flawless, with matching lume that reacts uniformly under high-powered UV.
The movement has recently been serviced, and all gaskets have been replaced. It is running at -9 s/d, with 300° amplitude and a 0.0 ms beat error.
A superb example of a seldom-seen Fifty Fathoms.