After waiting on much-bated breath, horological enthusiasts and Swatch fans alike can finally have a close look at the highly anticipated Blancpain x Swatch collaboration, which made its global debut on the social media channels of both brands.
Following in the success of their previous high-low collab with Omega, the Blancpain x Swatch range was conceived on the foundational success of Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch, bearing all of its high-brow counterpart’s signature design cues, from a diver’s bezel to luminescent hour markers.
Meet the Blancpain x Swatch ‘Scuba Fifty Fathoms’ collab
The collection, dubbed the Scuba Fifty Fathoms, includes five watches in varying colourways that range from a subdued, monochromatic grey piece to a substantially flashier black-on-yellow combination. Naturally, they are all water resistant for up to 91 metres, which measures exactly fifty fathoms.
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In tribute to what has been lauded as the very first diver’s timepiece created 70 years ago by Blancpain, each watch takes its name after one of Earth’s five major oceans and includes minute details in reference to the locales. The red-on-cream iteration for example was christened after the Arctic Ocean and features a red trefoil on a yellow background with a white cross cutting through it, set close to the bottom of the dial.
Other significant oceans to make the cut include the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, and of course, the Antarctic, to round off a full trip across the globe.
Bioceramic case married to a SISTEM51 movement
Every Scuba Fifty Fathoms watch is made out of the same Bioceramic material found on the Swatch x Omega To the Planets range, which features a combination of two-thirds ceramic and one-third biosourced material derived from castor oil. While it isn’t likely to be nearly as sturdy as an original Fifty Fathoms, the Scuba Fifty is likely to resist a few occasional scratch and dings.
As for the heart of the watch itself, the Scuba Fifty Fathoms range will be powered by Swatch’s proprietary SISTEM51 mechanical movement, conceived in 2013 and consisting of exactly 51 components. Naturally being a mechanical watch, you can marvel at the movement’s oscillations from a clear case back. Needless to say, the decision to offer this as a mechanical watch likely harkens back to Blancpain’s insistence on releasing only mechanical watches in its lineup throughout its history.
The non-limited collection will be available to purchase in select Swatch outlets worldwide, or ordered through their official website for approximately $400 (approx. HKD 3,135). Sales will commence on September 9th, 2023.
Feature and hero image credits: Swatch
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Bangkok
