Lot 217

Blancpain

Fifty Fathoms No Radiations

A professional diver's vintage antimagnetic wristwatch with centre seconds and date

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In 1953 Blancpain was commissioned by the French military to develop a mechanical, automatic wind diver’s watch with a unidirectional bezel that featured a graded Bakelite insert to display the diving time. The watch was named "Fifty Fathoms", because it was water-resistant to a depth of 50 fathoms (1 fm = 1,829 m), i.e., 91.45 m. In 1968 the "Fifty Fathoms No Radiations" was launched with non-radioactive luminous material on the dial and the hands, used to indicate that the watch was for civilian use.
When Blancpain launched the Fifty Fathoms, it immediately conquered one of the largest and most interesting market segments in the horological world. With its perfectly proportioned 41 mm steel case, a Bakelite bezel and a jet-black dial with luminous indexes, the "Fifty Fathoms" redefined – together with the Rolex submariner – the idea of a true diver’s watch.
This is a magnificent example of the Fifty Fathoms model dating from the late 1960s and in excellent, unrestored condition. It features an inserted, bidirectional, ribbed Bakelite bezel and distinctive Arabic hour and quarter markers. The black lacquer dial with the coveted "No-Radiations" symbol is immaculate; the luminous material of indexes and hands has slightly darkened – this is a dream watch for any collector of rare vintage timepieces.