Lot 214

Blancpain

Bathyscaphe

A diver's very attractive vintage wristwatch with date, centre seconds and "tropical dial"

The dial has aged charmingly and, over the years, has revealed an excitingly beautiful matt metallic grey. The darkened, now ivory-coloured luminous material of the broad, bar-shaped hands and indexes forms a beautiful contrast. They have a faceted surface and their shine is a nice accent to the dark background. The original rotating bezel is made of bakelite and completes the overall picture. The case size of 37 mm and the beautifully bevelled, slender lugs exude a certain amount of elegance.
In 1958 Blancpain offered, in addition to the Fifty Fathoms, the Bathyscaphe models MC 4 and PG A 5. They were resistant to an atmospheric pressure of up to 10 and fitted with a simpler, rotating bezel that would not lock. The MC 4 model was wound manually, the PGA 5 was fitted with an automatic movement with date.