Lot 379

Blancpain

Fifty Fathoms Rotomatic Incabloc

A diver's extremely rare, early, antimagnetic vintage wristwatch with tropical dial and bidirectional rotating bezel. The watch was given a general overhaul by Blancpain in Munich in July 2023 - with Blancpain Service Report

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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.
The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is considered the first diver’s watch in the world, even before the Rolex Submariner. By now there are 25 to 30 different variations of the der Fifty Fathoms, which differ in case design, movement, dial, dial signature and bezel.
The early Fifty-Fathoms diver’s watches are fitted with radium luminescence and have developed an attractive patina, such as is visible in the hour markers and hands of this timepiece. The luminous material creates a beautiful contrast to the black lacquer dial, which has also undergone a change over time. Despite some signs of wear, the watch has lost none of its charismatic appeal.
The watch underwent a complete revision in July 2023 with utmost care being taken to preserve the original condition. Because of that the present owner refused a decontamination of the radium.