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koimaster
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The lure of Blancpain
A while ago I allowed myself to trade the Fifty Fathoms Mil-Spec, a watch that I really liked a lot and missed immediately it was gone. In fact, it was my fourth Fifty Fathoms of one kind or another. I’d previously owned three of the 45mm models as well (the Automatique, the Dark Knight and the No Radiations) and whilst I thought the larger models were all absolutely gorgeous watches I knew they were a little too substantial for my wrists.
The Mil-Spec, being a whisker over 40mm, was perfect in every way but what they all had in common was a quality that became evident the moment you handled the watch. The flawless fit and finish, incredible depth of the dials & indices, the lumed sapphire bezels, the beautifully finished movements… in terms of divers, Blancpain take things to another level altogether, and – whilst clearly not cheap watches – at least you know you’re getting something more than a utilitarian movement housed in a relatively unremarkable piece of steel.
Anyway, back on track and the horological gods seem to have smiled on me (actually, it was planning rather than luck, and painful decisions were made). In any event, having missed out on one opportunity, I was surprised to see that not only was a second mint example of Blancpain’s latest tribute offering being listed for sale on my favourite watch forum. The result was probably always somewhat inevitable, and the Barakuda that’s on my wrist as I type is everything I hoped it would be. Certainly, it’s my favourite of all the Fifty Fathom’s I’ve owned, although there’s not a great deal to choose between it and the Mil-Spec. More on that in a minute, though.
The Barakuda is another beautifully executed tribute, this time to a watch that was originally released back in the late 1960s. Of course, the original FF dates back even further – to 1953 – and has a history that I’ve written about before so won’t repeat. However, whilst the French were the first to equip themselves with Fifty Fathoms models for their underwater missions other military elites followed. One of those – in the late 1960’s – was the German Navy then known as the Bundesmarine, which was supplied with Fifty Fathoms models via Barakuda – a German company specialising in the production and marketing of technical diving equipment.
https://halfpastthehour.com/2020/05/12/ ... blancpain/
The Mil-Spec, being a whisker over 40mm, was perfect in every way but what they all had in common was a quality that became evident the moment you handled the watch. The flawless fit and finish, incredible depth of the dials & indices, the lumed sapphire bezels, the beautifully finished movements… in terms of divers, Blancpain take things to another level altogether, and – whilst clearly not cheap watches – at least you know you’re getting something more than a utilitarian movement housed in a relatively unremarkable piece of steel.
Anyway, back on track and the horological gods seem to have smiled on me (actually, it was planning rather than luck, and painful decisions were made). In any event, having missed out on one opportunity, I was surprised to see that not only was a second mint example of Blancpain’s latest tribute offering being listed for sale on my favourite watch forum. The result was probably always somewhat inevitable, and the Barakuda that’s on my wrist as I type is everything I hoped it would be. Certainly, it’s my favourite of all the Fifty Fathom’s I’ve owned, although there’s not a great deal to choose between it and the Mil-Spec. More on that in a minute, though.
The Barakuda is another beautifully executed tribute, this time to a watch that was originally released back in the late 1960s. Of course, the original FF dates back even further – to 1953 – and has a history that I’ve written about before so won’t repeat. However, whilst the French were the first to equip themselves with Fifty Fathoms models for their underwater missions other military elites followed. One of those – in the late 1960’s – was the German Navy then known as the Bundesmarine, which was supplied with Fifty Fathoms models via Barakuda – a German company specialising in the production and marketing of technical diving equipment.
https://halfpastthehour.com/2020/05/12/ ... blancpain/
1946-2006
“Your heart was warm and happy
With the lilt of Irish laughter
Every day and in every way
Now forever and ever after."