Born in the late 1950s from a desire to offer a diver’s watch in a size suited to daily wear, the Bathyscaphe was reinterpreted by Blancpain in 2013 and reviewed by us here. This year at Baselworld 2014, the Bathyscaphe is released with a new automatic calibre —F385— featuring a flyback chronograph function. This watch, just like the regular Bathyscaphe presented last year, features a 43mm in diameter satin-brushed stainless steel case with anti-magnetic protection, display case back, a flat black ceramic rotating bezel with a meteor grey sunburst dial with applied markers, rectangular shaped hands with luminescent material and a date aperture between the 4 and 5 o'clock markers.
The running seconds are located at 6, the hour-chrono register at 9 and the minute-chrono register at 3 o'clock. The tip of the chrono seconds hand features a red tip to provide some contrast to the dial. Depending on the lighting conditions and the angle, the bezel can appear black, grey or sometimes even somewhat brownish.
This new Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph is available in a brushed black ceramic version with a black dial, or in brushed steel with a meteor grey dial. All models are fitted with a NATO fabric or sail canvas strap —two extremely sturdy materials ideally suited to aquatic use. The steel version also comes on a metal bracelet and is a first for this line. We have included pictures of all the different versions available at the bottom of this post.
On the wrist, the watch wears quite comfortably and nicer than the more plain looking Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe. This is definitely one of our favorite chronographs right now and a watch that is perfectly suited for aquatic activities with depth rating of 300 meters.
Sticker Price $14,800 USD Stainless Steel on NATO strap, $17,400 USD Stainless steel on stainless steel bracelet and $17,200 USD Black ceramic with NATO strap. For more info on Blancpain click here.
