Blancpain presents a new version of the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date watch. This 500-piece limited-edition model inspired by a Blancpain diver's watch from the 1970s is characterized by a gradient-colored sandy beige dial featuring a sunburst pattern. This nuance evokes the desert, and more specifically Death Valley in the United States, where Ernest H. Brooks II, the pioneer of underwater photography and contributor to the Edition Fifty Fathoms project, made a spectacular dive in 1962.

"It is unbelievable how hot the sun blazes at seven o'clock in the morning in infamous Death Valley. We could already feel the hot sand under our feet as we set off [to dive]", says Ernest H. Brooks II.

The dive he is referring to is Devils Hole, an underwater chasm that plunges into the bowels of the earth at a depth of more than 120 meters before opening out into a gigantic underwater river. Devils Hole is also unique in that it is the exclusive home of a seriously endangered species of fish, Cyprinodon diabolis, of which Brooks took the first pictures.

The new desert-colored Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date is for adventurers, enthusiasts, and creative minds. In the 1970s, Blancpain's own innovative mindset led the brand to break with the traditional aesthetic codes of the Bathyscaphe models by producing a series of pieces featuring a cushion-shaped case, an inner rotating ring —replacing the conventional outer rotating bezel—, a gradient-colored grey dial as well as the day of the week and date indication.

The dial of the Bathyscaphe Day Date Desert Edition adopts this style, which it combines for the first time with a subtle gradation of sandy beige, a hue that is new to the collection. Its shades and sunburst finish endow it with remarkable clarity, while its boldly-sized rectangular hour-markers guarantee instant readability of the information displayed. A chapter ring punctuated with Arabic numerals marks the five-minute intervals while evoking the inner rotating ring of the 1970s watch. Just as on the period timepiece, the date and day of the week windows are located at 3 o'clock. The hands are coated with superluminova and feature the same baton-shaped design as earlier Bathyscaphe models. The dial of the new Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date Desert Edition is enhanced by a unidirectional rotating bezel with a brown ceramic insert and Liquidmetal hour-markers.

Although this new model has a vintage look, its mechanism is resolutely modern. Housed in a 43 mm satin-brushed steel case and water-resistant to approximately 300 meters, the Blancpain in-house calibre 1315DD offers all the performance attributes essential to a diver's watch. It also features a five-day power reserve, which is particularly useful in daily life.

Another major asset is its balance fitted with a silicon balance-spring, a guarantee of accuracy, and resistance to magnetic fields. The sapphire crystal case back of the watch allows one to admire the finishes of this top-of-the-range movement, including its gold oscillating weight coated with a NAC treatment, thereby endowing it with added character. Issued in a 500-piece limited series, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date Desert Edition model comes with a sandy-colored sail canvas strap matching the warm tones of the dial.

Sticker Price $12,700 USD. For more info on Blancpain click here.