Top 3 Greatest BLANCPAIN Sports Watches - AquaLung, Fifty Fathoms, Bathyscaphe Review
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- A Review and Discussion around Blancpain Sports watches. Initially looking at the Design of early vintage pieces made for Military application before looking at the modern incarnations of the Fifty Fathoms, Bathyscaphe and the Aqualung.
#MilitaryWatch #BlancpainFiftyFathoms #Bathyscaphe
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Bob’s Watches | Revolution Watch | HQ Milton | Hodinkee | Monochrome Watches | Jomashop | Analog Shift | Bulang and Sons | Robb Report | Watchfinder | WatchBox | Phillips Watches | Christies | Timekeepers Club | Blancpain
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dont know if anyone cares but if you are bored like me atm you can stream all the new movies and series on Instaflixxer. Have been watching with my girlfriend during the lockdown =)
@Daniel Lance definitely, been using InstaFlixxer for since november myself :D
The Blancpain FF is pure class - art of watch making
I am a Seiko, Doxa, and Rolex owner, but must say the 50F is An example of “they pretty much got it right the first time”. They stay true to the original, with improvements. As a sport diver with a computer, there would be no point in wearing a watch if it was not well visible. This large bezel and uncluttered dial are perfect. I may have to scrape the lint out of the bottom of my pocket for this one.👍
Had the same reaction when I first saw the Bathyscaphe: excessive dial space, hour indices too small and pushed too far out. But it's meant to highlight the beauty of the dial, and the design grows on you; esp. love the blue dial. IMHO 39-40mm is the perfect size. Obviously they are capable of manufacturing this diameter (e.g. hodinkee and no radiation versions), I just wish they would make a non-limited production run of 40mm and drop the 38mm version.
Yet another fantastic video ID Guy! I love Blancpain especially the Bathyscaphe and the Fifty Fathoms. They are the true definition of the tool dive watch.
I have always lusted after the Fifty Fathoms as it looks so perfectly designed. When visiting an AD though, I was put off by (as you state) how much of the watch was taken up by the bezel, how thick the watch was and the manufacturer’s name horribly scribed on the side of the watch.
I was immediately drawn to the Bathyscaphe. In particular the blue version with its shimmering dial. However, this watch at 43mm strangely looked larger than the 45mm Fifty Fathoms. Maybe it was the thinner bezel on the Bathyscaphe that gave the dial more presence.
Although I wanted it to be the one, the 38mm version of the Bathyscaphe was dwarfed as it sat next to the 43mm version so, I walked away not really knowing which one I liked best.
The Aqualung is indeed a new watch to me. Thank you IDGuy for debuting it to me. ;-) Although it’s dial is beautifully simple I can’t get along with it’s bezel. Maybe one day I will be able to engage myself in that conversation whilst wearing a beautiful Blancpain!
Thank you for yet another great presentation here my friend. ✊
Totally agree with you as to your actual visit to an AD and trying on the watches. I was also very disappointed in the selection my AD here in Atlanta had to show me, and no real interested in bringing in anything else. He had maybe 7 various divers in the case. The difference in the 50 and the Bathyscaphe is very striking in person.
Thank you for another fantastic video. My favourite think about Blancpain is their price on the secondary market :)
Great video!! Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is my all time favorite divers watch!!⌚
I have an Explorer that I really like but the Aqualung grand date looks even better!! I’m on a waiting list for a submariner date but might buy a fifty fathoms instead. Great vid and best regards.
Well, Look it up, the grande date is LE 2005 and it is a hot cake now because it is a daily watch of.... ( I am surprised the @IDGuy does not mention him. ;)
That Aqua Lung Grande Date....stunning! Thanks @IDGuy. Now considering parting with my 214270....
The Blancpain Air Command is what the Breitling SuperOcean Chronograph should have been
Excellent. The designers at Rolex need to watch this and get some design ideas. Companies like Tudor and Omega have watches that aren't over branded or a complex design. When considering a tool watch I always say "less is more". Simple dial, easily seen hands with a good time and, for a cherry on top, put in a small date complication so not to distract from the main purpose of giving the wearer the ability to read the time at the flick of the wrist and a quick glance.
However, I'm a minority. I view a watch as a tool. A tool I use to read the time or date, figure out which way North is in a pinch when hiking. Something that's of excellent quality but not afraid to get it dirty when hunting or fishing.
Sadly, the great tool watches have been reduced from being simply a tool to being a fashion accessory and their rich history and utility has been lost by the majority of users.
6:37 the numbers on the bezel are reversed, making the watches count down instead of up. I'm not a diver, so I'll have to assume watchmakers haven't been making a mistake all these years, but it's always seemed to me that counting down to the moment your air runs out is more useful than knowing how long you've been under water. Also, the popularity of minute markers between 0 and 15/20 minutes would make more sense if that portion of the bezel had the significance it would if the watch counted down for divers.
For brewing tea or boiling an egg though, those minute markers on a counting-up dive watch are a godsend. My Omega Brewmaster Professional is my most essential kitchen gadget!
Ha ha, yes it seems more logical. In the early days the manufacturers tried both, but settled on the current standard. The recent Omega Seamaster 300 Trilogy (and the original) utilised a count down bezel.
I really want a 50 but with my wrist at 6 1/4 inch I really need the 40mm and they are all limited editions and buying a Blancpain in the states isn't easy. Here in Atlanta there only is one AD and his selection in general sucks. I was trying to decide between the 50 and the Bathyscaphe but your analysis here has completely convinced me to go all in on the 50. Now to find one at a size that I can live with. As a side note yesterday I was in a great Jewelry store here in Atlanta Brown & Company a fine store. I spent about 40 minutes looking at the Breitling Super Ocean Heritage II 42 mm Black with Rose Gold Bezel. Also a new version of their first diver from back I believe 1957. It's not a Blancpain but at 6K a very nice poor mans alternative to the BP50. So bottom line thanks for the vid you have me all wrapped around the axle on what to do. I would love to pull the trigger on something by Christmas but what.
I might be late to the post. I also have 6.25-inch wrist. Recently tried on the Titanium version with sailcloth strap, it’s surprisingly wearable. I’d recommend trying it on.
This is one stellar video. Thank you.
Just discovered the Aqua Lung grand date. Such a perfect design.
Would you consider covering the infamous Doxa Sub 300? I think they are still a bit underrated today.
Taking notes 📝
Great stuff here man.....
I really like the 5015, but as you mentioned in an older video, the 45mm is quite large.
I stopped by the Blancpain boutique in Zurich last month to see the Barakuda, but they didn’t have it.
Thanks!
As a diver of twenty years, it has always been my ambition to own the Seamaster, Submariner and the Fifty Fathoms; a classic trilogy of dive watches. I’ve been fortunate enough to acquire the first two, but I was stuck on the FF for a long time. It’s obviously more expensive than the others and at 45mm, it was too large for my 7” wrist. The polished case was perhaps a bit too ‘fancy’ for my taste and seemed to reject the tool watch origins of the model that held most of its appeal, for me at least. Worse still, I couldn’t relate to the Bathyscaphe, which was only marginally smaller and yet had those tiny plots and appeared to be more of a ‘dress diver’. I dismissed it as a poor alternative to the classic FF and decided the LE Mil-Spec was the one I should go for with it’s brushed, smaller case. Problem with the Mil-Spec is that they’re scarcely available and when the do come up, the price is generally prohibitive, so it was consigned to ‘grail’ status for a couple of years.
Influenced by your comments, I recently had a look at the Bathyscaphe Chrono and felt that the dial made much more sense. As you allude to in the video, it’s almost as if the designers were given the brief for a diving chronograph and then worked backwards to produce a three-handed version. I thought a pre-owned example might be a good way to experience the brand and perhaps transition into a Mil-Spec, or a future release in a more conservative case size.
I realised this ambition with the purchase of the ceramic cased Bathyscaphe on a sailcloth strap. It is a large watch, there’s no doubt about it, but it doesn’t overwhelm my wrist and there’s very little taper in the sail cloth so it appears perfectly balanced. Viewed through the exhibition case-back, the movement is exquisite.My primary interest is in tool-watches, so it’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to owing a haute horological timepiece.
Many thanks for your insight and perspective. You’ve helped me add a timepiece to my collection that I had somehow overlooked and have come to cherish and appreciate.
Best wishes,
CWT
Don’t forget Doxa!
I met Jean-Michel Cousteau a few years ago and when he saw my Doxa Sub , he proudly rolled up his sleeve to show me his very well worn Sub600t.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Aqua Lung with smaller date window. Looks even better than the Grande Date imo.
@sejune park I disagree!, well, when you are old, you will know what I mean. Plus, without the grande date, the dial seems too empty.
Hi, watching this particular video I was wondering what you thought of the bathyscaphe in its 38mm version and if you feel it a more balanced case size and arrangement. Great video by the way.
when i think ive just about watched all your videos another one pops up
I really like the Barracuda, but when I went looking it was impossible to find one.
Yeah the bathyscaph seems like it was designed with complications to fill the dial real estate already in mind
Google Unimatic watches, I think a designer like you would appreciate them ;) Especially since they bear some clear recemblance to early Blancpain divers.
Yes yes yes 100 times yes! 🤩🤩🤩🌈
I like the current base steel Bathyscaphe with it's sunburst meteor grey dial which 'explodes' in the light. I do not find the use of space to be an issue; I find that the small plots and acres of space to be minimalist and aesthetically pleasing.
I did not used to like the 5015. But it has grown on me. Loads. Now I definitely want the 5015 FF in black.. I am large of wrist and I think I could pull off that piece quite easily. The full polish case and "Blancpain" emblazoned on it's flanks don't bother me; I already wear a full polished _Navitimer_ which is another piece with a big presence.
@IDGuy, speaking of the _Navitimer,_ will you be doing a video on it anytime? An iconic watch which is busy as they come. This would appear to be the definitive 'Marmite' watch. Do you like it's worth a look from your ID perspective?
Now I know where the Baltic's Aquascaphe hands come from.
want a fifty fathoms more than I want a sub.
Yup. They look amazing. Just not sure about a bracelet option. The sailcloth strap does look good though.
@@DanielBoychuk The Sailcloth is very nice but at the price point for the 50 it's kind of cheap. The AD I worked with told me if I bought a 50 with a bracelet he'd throw in the Sailcloth.
My brain...says I'm receiving pain,
A lack of oxygen from my life support
My iron lung
Shazbot isn’t that the worst name ever ?
I love the new Fifty Fathoms, but not the size. Big fan, but the price is out of my range.
Gotta handle the bathyscaphe to understand it…
"This should be the watch of James Bond..." Well... it's Putin's watch 😂
Phirst - well done 👊
When BP boosted the Leman to 40mm they screwed the pooch by opting for the clunky big date. Even more so in the white dial version, where you can see quite plainly the right wheel is beneath the left. The 38mm was gorgeous, understated,and clearly superior.Should’ve been enlarged as is.Too bad.
I have $50 can I buy that watch..
I'll let you wear mine for a day for $50.
Why is a no radiation sign on the dial? It ruins the design in my opinion but why? I have seen the radiation logo also on Marathon watches
I would have loved if you learned how to pronounce BLANCPAIN. The first part you are right on. The second part is pronounced pain like in english but then say it without the n. You are very close now. If you are still confused, lookup white bread translate it to French and have Google pronounce it for you. Cheers