Four the past four years, Blancpain has been developing a very interesting and unique divers watch. Blancpain's new creation has been named the X Fathoms, and what makes this watch special is that is the world’s first diver’s watch to feature a mechanical depth gauge. The depth gauge is reportedly accurate to within 30 centimeters down to a depth of 90 meters.
From pictures provided by Blancpain, the depth is displayed in separate scales on the dial. There appears to be a 0-90 meter scale and a 0-15 meter scale. On the 0-15 meter scale, the 3–6 meter markers are highlighted in a different color, the 3-6 meter intervals being needed to measure when to make the decompression stops on the way back to the surface. To aid in timing the decompression stops, there is a 5 minute countdown timer at the 10-11 o'clock section of the watch. A separate on the 0-90 meter scale indicates maximum diving depth that the watch has ever achieved.
Special significance of the divers watch to Blacnpain. The divers watch has a special significance to Blancpain. In 1952, two French naval officers, Commander Robert Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud were instructed by the French Ministry of Defense to set up an elite unit called "Les Nageurs de combat." This was a special operations unit of the French Navy, specializing in underwater operations.
After surveying the watches in the market, Commander Maloubier and Lieutenant Riffaud found no diver's watch that could meet their specifications. The two officers contacted Blancpain Rayville SA, in Villeret, Switzerland, and together they created the the Fifty Fathoms. Its name refers to its water-resistance, guaranteed to a depth of 91.45 meters or fifty fathoms.
About Blancpain. Blancpain is a Swiss watch manufacturer, founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jaques Blancpain. The influx of inexpensive quartz watches from Japan and China during the early 1970s put the company on the brink of bankruptcy. It was only thanks to the intervention of Jean-Claude Biver, an Omega executive with a love of fine timepieces, that the company was reborn in 1983. Blancpain is now owned by the Swatch Group. Blancpain produces fewer than 10,000 watches a year, with each watch is made by a single watchmaker.
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