Blancpain “MilSpec 1” Fifty Fathoms

Description

In the early 1950s, an elite unit of the French Navy, responsible for their own diving equipment and not satisfied with any of the current diving watches on the market, set out to make their own watch that they deemed suitable for diving, known as the “Frogmen”. The result was an inevitable partnership with Blancpain for the creation of the watch we know as the Fifty Fathoms.  Although initially created for the French Navy, these military specification (“Milspec”) watches were ordered by other militaries, such as the German, British, Spanish, and even the US Navy.  For a great write-up on these historic watches, head on over to The Spring Bar, here.

The Blancpain MilSpec Fifty Fathoms we offer today is in amazing condition. The original radium dial is in great shape, appearing to have more of a matte finish due to aging. The original radium luminous is still present on both dial and hands, aged to a lovely orange color and with no loss or cracking.  The bakelite bezel is very well-preserved, with two normal cracks, as is more-often-than-not seen on these.