JohnFM
1513
Good to hear shortys
They're both beautiful, congratulations, and enjoy them both!
I'm surprised I couldn't work up the courage to pull the trigger on the 2020 version when it was announced. I've liked the FF for many years but always thought the newer versions were a little large and maybe even bold/flashy. The smaller size and simplicity of this new version is very appealing. The reasons I held back were 1) I own too many watches! 2) It's not inexpensive (a relative factor, of course) and 3) Hodinkee is almost too good and I like to see brands succeed without needing outside inspiration.
A comparison between the two modern Fifty Fathoms MILSPEC
A few weeks ago Blancpain surprised us with the Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC for Hodinkee. Only 3 1/2 years after the release of the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MilSpec this is the second 40mm FF limited edition with the characteristic moisture indicator on the di...
Beautiful review
Thanks for sharing, enjoyed it a lot! I prefer painted white hands during the day but polished hands work better in low light conditions in my humble experience. I also think a matte grainy dial is more appropriate for a vintage reissue. Just out of curio...
The coin edge bezel has significantly less grip...
... while it is reminiscent of the vintage bezel, that one had a different modus operandi: push down and turn. Cheers Henrik
Cool comparison. Aside from the name, I prefer most everything about the Hodinkee.
No date, case finish, bezel design - wow, it is super. I have never owned a Blancpain, I know little about the lines of watches or history. But just as a watch guy, the Hodinkee version is so much more appealing to me.
Henrik thanks for the report
It is very detailed and well covered. One thing for sure, I actually appreciate the 2017 piece more than before because you pointed out the differences. The date window aside, aesthetically the 2017 piece is quite nice. It’s more refined than the 2020 pie...
Excellent comparison review. The No date is my favorite, even if I would have preferred slimmer lugs, like the case of the Bathyscaphe for example. And a solid case back, too.
Here is the original. And an earlier one... ...
Great write-up Henrik — thank you!
Both beautiful. Prefer the Hodinkee overall but may like the hands and bezel more on the 2017. Not sure of brushed vs. polished. The latter is beautiful but the brushed is lower key and quite nice. Do you have a favorite Henrik or are they like children t...
Good to hear shortys
They're both beautiful, congratulations, and enjoy them both! I'm surprised I couldn't work up the courage to pull the trigger on the 2020 version when it was announced. I've liked the FF for many years but always thought the newer versions were a little ...
Thank you so much for the thorough comparison Shortys Home
I have been thinking about them
Fantastic review, Henrik!
Amazing comparison! You made me realize the complete list of nuances between the two Mil-Specs. I appreciate both for different reasons, so it would be hard to choose if one had to. Happy start of the year, All the best, Alex
Great comparison/review
Great work and your blog site is excellent. IMHO I prefer the 2017 version but like the Barakuda the most out of their 40.3mm versions. For me the polished case and bezel work better on the 2017 model. That Jean Rousseau nato is perfect for the Milspecs. ...
Spring bars different on the HODINKEE version?
Henrik, Thank you for the lovely and informative post. Given my 15.5cm wrist and my infatuation with blancpain history in the last 18 months, i waited for a while for a new 40mm diver to be issued and pulled the trigger on the 2020 version. Such different...
The 2017 MilSpec came with friction pins, which was quite a hazzle...
... but it was easy to switch to spring bars immediately. If the strap is not too thick, straight spring bars surely work. With the tropic I personally also use slightly curved spring bars. Cheers Henrik
Thank you!
Thank you for the information dear Henrik. I had one more question which was around the Blancpain official tropic. Right now I have the tropic strap from TROPIC but its a bit too long and I wanted to call up the boutique and other the tropic strap from Bl...
Great post as usual Henrik. I concur that the watches are quite different
I was "shocked" to hear the release of Hodinkee Milspec. I was skeptical but I am glad that I ordered the one. As it turned out, both are different and attractive in their own ways. I like, and going to keep both. Cheers, Chow PS: did they use different A...
Congrats! And yes, the AR coating is different...
... interestingly the FF MIL-SPEC for Hodinkee shows the blue hue we were used to with the Leman series, and which was gone for quite a while now. Cheers Henrik
