Blancpain

Last month, I had the extreme pleasure of finally adding a watch to my collection that I have been lusting over for more than a decade –  the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms:

Background:

Several years ago, I made the mistake of trying a Fifty Fathoms on my wrist:

History:

When I first saw the Fifty Fathoms, there was this connection before I started to recognize or create a theme for my collection – a love for dive watches. I love watches that have some history behind them, such as the Fifty Fathoms. BTW I can care less about whether the Fifty Fathoms was launch before the Submariner or vice versa:

Almost Took the Plunge:

Over multiple years, I continued trying it on attempting to convince myself that its 45mm case diameter wasn't too large for my wrist:

Lobbying Efforts:
During my frequent travels, I would visit the New York City and Las Vegas Boutiques. Of course, I would try the 45mm Fifty Fathoms on my wrist again and again. But I also debated with the staff on making a smaller diameter Fifty Fathoms in stainless steel as part of the permanent collection.

Both staff would argue that Blancpain would never do such a thing. It would go against the sole of what the heritage of the Fifty Fathoms stood for. Plus, it was meant to be big. It was a diver watch after all.

I asserted to look at the data. Management should be using data to make these decisions. In fact, I had counted over 20 Fifty Fathoms on display (new) in the NYC boutique and various ADs in the immediate area during one of my visits. I even took photos to prove it. No luck.

Additionally, I debated looking at the history with the original Fifty Fathoms. It wasn’t 45mm in diameter. Once again, no luck. Yet, I kept trying to advocate for a smaller Fifty Fathoms. I can be a stubborn or a tenacious SOB depending upon one's perspective.😆

Near Miss in 2020:
When Blancpain announced their Fifty Fathoms Barakuda, I immediately called the NYC Boutique to place a deposit. I would finally have a Fifty Fathoms in my collection:

Unfortunate False Notion:

After it was officially announced, the boutique contacted me stating this was an online exclusive and they would have to refund my deposit. Although bummed, I figured I was prepared for this situation, and it would still finally become a reality.

I was assigned to a project in Kansas City. That morning, I was ready to go. Granted, I didn't sleep much that night. I had my computer, my phone, and my credit card ready to go at 04:00 CDT.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get through to the site for several minutes. My anxiety shot through the roof. I kept trying and trying with no luck. When I finally managed to get through, they were sold out! I was forking pissed!🤬

When I went to lunch, I visited another site where people were describing similar frustrations. Then, I saw someone mention they were able to get one in the basket. So, I'm in my rental and what do you know, I was able to put one in the basket while using my phone!

But then there's this eight minute countdown timer flashing in front of my eyes. Once again, my anxiety is through the roof. I'm making typos left and right. Even though I had an account on Blancpain’s site, it didn't transfer my personal information over. I finally get everything populated in all required fields. I jump out of the rental to take my wallet out of my pocket and grab my credit card. Unfortunately, I grabbed the wrong one!🤕

Needless to say, I was defeated. I concluded that this would never become a reality. I expressed my disappointment with the head of North American sales via LinkedIn. His response, "We took a risk that we knew would lead to disappointment."😔

New Permanent Collection Release:
Almost a year later, a new 42.3mm Fifty Fathoms was released that would be part of the permanent collection. You are probably saying, "Wow! Your efforts paid off, Mark!" Unfortunately, these are in titanium. I just don't like the look of titanium, especially unpolished, since it appears like plastic from my perspective: