A controversial watch?

I'm hoping not!

I long ago fell in love with my Blancpain Fifty Fathoms (one of the original success stories in water-resistant watches, supplied to military and official agencies for almost 3 decades!), but being some 40 or so years old and of military provenance, water sports with this watch are out of the question. Fortunately, I am not the only person out there seeking a modern watch of this design. Mine has been customized to reflect one of my favorite variations of the FF run, the large-size Milspec designed for the US Navy. My modern homage is similar in size (42mm), with a bead-blasted case, domed sapphire crystal and historic elapsed-time bezel. The 2824 automatic movement will almost certainly be a better and more reliable performer than the ETA or Schild originals, and of course the whole works are repairable or replaceable as modern supplies.

Here is a picture of an original Milspec model, complete with paper humidity indicator:

and here is my Mark II homage, ex Lancaster County, Pennsylvania:

The case is faithful but elegant:

I have an original Fifty Fathoms, but it is of a very different style, this one ex-Polish Navy, from the 1960s:

Edited to fix formatting. - SJX

This message has been edited by SJX on 2008-02-27 08:09:08

💰180 Marketplace Listings for Blancpain›

Thanks for this post, Steve G

By: amanico : February 26th, 2008-23:38

The big interest is to see side by side a Blacpain FF Vintage and this " Hommage"... Although, IMHO, I don't see how we can say " Hommage" when it's a replica ... The FF Vintage has a lot of charism, has a strong look, a marvellous patina... The " Hommage...

At the current exchange rate, 0.00000000002 Euros is . . .

By: Dr No : February 26th, 2008-23:50

. . . about $3 US . . . just my $0.02 worth, Nicolas ;-) . . . . cordially, art

Wow, Art, The USD is that Weak? Lol. [nt]

By: amanico : February 26th, 2008-23:51

No message body

If the dollar drops any lower, we're going to apply to join the EU . . .

By: Dr No : February 27th, 2008-00:57

. . . if only to put an end to the unbearable price increases of European watches! Cordially, Art

There is an old proverb...

By: pplater : February 27th, 2008-01:11

...you might recall Art, which may be apt and which concerns both 'reaping' and 'sowing'... Impishly, pplater.

If only it were a matter of comeuppance, pplater . . .

By: Dr No : February 27th, 2008-09:57

. . . I fear that the dollar's devaluation was entirely intentional, and serves the interests of an elite few . . . we'll be feeling the effects of their policies for generations, that's for sure . . . cordially, Art

A "grassy knoll", Art....?

By: pplater : February 27th, 2008-14:41

You properly point out there are many aspects to such a watch

By: SteveG : February 27th, 2008-10:35

...for which I thank you! As is obvious, the watch I configured resembles my own FF only a bit, with many distinct details. Perhaps of interest, I decided on the specifics (what a luxury!) because of my personal intended use (recreational, beach & pool, e...