Beschreibung:

Blancpain Follow An extremely rare and attractive stainless steel diver's wristwatch with "Double Swiss" dial and humidity indicator Circa 1962 41mm Diameter Case, dial and movement signed
Condition Report Sign up or Log in Manufacturer : Blancpain Year : Circa 1962 Case No : 1388 Model Name : Fifty Fathoms Milspec 1 "Double Swiss" Material : Stainless steel Calibre : Automatic, cal. AS 1361, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap : Leather Clasp/Buckle : Stainless steel pin buckle Dimensions : 41mm Diameter Signed : Case, dial and movement signed Catalogue Essay Blancpain launched the Fifty Fathoms, a collaboration between the company’s watchmakers and two heroes of the Free French Forces, Captain Robert “Bob” Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, in 1953. At the time, the French Navy was looking for the perfect wristwatch for its commando frogmen. Since they could not source the watch on the market, they decided to have it made following pre-defined military specifications. The French Navy was the first to use the Fifty Fathoms, but many armies would later equip their troops with these watches. Blancpain already enjoyed a fantastic reputation in the United States at the beginning of the 1960s. While the US Navy struggled to find a high grade diving wristwatch that complied to the "Buy America" act, an American watch importer named Allan V. Tornek saw a great opportunity to partner with Blancpain in order to present the Fifty Fathoms. Already approved by many armies around the world, the watch was soon confirmed by the US Navy. It became known as the “Milspec 1”, which stands for Military Specification. The present watch is a fantastic example of an early Milspec 1 with a humidity tester at 6 o’clock. It displays other military specifications such as a three-part body case and a diamond shaped marker at 12 o'clock on the revolving bezel. An even more interesting and extremely rare feature is the "Double Swiss" designation at 6 o'clock. We can surmise that the bezel had originally obscured the Swiss signature. As a result, Blancpain had to print it a second time so it would appear in clear view, near the edge of the dial. This theory makes particular sense as the watch was made for the American market, hence the importance of having a "Swiss" signature for importation reasons. Read More Maker Bio Blancpain Swiss • 1735 Follow As the watchmaking brand with the earliest founding date, Blancpain remains close to tradition, concentrating on classical mechanical watches. Established in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the Le Brassus manufacturer today continues to innovate with the development of high-quality calibres and is proud of their heritage, having never made quartz watches. One of the firm's greatest successes was the Fifty Fathom wristwatch introduced in 1953 — the vintage models of which are now highly coveted by collectors. The earliest dive watch available to the market, Fifty Fathom came out a year prior to Rolex's Submariner. Another key model is the Air Command from the 1960s, considered one of the most mythical collector's watches due to their extreme rarity. Today, the firm specializes in creative innovated complicated timepieces. View More Works