Blancpain has unveiled the all-new Bathyscaphe complete calendar moonphase in three different colour variations, all presented in a black ceramic case and a new patented black ceramic strap!
Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms timepiece is a important part of horology for the role it played, as it was the first real tool watch used by professional divers. The Fifty Fathoms was born on 1953, and almost three years later, a beautiful new contemporary version was born.
The Bathyscaphe, born on 1956, was designed with daily wear being in mind, with the added benefit of having diving capabilities. The Bathyscaphe timepieces had a slightly different measurements compared to the original Fifty Fathoms model, with the watch being presented with a smaller diameter and also a date window.
The Bathyscaphe Quantieme Complet Phases de Lune (Complete Calendar Moonphase) over the years have had different aesthetic changes, especially case materials and dial colours. The model is currently presented in different variations which include: 18ct red gold case with CeragoldTM with blue dial, a steel case with beautiful grey meteor dial and also a titanium case with the grey meteor dial. These variations of the Complete Calendar Moonphase are currently available with different strap options such as leather and fabric nato strap.
Now, Blancpain is introducing the Bathyscaphe Complete Calendar Moonphase in a full black ceramic outfit. Blancpain has chosen ceramic as a new material to showcase this latest timepiece due to the unique attributes of ceramic. For those that are new to the world of watches, ceramic presents watch manufactures with a durable, highly-scratch resistant and hypoallergenic (make it safer to wear) material, that is also five times harder than stainless steel and almost four times harder than grade 5 titanium.
Due to the production process of ceramic, Blancpain is producing the material locally in Switzerland as an effort to minimize the emissions produced during the manufacturing process. Due to the exceptional properties of ceramic, there is a extremely complex manufactory process. An almost 25% volume reduction must be taken into account when the material is fired at temperatures about 1400OC. The material is machined to desired shapes using diamond tools (thanks to the superior hardness of diamond). The satin finish, which is a core element of the Bathyscaphe collection, requires a delicate and crafted process when it comes to ceramic.
This latest Blancpain Bathyscaphe Complete Calendar Moonphase comes in three dial colours. Firstly we get the stunning blue dial, my favourite of the three colours, which is then followed by the green and black dial variants. These dial colours also makes use of sunburst finishes. The sunburst effect then gives beautiful colour variation between light and dark depending on angle of light.
Horological complications are a key DNA element of Blancpain. In the 1980s the complete calendar complication appeared on Blancpain timepieces, which led to further research and development of other complex horological complications. The complete calendar moonphase complication defers from a perpetual calendar as the perpetual calendar only needs one adjustment (year 2100), while the annual calendar requires one adjustment per year. The complete calendar requires the watch to be adjusted 5 times per year (for every month that doesn’t have 31 days).
The complete calendar functions on the Bathyscaphe Quantieme Complet Phases de Lune include: day and month indicator underneath 12 o’clock, a date indicator (by separate hand) around the dial in front of the hour indices and also a moonphase indicator at 6 o’clock.
Movement
The movement inside this latest Blancpain Complete Calendar Moonphase is the brand’s existing Calibre 6654.P.4. This automatic movement operates at a frequency of 4hz (28,800 VpH) delivering 72 hours of power reserve. The timepiece does come with an open case back, however visibility of the movement is limited due to it being closed off by the main plate and winding-rotor.
All-New Ceramic Bracelet
For the first time, Blancpain has created a bracelet in full ceramic. Blancpain states that “The creation of haute horologie bracelet requires the perfect alignment of the links in order to guarantee ideal ergonomics and comfort. In order to achieve this, each link is individually measured in order to guarantee the best possible fit. The bracelet features a patented mounting system that allows the links to be perfectly held together using cam-shaped pins, which guarantees remarkable resistance and great comfort on the wrist.”
In addition to the all-new ceramic bracelet, Blancpain is also offering each colour variation of this latest Complete Calendar Moonphase in either a leather strap or fabric NATO strap.
Blancpain Bathyscaphe Complete Calendar Moon phase presentation in Hayman Island:
Watchadvice was invited to travel to beautiful Hayman Island on the Whitsundays to join with the Blancpain Australian Team. Over three days, Watch Advice had the chance to discover the brand at an intimate level and also to meet one of Blancpain’s partners, Biopixel. Biopixel is one of Australia’s leading production service providers for natural history and animal behavioural sequences, with a particular focus on aquatic life.
Outlined below is a recap of how the three days went, showcasing the hospitality of Blancpain, the stunning Hayman Island, and also the brand new Bathyscaphe timepieces!
Day 1 – Welcome Dinner / Drinks and Biopixel Team Introduction
Watch advice arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel in beautiful Hayman Island.
After check-in, everyone gathered at the Langford lawn for welcome drinks and dinner, and Blancpain Australia introduced the Biopixel team and the brand’s commitment to Ocean Commitment. See our in-depth article on Blancpain’s Ocean Commitment here.
Blancpain Ocean Commitment and Biopixel Introduction
Introduction to the Biopixel team, the work they do and the content they create for documentaries, such as “Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough”, ‘Life in Colour with David Attenborough”, “Supernatural with James Cameron” and “life on our Planet” to name a few.
Day 2 – Great Barrier Reef, Snorkelling and Testing Out Fifty Fathoms Automatique (Ref. 5010)
Day two included a private boat tour of the Great Barrier Reef – Hook Island to Snorkelling and to test out the newly released Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique in the black dial, reference 5010.
Whilst snorkelling, the Biopixel team was recording our underwater adventures featuring the Fifty Fathoms ref 5010.
After snorkelling, we continued our journey to Whitehaven Beach for a beach tour.
On the way back to Hayman Island, the Biopexel team briefed us on the Shark activity around the islands and how they are tagging Sharks present in the area to track their movement patterns.
Once we returned back from Whitehaven Island, we had a Private dinner in the Rainforest Grove at the Intercontinental Hotel.
During the dinner, the attendees got the chance to see the exclusive world premier watch unveiling – The FFifty Fathoms Bathyscape Complete Calendar Moonphase in full ceramic.
Day 3 – See The New Watch Releases Upclose!
The following morning, the guests had the chance to see the new release watches up close and personal in the Aqua Cabanas by the pool!
Our Thoughts on the latest Bathyscaphe Complete Calendar Moonphase
Ceramic watches are certainly not new to the industry; many watch brands use them these days for watch casings, but only a handful of brands use ceramic for bracelets.
After wearing and trying my share of full ceramic watches, what I realised the most is that they feel like a toy watch due to the lightness of the material, especially on the bracelet. At times if the bracelet is light and case is heavy, and if not fitted to the wrist properly the whole watch has a tendency to move on the wrist when worn.
This is not the case for this latest Blancpain ceramic bracelet; it feels super solid just by holding the watch. The weight ratio of the bracelet and casing is well balanced, so even though it’s a ceramic watch, on the wrist, it feels like an SS watch, thus removing the “toy-like feel” on the wrist. Our favourite of the three-dial colours is the Blue dial, as it feels much more colour-balanced with the Ceramic, and it looks great on the wrist!
Reference: 5054-0140-01S (Blue Dial – Ceramic Bracelet), 5054-0140-052A (Blue Dial – Leather Strap), 5054-0140-NAOA (Blue Dial – NATO Strap),
Specifications
- Case Size: 43.6mm
- Case Thickness: 14.1mm
- Case Material: Black ceramic
- Movement: Manufacture Caliber 6654.P
- Power Reserve: Approx. 72 hours
- Water Resistance: 300m (30 bar)
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Strap/Bracelet: Available in either ceramic bracelet, leather strap or NATO fabric strap.
