Fifty Fathoms Barakuda

A dive into its archives took Blancpain back in time to the 1960s, when the brand supplied the German Bundesmarine with Fifty Fathoms watches via Barakuda, a manufacturer and distributor of diving equipment. Now the watchmaker is reviving a civilian equivalent of its legendary dive watch as a limited edition with a distinctly vintage air. The black dial of this Fifty Fathoms Barakuda features large, rectangular hour markers, coated with "old radium"-type Super-LumiNova® and swept by white lacquered pencil-shaped hands. The prominent date window, a key element of the original model, takes up the 3 o'clock position. Bringing new to old, Blancpain tops the dial with the unidirectional bezel with a domed scratchproof sapphire crystal insert that premiered in 2003. Water-resistant to 300 metres, the 40mm steel case (a diameter reserved for the limited editions) contains the 1151 calibre which is automatically wound by a cut-out rotor, a reference to certain historic models in the collection.