THE HISTORY OF BLANCPAIN

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IN TIME
Again trial and error was the order of
the day to determine final shape. Too
much top surface rounding would produce
great visual allure, but had the
unfortunate side effect of distorting the
markings underneath. Too little rounding
treatment and visual interest diminished.
After dozens and dozens of experiments,
Blancpain arrived at the happy medium, a
non-distorting subtle curvature which
enhanced both the exterior shape of the
watch and the markings underneath.
The development work was still far
from completed. Next, Blancpain under-
The ensemble of bezel and crystal create the ambiance of the
historic Fifty Fathoms, but carried out in modern materials.
Cotes en mm
Tolérances en μ
Tol. générales: ±20 Angles non tol.: ±5°
took the search for a suitable adhesive to
secure the sapphire ring into a metal channel
which would house it. Because the Fifty
Fathoms featured a rotating bezel (a diving
must), it would have a grip surface on its
outside circumference to facilitate turning.
Both strength and suppleness were identified
as requirements for the adhesive. Suppleness
was particularly vital as the adhesive would
need to compensate for temperature changes
and the expansion and contraction of the
metal channel.
Of course the sapphire bezel did not exist
in visual isolation. It truly was part of a visu-
al ensemble with the crystal itself. The original
Fifty Fathoms featured a mineral glass
crystal which was both thick and rounded
to withstand water pressure during dives. It
was out of the question to turn the clock
backwards and fashion the crystal for the
new watch out of scratch prone mineral
glass. However, it was clear that the original
look had to be respected. Thus the
new sapphire crystal would feature a
rounded top surface and a slight shoulder
which captured the muscular ambiance of
the 1953 original. But the crystal, although
rounded, was not to function as a lens, so