Earlier this month, Blancpain debuted a new series of Ocean Commitment limited-edition watches. With each purchase, Blancpain supports oceanic environmental causes through sizeable donations, while automatically enrolling each purchaser in the Ocean Commitment Circle. The first watch in this series is the Ocean Commitment Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback and is limited to 250 pieces.
The Bathyscaphe model has a long history at Blancpain. It was introduced in 1956 as a daily-wear diving watch with a smaller diameter than its predecessor, the Fifty Fathoms.
A blue color theme was chosen for this limited-edition piece, which is housed in a gray ceramic case with a ceramic crown and chronograph pushers. Blue appears over the dial and subdials as well as the unidirectional ceramic rotating bezel.
This watch features the latest innovation in Blancpain’s designs: the F385. The F385 is a new column wheel controlled flyback chronograph movement and incorporates silicon for the balance wheel spiral. The silicon not only provides protection for magnetism, but also allows a view of the movements within the watch.
In addition to the F385 innovation, the Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback has sealed chronograph pushers allowing divers to use it to a depth of 300 meters, and an enhanced flyback function. The flyback function simplifies the operation of timing back-to-back events by reducing the task to a single push of the return to zero pusher, which resets and restarts the timing—a beneficial element for divers’ decompression stops.
In addition to being enrolled in the Ocean Commitment Circle, every client will receive a copy of Blancpain’s collectible volume Fifty Fathoms The Dive and Watch History 1953-2013 with their purchase. Members of the Ocean Commitment circle will be granted close relations with Blancpain partners, news through the Ocean Commitment website, and private invitations to scientific expedition report presentations and documentary premieres.
