Blancpain rumors?

[GB-man]

[bobernet]

Looking more and more like they’re getting my money again.

[paxsinica]

Alright I heard from my source that it's gonna be 47mm. Take it with a grain of salt.

[DoraTheExplorerII]

No 4:30 date window?

[Aferrariguy]

Originally Posted by bobernet

If it’s a more manageable sized 500F, I will absolutely be buying one. The 500F is an amazing piece of mechanical dive watch innovation.

Did you mean the X-Fathoms?


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[rdragon]

Originally Posted by CharlesN

I was invited to one of the new watch launch locations.

It was a very pleasant evening, Thank you Blancpain.

I was lucky to be able to see, touch and even wear the new model.

It looks good on my wrist, It looked good on other peoples wrists also.

It certainly has some interesting features.

Blancpain, without doubt, have listened to some people and produced an innovative watch which shows how they have understood the needs of some divers.

Sounds like a fun evening. Did they share why Act II was handled differently than Act I? Interesting that some clients had a chance to handle Act II before purchasing vs. purchasing sight unseen for Act I.

[CharlesN]

Originally Posted by rdragon

Sounds like a fun evening. Did they share why Act II was handled differently than Act I? Interesting that some clients had a chance to handle Act II before purchasing vs. purchasing sight unseen for Act I.

It certainly was an entertaining and very informative evening.

There was no mention of why or if things have changed for the presentation of the watch.

[asiparks]

Originally Posted by BendyBee

Dont have high hope for BP. They dont seem to hear or understand or care about what we want.

not sure why they should.
Like any other watch brand, they make what they make and if you like it, great. If you don't, then there's likely another brand making something that meets your needs. Does it matter that it's not a "Blancpain" ?

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by asiparks

not sure why they should.
Like any other watch brand, they make what they make and if you like it, great. If you don't, then there's likely another brand making something that meets your needs. Does it matter that it's not a "Blancpain" ?

Yes because we consider the FF an absolute icon and we want something moderately sized that’s well executed by our stupid nerd standards lol

[bobernet]

Originally Posted by Aferrariguy

Did you mean the X-Fathoms?


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Yes, I absolutely did. Thanks for the catch.

[GS719691]

I read the the Act 2 watch will be 28k. If anyone is interested in selling their Ocean Commitment III to help fund their Act 2 purchase, please let me know.

[stormshadow]

I am a Blancpain fan and I have had a good share of their pieces, but $28k…. Blancpain keeps pushing the envelope for what they are charging for their pieces. In my opinion, for steel and even titanium, that’s a hefty rate. At that price, bracelet is compulsory.

Will reserve most of my judgement until I see what it is, and price.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by GS719691

I read the the Act 2 watch will be 28k. If anyone is interested in selling their Ocean Commitment III to help fund their Act 2 purchase, please let me know.

Man I was offered that watch at 25% off at release and the salesman told me i couldn’t lose on it. Guess he was right.

[GS719691]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Man I was offered that watch at 25% off at release and the salesman told me i couldn’t lose on it. Guess he was right.

They are hard to come by. I am wondering if Act 3 will be tied to the Ocean Commitment. Maybe a blue dial FF similar to the OC3.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by GS719691

They are hard to come by. I am wondering if Act 3 will be tied to the Ocean Commitment. Maybe a blue dial FF similar to the OC3.

I only passed because I don’t like blue dials. Great piece if you do. Also wasn’t in love with the text.

[Rolextellstime]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/...cd71e24a283799

Here it is! Blancpain continues to innovate and lead the way.

As we suspected, a true diving instrument.

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[bobernet]

I would have been in if it had the depth gauge from the X Fathoms, but I don’t think a 3 hour timer is enough to get me to jump.

[Rolextellstime]

Blancpain Just Dropped a New Fifty Fathoms Watch With the World’s First 3-Hour Dive Timer​


Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Act 2 Tech Gombessa Provided by Robb Report
Story by Carol Besler

Blancpain upstages the first act of its 70th Anniversary Fifty Fathoms edition with a second act that raises the curtain on a world-first in watchmaking. The Fifty Fathoms Act 2 Tech Gombessa can time dives of up to three hours compared to the usual 60 minutes. Both Fify Fathoms Act 1 and 2 kick off what is promised to be a year of memorable performances to celebrate seven decades of the diver. The Tech Gombessa is a game-changer for the brand and heralds a new line called Fifty Fathoms Tech, which will encompass all Blancpain watches dedicated to technical scuba diving.
Act 1, a limited edition of 210 pieces—three sets of 70—was not much of a departure from recent designs (date window at 4 o’clock, 300-meter water resistance, domed sapphire bezel insert), with the exception of a special caseback engraving and a slightly scaled-down 42 mm size (the Fifty Fathoms maxes out at 45). Act 2, the Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa measures 47 mm—the largest in the collection so far. Gone is the 4 o’clock date window, and the sapphire bezel has been replaced with a ceramic ring that is curved inward towards the dial.

In the interest of greater legibility, Blancpain also added a spherical crystal over the bezel, all the better to see the star of the show: the bezel is marked for three-hour dives rather than the standard one-hour track. Instead of the 15, 30 and 45 cardinal markers, it charts 30 for the first half hour of the dive, then reverts to hour indicators, going from 1 to 1:30, 2 and 2:30 before reaching the diamond marker that represents the three-hour limit. A fourth hand on the center dial tracks the diver’s progress. It makes a full turn every three hours and is covered with a white luminescent coating with green emission, matching the bezel markers. The movement that drives the new three-hour scale is the automatic caliber 13P8, a world first that was five years in development. It has the same five-day power reserve as the caliber 1315, used in the line since 2007.

Blancpain CEO Marc Hayek, an avid scuba diver, personally tested the watch, along with Laurent Bellesta, founder of the Gombessa project, which is dedicated to the study of hammerhead sharks. Blancpain began the development of the Tech Gombessa in 2019, with the goal of timing longer dives, starting with members of the Gombessa expedition. Four prototypes were worn by divers for a 50-day trial period at depths of 120 meters as part of the Gombessa V and Gombessa VI missions conducted in the Mediterranean in 2019 and 2021. The divers lived for an entire month on both occasions in a five-square-meter hyperbaric chamber, from which they emerged daily to explore the depths. They tested several versions of the helium valve, and the watch underwent numerous adjustments resulting from a multitude of tests in real-life conditions.

The dial has a new finish, called absolute black, which has a structure that captures almost 97 percent of the light, ensuring the best possible readability in the dark against the contrast of luminated, block-shaped hour markers. The markers are orange with blue emission, colors that are picked up on the hours and minute hands to differentiate between time-related information and diving times. Hour and minute hands are colored to match. The case of the Tech Gombessa is grade 23 titanium, the purest alloy of the metal. The lugs are also new: They are positioned at the center of the case, a first for Blancpain, and attached to the strap from the inside of the case middle. The black rubber strap is screwed to the back of the lugs and has an internal titanium reinforcement. The rotor is stamped with the Gombessa Expeditions logo.
At $28,000, all of the bells and whistles of the Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa will set you back a little more than the Act 1 Fifty Fathoms ($17,400)—the price difference between the preamble and the real action. Stay tuned for the next act.


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[Greenp]

So, just an extra hand that makes 1 rotation every 3 hours.

[CharlesN]

Originally Posted by Greenp

So, just an extra hand that makes 1 rotation every 3 hours.

And a Helium Escape Valve.

Both are useful to some Tech divers.

[GB-man]

Hard pass.

[vipereaper30]

While I'm *so* impressed that this was developed by the president and CEO of Blancpain, I'm also a hard pass. What an embarrassing year for them.

[NardinNut]

I commend BP for releasing a very focused tool watch for a (rich) diver. This thing is quite impressive from a tech/tool standpoint. They didn’t chase mass sales/appeal and focused on what made FF an icon originally, being a purpose driven tool. This is no different than the recent releases of the Rolex DeepSea Challenge or the Omega Ultra Deep, but with new tech.

With that said, I will not be buying one as I have no need for it and I don’t have 8”+ wrist to be able to pull it off.

https://monochrome-watches.com/blanc...w-specs-price/

[Batmannr1]

Bald move of Blancpain. Releasing a new model with a newly designed case, bezel and strap, a genuine tool watch. Just that the targeted rebreather diver market is a small segment and I cannot envision that this huge watch will be comfortable for casual wear on shore.

[bobernet]

Glad I got in on the Act 1. This new one is only about $5k less than the going price for an X Fathoms. If I was buying a dedicated dive tool, it would be that.

[GB-man]

[GB-man]

[Aferrariguy]

Originally Posted by bobernet

Glad I got in on the Act 1. This new one is only about $5k less than the going price for an X Fathoms. If I was buying a dedicated dive tool, it would be that.

Agreed about Act I. I didn’t think they would release anything too similar honestly and take away from Act I


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[Aferrariguy]

Not going to be buying, but I think it’s badass. It’s not for the commercial market but is doubling down on Blancpain as the dive watch manufacture

Lugless design makes this wear smaller than 47mm


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[shammad10]

Blancpain are killing me. Why do they hate their fanbase so much!!!