Subdued Luxury, the Blancpain Bathyscaphe

[rockmastermike]

While no watch holds any place of permanence in my collection, there are many that I like more than others and then there are a small handful that I actually connect with.....the 3570, the JLC DeepSea Chrono and the Grand Seiko SBGR061 come to mind. I am adding the Bathyscaphe to that exclusive club.

The Bathy is discrete and purposeful and I can't remember where I heard term but it is "subdued luxury"

43mm wide and 13.4mm thick, it is sportier than its big brother with a sunburst dial that is explosive and ever shifting - the SS version sports a grey-ish dial while the Ti version goes with a black dial.

The overall delivery / effect is immediately one of "shock and awe" at the confluence and harmony of, what on the surface seem to be mismatched elements. The tool-ish indicators of the Heavily grained titanium, larger crown and hardcore NATO paired with highly polished white gold hands/makers and a ceramic bezel that normally are associated with dress-ier type watches.





Two things I want you to notice in this shot: 1) Beaultiful play of the dial and 2) the facted lugs



The facet on the lugs tapers up to the case showing off very pleasing lines up to the crown - the crown is not small, but not out of place either - very easy to grip and operate and still keeping in proper perspective with the case





Ceramic Bezel with Liquid Metal inserts and very crisp and sharp detent



Polished white gold indices and hands and the printing text is austere - small logo and fine printing that doesn't scream at you - discrete







Date window at 4:30 is subdued thanks to the matching black background. Note the beveled frame of the window



Taking a step back from dial details - the overall appearance of the dial is nothing short of astonishing and often shows a range of shades/hues and tones with the slightest motion of the wrist





Turn the watch over and it gets even better if you can believe it. The star of the watch is the Calibre 1315. From the Blancpain website:
"The goal in particular was to endow the watch with an optimal autonomy, while ensuring constant energy at all times. The new Calibre 1315 does indeed have an exceptional power reserve of 5 days. 120 hours. It uses a glucydur free sprung balance."

35 jewels & 227 components and all finished with what you’d expect from a High Horology Manufacture



3 mainspring barrels coupled in series ensure even release of torque



Grained texture to the blackened 18ct gold rotor. It is a heavy winding mass that ensures efficient and effective winding on the wrist



Amagnetic due to the silicon hairspring – open case back and still 300m / 1000 Ft



Edges of the bridges are polished – slots are camfered - even the jewel sinks are polished







Turning her back around - Exceptional lume – doesn’t take much effort to charge and is long lasting



And Finally, I coulnd't stop without at least mentioning the High End heavy duty hardware on what quite possibly could be pinnacle of NATO’s and very nive sailcloth with a thin backing - both are very comfortable and feature Beautifully finished and faceted pin buckle







Thank you