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Old 16 June 2018, 08:37 AM   #31
Air Tzar
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Would never consider one new. Take a bath on the used market if you ever sell it.
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"It's hard to find the proper adjectives to describe the Submariner. It's the watch that can both begin and end a collection. It's the watch that you can wear every single day of your life and not worry about, or it's the watch you can put in a safe and have it rise in value year after year. The Submariner is, in my belief, the quintessential timepiece for many. When my mind thinks of the word 'watch,' it is a Submariner I see."
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Old 16 June 2018, 08:47 AM   #32
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Not a brand I'm particularly interested in. The FF deserves kudos as the grandfather of divers, and the Bathyscaphe looks pretty charming. But, no, I've considered buying one.
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Old 16 June 2018, 09:52 AM   #33
Aplover5
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The FF Bathyscape Sedna Gold is in my rotation and is a beautiful watch. Purchased full set from SW Florida dealer like new for less than half retail.
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Old 16 June 2018, 01:50 PM   #34
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I think the FF is a great watch. Would prefer one over a sub if prices were close which they probably are in reality these days.
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Old 16 June 2018, 02:01 PM   #35
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I think the FF is a great watch. Would prefer one over a sub if prices were close which they probably are in reality these days.
Very much so. You can get a BNIB FF for like 9 and change.
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Old 17 June 2018, 10:09 AM   #36
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I own both a 5712 and a Blancpain Bathyscaph. I can tell you that my Blancpain is one of the best watches I've ever owned. I absolutely LOVE the movement (crazy accurate - 5 day movement) and the finishing Blancpain's movements is top notch.. Below are pictures from a Fifty Fathoms with a case back - you can see no corners cut anywhere.

Full tear down review -> https://www.thenakedwatchmaker.com/decon-blancpain

Notice the comments from an actual watchmaker vs random watch snobs:

"Although quality is a subjective point of view, amongst all of the diver's watches I have handled, this one, combined with its faraday-like cage, distinguishes itself"













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Old 18 June 2018, 01:08 AM   #37
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^ ^ Now that’s a proper reply. Great post
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Old 8 July 2018, 03:57 PM   #38
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No love for the Bathyscaphe?!?!?!
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Old 8 July 2018, 06:13 PM   #39
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Blancpain’s FF is a stunning diver watch with a fantastic history. The crystal bezel is one of a kind, not to mention the stunning lumen and I totally adore my MIL-SPEC, perfectly sized at 40mm. The level of detail in the execution of the case and the 5 days movement are top notch quality. The rotor design on the Aqua Lung is the nicest rotor on any diver watch. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.
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Old 9 July 2018, 03:25 AM   #40
pimp4cheddar
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Blancpain’s FF is a stunning diver watch with a fantastic history. The crystal bezel is one of a kind, not to mention the stunning lumen and I totally adore my MIL-SPEC, perfectly sized at 40mm. The level of detail in the execution of the case and the 5 days movement are top notch quality. The rotor design on the Aqua Lung is the nicest rotor on any diver watch. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Totally agree.

I've spent months looking for a proper watch that can be a daily wearer...but still sporty...but still extremely elegant. Something that can be worn in a boardroom and also on a Sunday for brunch. Something that will bring me happiness every time I glance at it...but yet something that MOST people would ever be able to spot and know what it is.

The general issue I've always had with the Rolex brand (I realize this is TRF) is the watch has a certain social status from rookies to elitist. You walk into any office or boardroom and anyone who is willing to spend $7k+ is wearing a Rolex.

I ended up at the FF Bathyscaphe and I could not be happier. The finish is stunning and the size is much different on a wrist vs what you read online. My Bathy is 43mm and it fits smaller than a ceramic Sub or GMT.
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Old 24 July 2019, 12:34 PM   #41
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I own two Pateks, an AP, and a VC, and I just picked up a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe. The quality is superb and on par with VC and AP, but I don’t think matches up to Patek. The reason for this is simple the movement, which is a bit rustic and utilitarian, but otherwise phenomenal. I think the Fofty Fathoms is the only true watch that can be considered a haute horology tool watch.











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Old 24 July 2019, 01:12 PM   #42
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Blancpain perspective by PP owners?

Absolutely love my fifty fathoms. Not a PP owner, but an AP owner and I consider the FF a high end diver on par with the AP diver (with a much better history to boot)

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Old 24 July 2019, 03:22 PM   #43
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If you’re considering the tribute to milspec I would tread carefully. People are asking close to retail on it and I firmly believe these will be going for 8-9k in a few years.

I would personally get the standard ff as ADs are happy to discount them heavily. My biggest concerns with it are horrendous service experiences that are not isolated and chips to the bezel I’ve seen on numerous preowned examples for sale.

I still might buy one if they drop a no date.
Well I was wrong on point A and stuck to my word on point B. Good to keep score
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Old 24 July 2019, 05:31 PM   #44
mickyd329
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LOOL


Tapatalk kullanarak iPhone aracılığıyla gönderildi
Real classy there bud...

BTW, only PP, AP, and some FPJ hold real resale value from your list. To include VC and Breguet as brands that hold resale value clearly shows your lack of knowledge in this space. Blancpains resale value is similar to that of VC, Breguet, or JLC.
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Old 24 July 2019, 06:33 PM   #45
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Not much of a fan.

The divers are getting a lot of love for their history and quality but their look has never appealed to me much. For a diver I also prefer a more basic tool watch, say a Sub or SD4K if modern or a 1990s IWC Ocean 2000.

The non-divers never made it onto my radar, so no opinion there.
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Old 25 July 2019, 04:56 AM   #46
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Interesting responses across the board, with a lot of dismissive posts.

I can only speak to their divers, but I don't think the Blancpain divers are really designed to compete with PP, AP, VC etc.... on the high horology side of things. Very different watches with different markets and uses -- and of course different prices, particularly on the used/forum front. I for one love Blancpain dive watches, and wear them much more than my Patek or AP sport watches in part because when not at work I would like to be on a boat, on a football or baseball field or doing something that better befits a watch with a ceramic or sapphire bezel.

With that in mind, my Blancpains compete with my Rolex Sea Dwellers, and to me personally they are a step above Rolex in looks and cool factor (mainly due to the dials and bezel, with crazy lume), but definitely a step below in fit (45mm and 23mm lug is not ideal and the FF Sport pins suck) and reliability (although I have owned probably 10 Blancpain divers over the years and never had a service issue). I will say that the 100 hour power reserve is a huge plus for me. If I could only keep the Blancpain divers or my Sea Dwellers, I might actually take the Blancpains in part because I wear Rolex Subs, GMTs, etc... to work most days and like to switch it up on weekends.

For reference, I prefer divers over all else, but I currently own two Pateks (5711 and 5164), one AP (Diver, but have owned 15202, 15300 and 15400) and 4 Blancpain (45mm Sport in SS black, 45mm Sport in TI blue, Bathy in blue with ceramic case and the 40mm OCIII FF) to go with a bunch of Rolexes (7 right now), Doxa, Sinn, Omega and Seiko. And I have not bought anything direct from a boutique or AD so all are at used/forum prices, which to me makes BP even more attractive in this crazy Patek and Rolex used price world.

Sorry for the partial rant, and since threads like this are worthless without pics, here are some of BPs that I have owed plus the two current Pateks since this is the Patek forum:








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Old 25 July 2019, 05:20 AM   #47
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Originally Posted by RALAUstin View Post
Interesting responses across the board, with a lot of dismissive posts.

I can only speak to their divers, but I don't think the Blancpain divers are really designed to compete with PP, AP, VC etc.... on the high horology side of things. Very different watches with different markets and uses -- and of course different prices, particularly on the used/forum front. I for one love Blancpain dive watches, and wear them much more than my Patek or AP sport watches in part because when not at work I would like to be on a boat, on a football or baseball field or doing something that better befits a watch with a ceramic or sapphire bezel.

With that in mind, my Blancpains compete with my Rolex Sea Dwellers, and to me personally they are a step above Rolex in looks and cool factor (mainly due to the dials and bezel, with crazy lume), but definitely a step below in fit (45mm and 23mm lug is not ideal and the FF Sport pins suck) and reliability (although I have owned probably 10 Blancpain divers over the years and never had a service issue). I will say that the 100 hour power reserve is a huge plus for me. If I could only keep the Blancpain divers or my Sea Dwellers, I might actually take the Blancpains in part because I wear Rolex Subs, GMTs, etc... to work most days and like to switch it up on weekends.

For reference, I prefer divers over all else, but I currently own two Pateks (5711 and 5164), one AP (Diver, but have owned 15202, 15300 and 15400) and 4 Blancpain (45mm Sport in SS black, 45mm Sport in TI blue, Bathy in blue with ceramic case and the 40mm OCIII FF) to go with a bunch of Rolexes (7 right now), Doxa, Sinn, Omega and Seiko. And I have not bought anything direct from a boutique or AD so all are at used/forum prices, which to me makes BP even more attractive in this crazy Patek and Rolex used price world.

Sorry for the partial rant, and since threads like this are worthless without pics, here are some of BPs that I have owed plus the two current Pateks since this is the Patek forum:








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