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There was a time when mechanical dive watches were an essential survival tool for those working underwater. Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms is the OG diver and was released in 1952, one year before the Rolex Submariner saw the light of day.The Fifty Fathoms was born out of pure necessity as the combat swimmers of the French navy were looking for a reliable watch to be used on their missions in the early 1950s. The head of this elite group, Captain Bob Maloubier, submitted a sketch with the desired specifications to several watch brands, but none of them were willing to actually produce such a watch. Eventually, a small French watchmaker by the name of Blancpain took up the task and the Fifty Fathoms was released in 1952. The Fifty Fathoms is truly the template for all modern diving watches: a large stainless steel case, automatic movement, rotating bezel, and black dial with large contrasting luminous markers and hands.This Fifty Fathoms from 1958 is a rare and well-preserved example of an early Fifty Fathoms. The watch features a 41 mm stainless steel case with a soft iron inner cage to ensure its antimagnetic properties. The glossy black dial features warm gilt printing and large radium numerals at the quarter positions and intermediate hour markers for legibility in conditions of low visibility. The oversized ribbed rotating steel bezel contains a black acrylic inlay with radium markers that mirror the dial. Over time, the markings on the bezel, dial, and hands have taken on a lovely custardy patina.The watch is in excellent condition with a thick and barely polished steel case. You should know that the bezel inlay has a crack at the 45 position, but otherwise is in excellent condition and, more importantly, all original. In fact, the authenticity of this Fifty Fathoms has been confirmed by Blancpain’s heritage department as described in an accompanying authentication report. We’ve paired the watch with a vintage style black leather racing strap.