The Original Dive Watch Just Launched Its Most Affordable Version

Blancpain created the first true dive watch in 1953, and it is now available in its original size with a steel case.

a close up view of a Blancpain dive watch with a black dial

Published April 10, 2025

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Updated April 10, 2025

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Blancpain invented the modern dive watch in 1953 with the release of the original Fifty Fathoms, named after the maximum depth recommended for SCUBA diving at the time.

The Fifty Fathoms established the dive watch category as we still know it today and has served as a template for brands ranging from Seiko to (arguably) Rolex. It is safe to say that its original design is one of the most influential watches of all time.

a black Blancpain dive watch — The Fifty Fathoms Automatique is faithful to the original 1953 design with a 42mm steel case.

Since its permanent return in 2008, the Fifty Fathoms has existed primarily with an imposing 45mm case. However, non-limited variations in the original 42mm size started to appear in 2023 with a Swatch collaboration and in 2024 with a shrunken-down titanium model.

Finally, in 2025, we’re getting a Fifty Fathoms reference with the same 42mm size and steel case as the 1953 original. It is the closest thing to the original true dive watch in new production right now, and it is slightly more affordable than its 45mm sibling.

A return to form

After changing ownership several times and navigating some challenging waters, Blancpain joined the Swatch Group in 1997, but it took some time for the grandaddy of divers to resurface in its original form.

The original Fifty Fathoms design returned in 2003 with a limited-edition 50th-anniversary model. Five years later, when vintage dive watches were making a comeback via social media and the exploding resale market, Blancpain introduced the Fifty Fathoms Automatique.

It was a polished-up version of the 1953 design, updated with more prominent hour and minute hands that came to a sharper point, a red tip on the seconds hand, applied indices and the addition of a date complication.

One Fifty Fathoms Automatique upgrade that was slightly divisive was the enlarged 45mm case. Legibility is critical for professional diving, but that size is encumbering out of the water and downright unwieldy for those with smaller wrists.

the dial of a Blancpain dive watch — The Fifty Fathoms Automatique dial is a refined but faithful version of the original.

After testing the waters, so to speak, with a 42mm Swatch Fifty Fathoms collab in Bioceramic and a couple of like-sized luxury material references, Blancpain has finally come full circle back to a regular production 42mm steel Fifty Fathoms.

Still a professional

The new, more faithful Fifty Fathoms Automatique runs on the same in-house caliber 1315 automatic movement as most of the rest of the collection. It has an antimagnetic silicon balance spring and an astounding 120-hour power reserve.

the case back of a Blancpain dive watch — The 42mm steel Fifty Fathoms Automatique runs on the same caliber 1315 automatic movement as most of the rest of the collection.

Pretty much every detail is identical to the existing 45mm stainless steel Fifty Fathoms Automatique, only scaled down. It has a polished case, a black radial brushed sunburst dial, with hints of charcoal in certain light, framed by a sapphire crystal domed unidirectional bezel.

A screw-down crown and screw-in case back ensure the 300m water resistance, which more than triples the nominal fifty fathoms (91.4m). The 14mm thick case is topped with an AR-coated sapphire crystal.

The hands and indices retain the same shape and luminous insets. A discrete date window is still located at 4:30. The dial markings are the same, with the brand logo below 12 o’clock, and Fifty Fathoms script and depth rating above 6 o’clock.

For fans of the original Fifty Fathoms and dive watch purists, this new reference feels like an “it’s about time” moment.

three black dive watches — The 42mm steel Fifty Fathoms Automatique has three strap options, pictured above, along with a steel bracelet.

Availability and pricing

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique 42mm Steel is available now from Blancpain and authorized dealers.

It costs $18,000 on a steel bracelet, $16,800 on a sailcloth or tropical rubber strap with a tri-fold deployant clasp, and $15,500 on either strap with a pin buckle or on a nylon NATO strap. The latter price undercuts the equivalent 45mm steel version by $200, making this new model the most affordable Fifty Fathoms Automatique currently offered by Blancpain.