Swatch’s Secret New Blancpain Diver Just Fixed the Watch’s Biggest Problem

Although Swatch’s collabs with Omega and Blancpain share some commonalities — both are Bioceramic clones of iconic luxury tool watches — they’re also have many differences, including their movements, style and functionality.

But perhaps their biggest difference is the way Swatch treats the two product lines.

The MoonSwatch, even two years after its groundbreaking release, remains the jewel in Swatch’s crown. Every new MoonSwatch release — and there have been many — is treated like a big deal, often accompanied by multiple teases on social media leading up to the big reveal.

Swatch

The Scuba Fifty Fathoms, meanwhile, has evolved into more of an “if you know, you know” type of watch. Over the weekend, Swatch dropped just the second new Blancpain diver since the original series of five watches debuted last year, but you’d be forgiven for missing it. There was no press release, no social media announcement and no appearance on the homepage of Swatch’s website.

But the Blancpain X Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Blue Lagoon does exist. And it fixes a problem that’s plagued the watch from the beginning.

Creature from the Blue Lagoon

Swatch

Swatch sort of painted itself into a bit of a corner by theming the Scuba Fifty Fathoms around the five world oceans, as after those initial five, they were technically out of material on which to base new watches.

But the brand has shown a willingness to get creative and work around this limitation. We first saw that with the release of the “Ocean of Storms” earlier this year, which took its name from an “ocean” on the moon, and now we’re seeing something similar with the new “Blue Lagoon.”

The watch is a tribute to the lagoons of the world — shallow bodies of water that are separated from larger bodies of water by very thin strips of land. Since most lagoons are connected to the ocean, the inspiration still makes sense for the line.

The watch even still gets an illustration of a nudibranch on its caseback, a feature of all Scuba Fifty Fathoms watches, since the Tambja Mullineri depicted is a lagoon-dwelling sea slug. Its bright blue color was the inspiration behind the striking turquoise shade used for the watch’s smoked sun-brushed dial and Bioceramic case.

Swatch

A simple fix

If you’ve never seen a Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms in person, one of the most surprising and disappointing things about the watch is its thickness. At 14.4mm thick, these are some chunky watches, though still plenty wearable on a two-piece strap.

The problem is that Swatch only sells the watches on a traditional NATO strap that passes underneath the case twice, which adds a few more millimeters of height and makes the watch sit very tall on the wrist. With the included strap, the watch is just too thick — a problem that is solvable by swapping out the strap, which requires additional investment.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

The new Blue Lagoon version, however, eschews this design in favor of a two-piece nylon strap. It’s the first time Swatch has employed a two-piece strap for the Scuba Fifty Fathoms, meaning the watch will wear as thin as possible out of the box without requiring the owner to purchase a two-piece strap from a third party.

The strap, which is still styled like the NATOs available on the rest of the Blancpain x Swatch line and is made from recycled fishing nets, also has another benefit in addition to making the watch thinner and more wearable. It also leaves the caseback exposed, meaning you won’t have to disassemble the strap to check out the cool-looking laser-decorated Sistem 51 movement and the aforementioned nudibranch illustration. This is the definition of a win-win.

Swatch

Pricing and Availability

The new Scuba Fifty Fathoms’s turquoise shade is beautiful, and the two-piece strap is a small upgrade to the watch that will make a big difference in its wearability. The only negative I can see, as is typical with Swatch’s Bioceramic collabs, is the watch’s availability.

The Blue Lagoon has the same $400 price tag as all other Blancpain X Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms models, and also like them, it’s only available to purchase in person at select Swatch stores around the world. To see the full list of stores carrying the new model, head here.

Swatch

Blancpain X Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Blue Lagoon

The seventh installment in Swatch’s ongoing collaboration with its high-end sibling Blancpain brings a turquoise shade to the Scuba Fifty Fathoms diver, a tribute to the world’s lagoons.

Specs

Case Size	42.3mm
Movement	Swatch Sistem 51 automatic
Water Resistance	91m

• $400 at Swatch

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