Writing a new chapter in the history of its iconic diving watch Fifty Fathoms, Swiss horologist Blancpain has launched its Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2: Tech Gombessa. Inspired by the invaluable heritage of the Fifty Fathoms watch - which debuted in 1953 as the world’s first modern diving watch - the Tech Gombessa is an ode to masterful mechanical engineering. Featuring a patented innovation co-developed by Blancpain’s President and CEO, Marc A. Hayek, and Laurent Ballesta, founder and leader of marine project Gombessa Expeditions and Blancpain’s long-time dive partner, which took five years in development, the Tech Gombessa is designed for long-duration deep dives, and is the first timepiece capable of measuring immersions of up to three hours, affording divers more time for longer marine research per dive.
Unlike conventional diving watch bezels, the bezel on the Tech Gombessa has a three-hour scale linked to a special hand that completes one full rotation every three hours. The markers of which feature a white luminescent coating that emits a green glow to match the colour of the diver-time hand. The dial has a special ‘absolute black’ finish capturing almost 97 percent of available light for optimum legibility in the dark. And the case, which is grade 23 titanium, is hypoallergenic, extraordinarily robust and incredibly light despite its 47mm diameter. It is also water-resistant to 30 bar, which is approximately 300 metres, and is equipped with a helium valve.
The back of the watch showcases the 13P8 automatic movement, which meets the same reliability and strength criteria that have made the Fifty Fathoms the ultimate diver’s watch for the past 70 years, and is stamped with the Gombessa Expeditions logo.
A new indispensable watch that will change the face of marine timekeeping, whilst cementing Blancpain’s ongoing commitment to ocean preservation.