Blancpain

Something rarely seen? (With a thought for the great Miles Davis.) Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ref 5200, Ocean Commitment I, limited edition of 250 pieces launched in 2014. I have been looking for this version ever since since it was pre...  

Congrats to you!!

That’s a fraction larger than the regular series, which measure 43.00 x 14.90. But it wears much smaller than its specs, like all FF and Bathyscaphes do. Not to mention the gorgeous lightweight. I will share the weight data later today.

I must say, I’ve grown tired of smaller watches. I wore 38 and less when the fashion was into bigger watches. Now that the trend is to smaller cases I rarely wear anything under 42mm. But that’s just me.

Yes. The diameter is measured at the bezel. The case is always 1mm smaller, in the Bathyscaphes. I will share photos of it next to its steel sibling. They look exactly the same despite the specs. ...  

I’m of course wrong in assuming that everyone knows that the first iterations of the Bathyscaphe Flyback Chrono unveiled at Baselworld 2014 included grey sunray on steel, full black ceramic and this LE of the first blue dial ever on a Bathyscaphe, on grey... 

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Thanks! I’ve loved the Bathyscaphe since 2013, perhaps even more so than the modern FF, which I’ve loved since 2007. They are not “poseur” watches, yet they are amazing aesthetically and more importantly in the inside. The two star calibres 1315 and F385 ... 

I own its cousin the GSOTM and I suspect the ceramic has a similar feel. ...  

I guess the ceramic technology is the same, but yours looks more like polished steel, from these photos. A gorgeous effect, indeed!

Absolutely beautiful timepiece!

Thank you! 😽

Thanks for posting many nice photos.

Mind elaborating as to the technical details that draw you to the F385? I’ve been drawn to this piece recently (though in grey) and would like to learn more about the caliber.

I’ve taken photos for you in my copy of Lettres du Brassus from that time. I discovered the calibre at my local Blancpain Boutique. They invited me to try on one of the first units after Baselworld 2014. I bought my steel version then, which I am wearing ...  

Thanks for taking the time to post this. An interesting read about flyback implementation. Also very interesting to see how thin the movement is. Just wish they’d get into a thinner case. The slim dimensions of the Leman chronos with the F185 make me pine... 

At Baselworld 2014, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph (cal. F385) was immediately compared to two established benchmarks in automatic chronographs: the Rolex 4130 (Daytona) and the Zenith El Primero (cal. 400). All three were — a... 

Thanks! It is mesmerising in person. And the precision of this calibre is peerless, in my experience.

It is the second ceramic case that Blancpain has ever made. The first one was black in March 2014, and then in October 2014, this successful experiment with grey, which was later rolled out in non-limited edition for the 3-hands Bathy ref 5000. It is an e... 

reference used a different color case than the other models. I have been considering the black dial / ceramic model but am interested here (despite owning so many blue dials). Also - mind sharing your wrist size? Watch is a great fit in you but proportion... 

My wrist size is 17.5. The colour of the case is unique, to my knowledge. No other watch from any other brand has a ceramic case with this special dark grey colour, a bit brownish. It is similar to some variants of titanium, but when you really look at it...