Blancpain

Can anyone explain why the Bathyscaphe Chrono 5Hz Flyback is soooo underrated (especially in the beautiful slate grey dial on steel)? It is horologically one of the two groundbreaking achievements of Blancpain in the modern FF era. The angular luxury tool...  

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Lovely! Mine is among the first made. I purchased it right after Baselworld 2014. And, like you, I have loved it ever since, never got bored.

It seems to barely take any light to "charge" it.

Yes! All the Fifty Fathoms have IMHO the best lume in the industry. The Bathyscaphe’s lume is perhaps more spectacular because the dots are very tiny but they glow enormously through the entire night. ...  

I am wearing this one today. Same lume, of course. ...  

I love this watch. It’s been my default everyday wearer for the last eleven years ...  

Thanks! This is the nato with the steel hardware, the nato that they don’t do anymore. It is discontinued like the X70 bracelet.

Horologically, finishing-wise, these are tip top. I love the pairing Blancpain has done with their two basic diver lines: they had one that was all curves and then they made one that was all angles. My only complaint is that the dial feels a little too em... 

Yes, I have used the pushers underwater for 11 years without finding any issue. I fully agree with your point about curves vs angles, and that’s why I feel that the current bracelet X71 (which equipped the 5015 and the Leman line right from the start) doe... 

I think the bathy is one of the best laid out chronos on the market, perfection if no date and the chrono more beautiful front and back with a nice modern caliber that gives space to the subdials. The chrono and time only have the same bezel and mid case,... 

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Very nice! But you are using the strap of the FF42mm…

No, the tropic is a 23mm. They released it for the Bathyscaphe and the FF45mm lately

Ah? OK. I wasn’t aware

To answer your question, I have long considered a Bathy Chrono but the dimensions always push me away at the last moment. The thickness in particular just doesn’t suit me and the overall watch requires larger wrists. These days I prefer more slim designs.... 

I can see that size might be an issue for some people. In my case, the size of the Bathyscaphe feels perfect on my wrist, and so does the size of the FF 45mm. Each time I’ve tried one of the smaller models they have always looked wrong.