Blancpain announces the release of a full-length documentary film Fifty Fathoms – The history as told by the pioneers who created it. Narrated by American Emmy Award-winning actor and author Peter Coyote, the film recounts the most important events in the creation and seven-decade evolution of the watch. First-hand interviews are conducted with Jean-Jacques Fiechter, its inventor; Robert “Bob” Maloubier, OBE, who oversaw the French Navy’s adoption of the Fifty Fathoms as its dive watch; and Marc A. Hayek, Blancpain’s President & CEO, who revived this iconic timepiece.
Created in 1952 by Blancpain‘s then Co-CEO Jean-Jacques Fiechter – a passionate diver who drew upon his personal underwater experiences – the Fifty Fathoms holds the place of the most important development in the world of diving watches. Its features and designs were not only milestones at the time, they were so perceptive that they have defined the genre of diving watches for the entire industry ever since.
The film abounds with anecdotes taken from the rich history of the Fifty Fathoms. It relates Jean-Jacques Fiechter’s epiphany following an emergency ascent during one of his dives, when he lost track of time and ran out of air, causing him to understand the importance of a reliable timekeeping instrument for the underwater world.
The film presents the key inventions – all patented – which Fiechter developed, explained by a master-watchmaker from Blancpain’s Vintage department. It reveals the inspiration for the name Fifty Fathoms, drawn from Shakespeare’s work The Tempest.
Also recounted is the saga of the US Navy’s multi-year testing program that led to the selection of the Fifty Fathoms as its dive watch and gave rise to the famous MIL-SPEC models, as is the German Navy chapter and the particulars of the “BUND No Rad”, among many other themes.
The documentary film stems from years of research, notably involving dozens of interviews with the key players throughout the history of this timepiece, unearthing archives from Blancpain, and obtaining now-declassified records from the US Navy testing program.
Furthermore, the film presents exclusive footage from the National Geographic’s Pristine Seas expeditions and Laurent Ballesta’s Gombessa projects, both supported by Blancpain, as part of its Ocean Commitment initiatives.
The two-part documentary film is available for viewing via a dedicated page on the Blancpain website: www.blancpain.com/fifty-fathoms-collection/history/no-rad-2021#documentary.
