Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms

In September 2023, almost a year and a half after Swatch drove the watch world into a frenzy with the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch, they have announced their next collaboration. This time around, Swatch partnered with fellow group affiliate Blancpain to create the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, the world's first modern diver, Swatch have launched five colorful versions of the cult watch, each dedicated to one of our oceans.

Similar to the MoonSwatch, the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms comes in a Bioceramic case – Swatch's proprietary blend of two parts ceramic and one part material derived from castor oil. The case's shape and dimensions were taken exactly from the original Fifty Fathoms model from 1953, and even the drilled lugs make an appearance. Again taking after its muse, Swatch's version of the diving watch also offers water resistance to 91 m, which converts to fifty fathoms (9 bar, 298 ft).

For the dials, Swatch draws heavily from the current Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatic and the Mil-Spec edition of the Fifty Fathoms. All dials feature the Blancpain and Swatch logos, as well as the "Fifty Fathoms" and "Scuba" inscriptions.

Contrary to the quartz-powered MoonSwatch, the Scuba Fifty Fathoms uses the automatic Sistem51 caliber. This is bound to please purists, as the Fifty Fathoms has historically only housed mechanical movements. The calibers also look the part; Swatch decorated the plates and bridges with a laser print of the corresponding ocean.

The official list price for the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms is 400 USD. However, since Swatch only offers the Scuba Fifty Fathoms in select stores, these watches are relatively hard to come by through the official channels, despite not being limited editions. So if you want to buy a Scuba Fifty Fathoms for the normal MSRP, you'll have to be patient.

You can get your hands on this watch right away on the secondary market, but only at inflated prices as things stand. Currently, in September 2023, listings for the Scuba Fifty Fathoms on Chrono24 start at around 600 USD and run up to 2,000 USD. That said, if the MoonSwatch trajectory is anything to go by, prices will drop to more reasonable levels in the near future.

Swatch have dedicated the Scuba Fifty Fathoms collection to the five world oceans. Each model gets its color scheme from a nudibranch, a slug-like sea creature, native to that specific ocean.

The Colors of the Scuba Fifty Fathoms

The Scuba Fifty Fathoms Arctic Ocean takes its beige and orange color pallet from the Dendronotus frondosus nudibranch. The yellow case, black bezel inlay, and black and white gradient of the Pacific Ocean's dial, on the other hand, are inspired by the Chromodoris kuiteri, while the Glaucus atlanticus provides the various shades of blue for the Atlantic Ocean. Green, black, and a touch of orange are not only the colors of the Indian Ocean, but also of the Nembrotha kubaryana. And last but not least, Swatch borrowed the white case and light gray accents on the bezel and dial of the Antarctic Ocean from the Tritoniella belli. The nudibranchs themselves are depicted in full color on the movement's rotor.

The colors of these cases have never been seen before, neither on the MoonSwatch or other Swatch models made from Bioceramic.

Scuba Fifty Fathoms Designs

However, the watches don't just differ in their colors. For the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Indian Ocean models, Swatch uses the slightly more modern dial design of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatic. These versions host applied indices, with numerals at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock and triangles marking all remaining hours. You will also find a date window at 4:30.

For the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean models, Swatch took a different approach and used two highly sought-after versions of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms as design blueprints, namely the Fifty Fathoms Mil-Spec and the Fifty Fathoms No Rad. The former version of the famous diving watch was produced in the 1950s and 60s for military use. Its most defining detail is the moisture indicator above 6 o'clock, which has now found its way onto the Scuba Fifty Fathoms Antarctic Ocean.

The Fifty Fathoms No Rad was developed in the 1960s for marine divers. The name comes from a crossed-out radioactivity symbol above 6 o'clock. Blancpain wanted to make it clear that the watch used non-radioactive luminous material, which was significant at the time. The Scuba Fifty Fathoms Arctic Ocean has thus revived the No Rad design.

Swatch decided against a date display on the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean. The traditional dot and line indices lend these two watches a certain retro flair.

Scuba Fifty Fathoms Straps

These Swatches are paired with NATO straps matching the color scheme of the watch. The straps are made from recycled ghost nets, i.e., old fishing nets that float in our oceans wreaking havoc on wildlife.