In the world of watchmaking, few names can express something as different as Blancpain and Swatch. These two watchmaking giants, known for their unique contributions to the industry, recently announced a collaboration that has sparked curiosity and questions throughout the watch enthusiast community.
Although we have already witnessed the Omega X Swatch collaboration, the partnership between Swatch and Blancpain is particularly intriguing because of the strong differences between their brands. Blancpain, founded in 1735, is one of the oldest watch companies in the world, renowned for its rich tradition of producing high-end luxury watches. Swatch, established in 1983, on the other hand, is a relatively young brand known for its colorful and affordable quartz watches.
The path-breaking Swatch X Omega collaboration
Before delving into the Swatch x Blancpain collaboration, it is worth mentioning another important partnership that helped lay the groundwork for this unexpected venture: the Swatch x Omega collaboration. Omega, a brand known for its connection to space exploration, joined forces with Swatch to create the “Moonswatch,” a wristwatch inspired by the iconic Omega Speedmaster worn by astronauts on the moon. This collaboration proved to be a great marketing move for Swatch, which saw its sales skyrocket last year.
Blancpain’s Diver Heritage
As we had speculated, Blancpain X Swatch focused in its entirety on Blancpain’s extraordinary tradition in dive watchmaking. In fact, the partnership produced the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms, a Swatch-influenced variant of the iconic watch introduced by Blancpain 70 years ago, in 1953.
To be fair, not just one watch was produced but as many as five, each representing one of the five oceans on Earth and inspired by some very peculiar creatures: the Nudibranchs, the multi-colored garish mollusks that inhabit the oceans.
To continue with the specifications common to all five variants, each of the watches features a 42.3 mm diameter and 14.4 mm thick Bioceramic case. The Bioceramic glass and bidirectional bezel feature scratch-resistant treatment. The indexes, hands and inserts on the bezel are coated with SuperLuminova luminescent material.
Finally, each of the five watches is water resistant up to 91 m. To learn what you can do with a watch with this water resistance, visit our dedicated guide.
Blancpain X Swatch Arctic Ocean
The first Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms is inspired by the Dendronotus Frondosus, a peculiar nudibranch with characteristic beige and orange colors. If you’re wondering what it looks like, all you have to do to find out is look at the watch back at 12 o’clock.
Speaking more specifically about the watch, we immediately notice a case that resembles the original Fifty Fathoms in every way, with the only difference being the beige Bioceramic used in its manufacture. The bidirectional bezel features beige details coated with SuperLuminova while the scratch-resistant insert gives it an orange color.
On the dial, however, one immediately notices the No Rad symbol, inspired by the iconic reference developed by Blancpain in collaboration with French naval divers.
On the back, the transparent caseback allows a view of the System 51 mechanical caliber enhanced by a digital print of the nudibranch and the Arctic Ocean.
Blancpain X Swatch Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean version of the Blancpain X Swatch features mainly the color yellow. A tribute, this time, to the Chromodoris Kuiteri, which can always be observed on the back of the watch.
This time, the yellow of the case and clasp is contrasted with the black of the bidirectional bezel and a shaded gray on the metal dial. Also noticeable is the difference in the hour markers, which, compared to the round ones in the Arctic Ocean, are more angular. The Indian Ocean also features the date at 5 o’clock.
Blancpain X Swatch Atlantic Ocean
The Blancpain X Swatch Atlantic Ocean is inspired by the Glaucus Atlanticus, a particular nudibranch characterized by its bright blue color. For this very reason, the entire watch is blue, except for the bezel and dial details and the white insert on the strap.
Going into more detail, the Atlantic Ocean is more like the Pacific. Triangular hour markers, date at 5 o’clock, and no particular symbol on the dial other than the words “Scuba Fifty Fathoms 91 m / 300 ft.”
Blancpain X Swatch Indian Ocean
The Blancpain X Swatch Indian Ocean features an all-green case, as does the metal dial and strap buckle. Also on the caseback we can understand the motif. It is the Nembrotha Kubaryana, a nudibranch charaterized by a bright green with small orange veins, present in the strap inserts.
The Scuba Fifty Fathoms Indian Ocean follows the line of the previous two, triangular hour markers and date at 5 o’clock, with one difference. While in the other two the hands were monochromatic, the seconds hand of this Scuba Fifty Fathoms differs from the other two in its orange hue.
Blancpain X Swatch Antarctic Ocean
With the Scuba Fifty Fathoms Antarctic Ocean, the aesthetic changes again. The predominant color is white, which in addition to being the color of Tritoniella Belli, is a good reminder of the ubiquitous ice in the Antarctic region.
Beyond that, the most important element of this additional variant is found on the dial. This is the seepage indicator, a way engineered by Blancpain to allow divers of the time to immediately notice any water seepage inside the watch, thanks to the change in color of the indicator itself.
This is an item very dear to collectors because it brings to mind such sacred monsters as the Mil-Spec and the Tornek-Rayville
The mechanical caliber
“Since 1735 there has never been a quartz Blancpain. And there never will be.” Fortunately, Blancpain has fulfilled a promise made many years ago, despite the fact that some still had doubts and fears about the possible release of the first quartz Blancpain in history.
The watches are all equipped with the Swiss-made System 51 mechanical caliber. This allows antimagnetic protection thanks to the Nivachron™ balance spring and a power reserve of 90 hours. In each of the 5 models, the transparent case back allows a view of the caliber enhanced by a digital print of each of the nudibranches taken as inspiration and the ocean of reference.
Availability and price
Again, we hit the jackpot. Blancpain X Swatch maintains in toto the commercial strategy used for the Moonswatches: one watch per person per store, only in selected Swatch stores, and no limited edition.
The price to be able to purchase one of these five watches is EUR 390.00 or USD 400.00. A significant markup over the Moonswatch, partly justified by the presence of a mechanical caliber.
Final thoughts
Blancpain X Swatch reminds us that the world of watchmaking is an ever-evolving landscape, where tradition and innovation can come together to create something truly exceptional and different. As we await more details about this watch, one thing is clear: the Swatch x Blancpain collaboration is poised to make a splash.
To learn more about the watches visit the official Swatch website.
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