Blancpain X Fathoms Dive Watch - Extreme Watch, Extreme Launch.
Blancpain release a new piece the Blancpain X Fathoms Dive watch described by the brand as "the most high performance diving watch ever produced"
Brilliant - there has been so little "hyped" up press launches since the flurry of activity that is Baselworld that we presumed they had become a thing of the past. But Blancpain have been administering manageable little doses of excitement-inducing press releases for over a week now - seek peeks, teaser videos - it's just like old times!! Not only that, the brand also choose to mix the exteme theme of the watch with an extreme location, the wonderfully over-the-top Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Mall in Dubai Zoo, that's the biggest mall in the world and the biggest aquarium in the world with nibbles and press chit chat to follow over dinner with the world's biggest fountain show at the foot of the world's biggest tower in the world, Burj Khalifa. Hoopla !!
So, is the watch worthy of its launch? You bet it is - and with only a hint of Fifty Fathoms around the bezel, the "X" is an all new piece. It is huge - 55.65mm across, with a case constructed from titanium with satin brushed finishing, but never mind its size, the dial is what you will notice first - it is bursting with activity and indications including a mechanical depth gauge capable of measuring current and maximum depths up to 90 metres.
A combination of hands in various colours are required to make it all work: a small red-tipped hand on the inner dial displays maximum depth; the yellow-tipped hand displays current depth; a blue-tipped hand marks the first 0 to 15 metres of dive distance using a scale on the outer dial and at 10 o'clock is a clever retrograde 5 minute counter display used to time decompression stops. A wealth of information, all usable and still readable, a serious diver will have no problem taking a reading from this piece at a glance.
A new movement, the Blancpain Calibre 9918B was created to power the X Fathoms, a three-barrel mechanism which gives 5 days of power reserve and water resistance of 300m.
The impressive Blancpain X Fathoms comes presented on a high-tech rubber strap and with only sketchy details and specifications available thus far, expect this one to continue to grab headlines for a day or two.
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