[Luxus+ MAGAZINE] A brief history of luxury: Blancpain revisits its Fifty Fathoms, a historic symbol of the fight against radioactivity

[vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

The Blancpain watchmaking company is reinterpreting its famous diving watch from the 1960s, the Fifty Fathoms, which was already involved in the fight against radioactivity at the time.

 

The Fifty Fathoms timepiece is one of those historical watches, recognizable at first glance, and heavy with symbolism. Indeed, this iconic diver’s watch has been given a new lease on life, in a model even more recognizable than the first. This model is revisited by Blancpain in 2021 and entitled “Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad“.

 

The new Blancpain watch features a yellow and red disc on its dial, symbolizing radioactivity discovered in part by Henri Becquerel in 1896, and then further developed by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898, with the discovery of two as yet unknown radioactive elements, polonium, and radium. It was Marie Curie who gave a name to this physical phenomenon: radioactivity, a name derived from the Latin word radius, meaning ray. Its symbol, recognizable among thousands, is crossed out with a black cross and bears the inscription “No radiations“.

 

To understand the history of this model, we must go back to the beginnings of the original model, unveiled 70 years earlier. The fascinating story of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms begins in the early 1950s. The world was slowly healing from the wounds of World War II, and waterproof, underwater pressure-resistant watches were very rare at the time and were reserved for military use.

 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”Find the full article on magazine.luxus-plus.com” txt_align=”center” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”READ MORE !” btn_color=”black” btn_size=”lg” btn_align=”center” btn_button_block=”true” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fmagazine.luxus-plus.com%2Fblancpain-revisits-its-fifty-fathoms-a-historic-symbol-of-the-fight-against-radioactivity%2F%3Flang%3Den|title:%5BLuxus%2B%20MAGAZINE%5D%20A%20brief%20history%20of%20luxury%3A%20Blancpain%20revisits%20its%20Fifty%20Fathoms%2C%20a%20historic%20symbol%20of%20the%20fight%20against%20radioactivity||”][/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Featured Photo : © Blancpain[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Tags

The editorial team
The editorial team
Thanks to its extensive knowledge of these sectors, the Luxus + editorial team deciphers for its readers the main economic and technological stakes in fashion, watchmaking, jewelry, gastronomy, perfumes and cosmetics, hotels, and prestigious real estate.
Aller enhaut

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Sign up now to receive sneak previews of our programs and articles!

Launch offer:

Your participation in the Camille Fournet Masterclass reserved for annual subscriber !

Luxus Plus Newsletter