Following collaborative limited-edition timepieces with Patek Philippe and Chopard, homegrown retailer Cortina Watch continues celebrating its 50th anniversary with an exclusive new timepiece by Blancpain. Produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe for Cortina Watch comes in a 43mm titanium case with a satin finish. What distinguishes this dive timepiece from the titanium Bathyscaphe that was launched last year is a unidirectional bezel made from Sedna gold — the Swatch Group’s gold, copper and palladium alloy — and fitted with a ceramic insert.
Launched in 1956, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe was launched by Blancpain as a timepiece for recreational divers, as opposed to the larger and more professional Fifty Fathoms watches that were used by the likes of French combat divers. Featuring the technical qualities of the Fifty Fathoms but with a slimmer and dressier aesthetic, the Bathyscaphe remains a core range for Blancpain today.
Complementing but not taking away from the bezel or the case, the Cortina special edition features a vertical-brushed black dial with hands and hour markers made from Sedna gold and filled with Super-LumiNova. The timepiece is powered by the in-house Calibre 1315, a self-winding movement with five days of power reserve and a silicon balance spring that makes the watch impervious to magnetism. To mark the occasion, the sapphire caseback of this Bathyscaphe has been printed with the words, “Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Since 1972”.
Says Cortina Watch CEO Jeremy Lim, “Blancpain and Cortina Watch have shared a close-knit relationship since the beginning of our partnership in the early 2000s. For the 50th-anniversary limited-edition timepiece, we tried to retain the aesthetic codes of Blancpain’s original Bathyscaphe model back in 1956, and at the same time infused elements of individuality. I hope our enduring relationship will continue to strengthen and flourish for the next 50 years and many generations to come.”
To mark the release of this special-edition timepiece, Blancpain is also presenting a Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe exhibition at the atrium of Paragon Singapore until 5 June. The exhibition is open to the public daily from 11am to 8pm — dive right in.
