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Fifty Fathoms of Awesomeness, the Bathyscaphe in grey

The Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe is a watch that went under my radar for a long time. Recently when I was browsing for my next acquisition, this watch suddenly clicked with me. All versions of this watch look fantastic and each has its own unique look, and I had a really hard time deciding. So I went to the AD to see the watch in the metal, and I absolutely fell in love with it. In the end I chose the meteor grey dial because the dial is just gorgeous, and pairs great with the olive green/black NATO and sailcloth straps. The blue dial is beautiful but a bit harder to go with all outfits, and even though the black + black ceramic looks fantastic in photos, it is overall too dark on my wrist. In the end the cheapest version works the best for me!=) 


Outer box has a nice sailcloth embossed texture to it



One of the coolest watch boxes I have.



This is my first watch with NATO strap and I think the Bathyscaphe is match made in heaven with the NATO look. And another reason is that I don't have to spend extra $500 on the NATO hardware later on. 



Just look at this dial, so beautiful, so interesting, so versatile. So clean and simple compared to the Rolex Batman (which I was my alternative choice). The grey is definitely on the warm side, sometimes looks a bit reddish and sometimes greenish. 



Pairs so well with the olive green NATO strap





The polishing on the NATO hardware and buckle is nothing short of stellar.



Case polishing is outstanding too, very crisp. Just look at the sharpness of the multi-faceted lugs. 



The white gold indices are on the small side, but the high gloss polishing allows them to glitter like jewels as light hits them.



Love the red tip of the seconds hand, a very nice touch.



The Bathyscaphe is a tool watch at heart, but it is oh-so-elegant! Never really thought I would use 'elegant' to describe a dive watch.





The beauty doesn't just end on the front. Flip it over and you will find one of the best looking movements made for a sports watch, caliber 1315. It is also highly modern, with an amazing 5 day power reserve and silicon hairspring giving it antimagnetic properties. The winding of the rotor is almost silent and is super efficient.



Close up and it is clear that the wide anglage is hand polished, and reflects light like a mirror, something that is almost never seen for a watch of this price point, not to mention for a sports watch.



Even the back edge of the rotor is hand finished!



The rotor is 18k gold but plated to give it a dark look. Nice, clean Blancpain logo engraving

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