On the trail of the first true dive watch, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

The Star

5 hours ago

Kingston sharing insights on watches at the Blancpain boutique in Kuala Lumpur. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
The watch world feted Blancpain a couple years ago when it basked in the warm glow of its 70th anniversary of the world's first dive watch, the Fifty Fathoms.
After all, the dive watch is one of the most popular types of watches worldwide.
Apart from diving, whether it be for sports, exploration or other recreation, the watch that supports the diver has evolved into a symbol of precision and robustness.
If you love dive watches, then maybe watch collector and enthusiast Jeffrey Kingston is a name that you are familiar with.
He is the man who literally wrote the book on the first early dive watches produced by Blancpain and has been a knowledgeable fixture in the watch world for two decades now.
His most recent project was a feature-length documentary, Fifty Fathoms – The History as Told by the Pioneers Who Created It, made in partnership with the brand to tell the true story of the creation of the first-ever real dive watch. The documentary came to fruition in 2021.
Before he focused his attention on horological scholarship, Kingston had a long career practising anti-trust law in the technology industry, with his most notable case having him act as lead counsel in the proceedings brought against tech giant Microsoft.
The latest additions to the Fifty Fathoms collection are extraordinary technical achievements as well as a tribute to the pioneers who helped scuba divers track dive time.
Emerging victorious, he has since retired from the world of law, and now devotes himself to writing and speaking about watches.
Recently in Kuala Lumpur as a guest of the brand, he was quite eager to share his wealth of knowledge about the ubiquitous Blancpain dive watch at the brand's boutique in Suria KLCC.
'The documentary is split into two parts: the first traces the history and birth of the original Fifty Fathoms watch as told by its developers, while the second video recounts the development and evolution of the modern Fifty Fathoms collection,' says Kingston, who wrote and directed the film.
'This was a watch that needed its story to be told properly as its history was a complicated one, as there were two lineages: that of Jean-Jacques Fiechter, Blancpain's CEO for three decades from 1950 to 1980, who was himself a passionate diver, along with one by Captain Robert Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, both of whom were from the French combat diving corps that needed a watch for their military diving missions.'
According to Kingston, this led Fiechter to develop a double sealed crown.
'As the crown was not one of the screw-down variety, his idea was to protect the watch from water intrusion if the crown was accidentally pulled out while under water,' Kingston explains.
'In that event, the inner second seal would protect the watch.
'A second element Fiechter helped develop was a rotating bezel used for timing of the dive. When he dove, his idea was to rotate the bezel to place its zero index opposite the minute hand at the commencement; after that he could directly read time underwater with the minute hand using time markings on the bezel.'
The documentary mentions how the French military was the first to adopt Fifty Fathoms.
More than anything else, safety was definitely on Fiechter's mind, Kingston highlights.
'He knew that if the bezel were accidentally rotated, this vital timing function would be lost.
'As such, Fiechter developed a locking mechanism which he also patented, to prevent inadvertent rotation of the bezel.
'His original locking system required a push on the bezel in order for it to rotate. Not only did this help insure against inadvertent turning, it served to protect,' Kingston emphasises.
Finally the story behind Blancpain's underwater marvel, a tale of an outstanding collaboration between a few dedicated French naval officers and Blancpain's then CEO and diving enthusiast, has been told in full.
Now, who says modern horology lacks amazing stories?