Blancpain designed the new Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa to meet the stringent requirements of the Gombessa Expedition divers. Sponsored by Blancpain, the expeditions study rare marine life using closed-circuit rebreather diving techniques to reach extreme depths. Rebreathers absorb the carbon dioxide exhaled by divers and recycle the unused oxygen content of each breath, allowing divers to spend more time underwater. Unlike conventional diving watch bezels, the Tech Gombessa’s bezel has a three-hour scale linked to a special hand that completes one full rotation every three hours – to accurately track longer dives.
Inspired by the 1953 model, the Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa features a 47-mm titanium case with 300 meters of water resistance and a helium escape valve. The dial has a special ‘absolute black’ finish that captures almost 97% of available light. For optimum legibility, large luminescent orange hour-markers glow blue. This orange/blue color combination is echoed by the hour and minute hands. On the bezel, white luminescent markers emit a green glow to match the color of the dive-time hand – creating an important distinction between time-related information and dive-time data. In a first for Blancpain, the watch features central lugs that are attached from inside the case middle and integrate the black rubber strap. The strap is equipped with an internal titanium reinforcement to ensure it holds its shape and an extension for wearing the watch over a wetsuit. The exhibition case back reveals the 13P8 automatic movement, stamped with the Gombessa Expeditions logo.
Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa ($28,00.00) – blancpain.com
