Watches: Blancpain present Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Blancpain Ocean Commitment II

An all-blue case

Blancpain’s Research and Development department is engaged in constant innovation. Thanks to this, for the first time, the brand is proud to be able to present an entirely blue ceramic case on its newest Fifty Fathoms watch. This coloring is achieved by adding pigments during the ceramic production process, together with a binding agent. Subsequently, to obtain this uniform, long-lasting hue throughout the entire case, two techniques were used. The first is a compaction process, where ceramic in powder form is pressed into a mold to obtain its shape.

The second technique involves using an injection process to insert ceramic in the form of granules into the mold. This step enables the creation of a blueprint in the final shape. After this, the piece is placed in an oven on a low temperature in order to eliminate the bonding agent. When this is done, the latter is heated at a high temperature – a phase known as sintering – in order to give the ceramic its ultimate hardness. Lastly, the machining and finishing operations take place in order to provide the geometry and final look of each part. The compacting process was used for the case-middle, case-back, bezel and chapter-ring insert. The second technique involving the injection method was adopted for the crown and push-pieces. Suitable for small pieces, the latter is highly precise and complex to master. Up until now, it had not yielded satisfactory, sufficiently stable results for the blue color range.  

In addition, it had not been previously possible to obtain a perfectly identical color for the two techniques. After several years of trials, Blancpain has now been able to add successfully mastering the injection method for blue to its color range. As a result, the case of the watch is a uniform shade of blue that is intense, mysterious and reflects the world of the oceans to which the Blancpain brand is so attached. 

A state-of-the-art caliber

The new Flyback Chronograph BOC II is equipped with an F385 caliber whose mechanism beats at 36,000 vibrations an hour (5 Hz), an ideal frequency for a chronograph as it enables each second to be divided into intervals of a tenth of a second. The flyback chronograph is driven by a column-wheel. The F385 has a variable-inertia balance with gold screws, ensuring increased robustness and more precise adjustment than the usual index device. This has a vertical clutch that ensures faultless operation of the chronograph and eliminates any unexpected jerking of the watch hand when the chronograph is engaged. Moreover, this solution allows the chronograph mechanism to operate freely without having to worry about any negative effect on the watch’s rate accuracy. In addition, like all recent movements made by the Manufacture Blancpain, this caliber is equipped with a silicon balance-spring.

The Flyback Chronograph BOC II incorporates all the technical characteristics of a mechanical diving watch. In particular, it is water-resistant to 300 m and its unidirectional bezel features gray inserts and hour-markers in Liquidmetal®. Aside from this, it has a flyback function that enables immediate resetting of the chronograph to zero or restarting simply by pressing a pusher at 4 o’clock, in contrast to standard chronographs which require three steps to time successive events. This 250-piece limited-edition watch is also distinguished by its oscillating weight engraved with the words "Ocean Commitment” linking it to Blancpain’s commitment to the exploration and preservation of the oceans, while the sapphire crystal case-back also reveals the watch’s sporty and sophisticated bridges.

Additional Blancpain Ocean Commitment donation awarded to the Gombessa team

For more than 60 years, Blancpain’s commitment to the underwater world has been reflected in its desire to contribute to the knowledge and preservation of this fascinating universe. It is for this reason that the brand supports a large number of significant scientific endeavors including the Gombessa Project led by Laurent Ballesta, which has already given rise to three major expeditions. And it is indeed Laurent Ballesta and his team who are also benefiting from an additional donation of 250,000 Euros linked to the first limited edition Blancpain Ocean Commitment watch.

The project started in June-July 2016 with an initial 35-day expedition, which saw divers spend a total 200 hours of night diving in the heart of the shark pack and enabled the implementation of protocols and use of observation equipment required to answer questions related to the great density of sharks and their behavior. In 2017, during the second phase of the project, the team will be able to establish a more accurate picture and verify various scientific hypotheses, as well as proposing increased protection of this hotspot of biodiversity.

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