The company's visionary engineers and replica Patek Philippe watches put their talents and know-how to work and came up with a compact marvel of precision mechanics, which would later become a myththe FIFTY FATHOMS. It means 50 pitch-stirrers of 1.8 meters, that is to say 91 meters, the maximum depth an autonomous diver could reach then with normal compressed air at 200 bars.At the same time, LIP’s reputation in France was second to none. Their dominant position in the French market led Blancpain, then virtually unknown in France, to sign a marketing and distribution deal with them in 1953 to enable them to get a toehold in France. In 1954 LIP put Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms waterproof watch on the market in France. The watches were signed on the dial by both Blancpain and LIP.So, does this change your perspective on the Submariner and Seamaster? We thought it might. The Fifty Fathoms is the real deal, a watch that inspired some of the most classic and recognizable replica Patek Philippe watches ever created. It essentially created an entire genre of sport watches.
We did it. We found the archetypal diving watch, the one that started it all. Before Rolex had their Submariner or Sea Dweller, before Omega had their Seamaster, there was the Fifty Fathoms from Blancpain. And here is the story behind it:In 1952, two French naval officers, Commander Robert "Bob" Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud were instructed by the Ministry of Defense and the French Navy to set up an elite unit called "Les Nageurs de combat", i.e. Combat Swimmers, which became then a highly selective and top notch unit within the French forces. Their underwater operations required rugged, water-resistant and reliable equipment capable of withstanding the testing conditions and environment of sub-sea missions. At the time, they found no diver's watch that could meet their demanding specifications.The two officers determined what they needed by way of a replica Patek Philippe watches and got in touch with Blancpain Rayville SA, in Villeret, Switzerland.
