Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

BLANCPAIN, RETAILED BY AQUA LUNG, A VERY RARE STAINLESS STEEL 'FIFTY FATHOMS "NO RAD"'

CIRCA: 1960s CASE NO: 300'627 CASE MATERIAL: Stainless steel CASE DIAMETER: 41 mm. DIAL: Black, "No Rad" MOVEMENT: Automatic BUCKLE: Stainless steel buckle BOX: No PAPERS: No REMARK: From the original owner, a Navy E.O.D diver The Fifty Fathoms is always a sought after piece as it looms large in the minds of collectors for being among the first ever dive watches. Since it's introduction, the Fifty Fathoms has been the tool watch staple of Blancpain's catalogue with a plethora of variations to choose from. This particular version is amongst the early and most desirable variants being a "No Rad" for the small logo at six o'clock. This indicated that there was no radium used in the making or printing of the dial. Radium utilized in the luminescence of early wristwatches was discovered to have destructive properties towards the human body, and many brands quickly converted to tritium, a much safer material with equally effective glow. In response, Blancpain utilized this symbol to clearly state that their timepieces were safe to wear. In the last 5 years there has been much celebration of this innovative piece with a 500 piece limited edition run of modern watches with the same "NO RADAITIONS" logo. Just last year this watch was lauded yet again with a Blancpain and Swatch collaboration when they produced a Swatch Scuba model yet again bearing the "No Rad" logo. The Original Owner: A Former Navy E.O.D. Diver This incredible example was indeed a professional tool of a former Navy E.O.D. diver whose career took him all over the world. In the summer of 1967 while aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, he befriended a pair of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (E.O.D.) divers who introduced him scuba diving. Shortly after, he applied to the program and after nearly a year of training, the original owner of this piece spent the next twenty years of his career rising in the ranks and becoming a Master E.O.D technician. During that time, he received top secret clearance, he was qualified to disarm any explosive ordinance such as a nuclear explosive, and achieved many other impressive qualifications. In his own words, his career brought him to some "very exotic places, some that I would not like to return to." This watch as well as the Tudor Oyster ref. 7016/0 and Doxa T300 that are offered in the current online sale were all part of the original owner's tool watches.