Short review of Blancpain Fifty fathome Rose Gold and Blue Dial

[panerai153]

Since I purchased the RG a few months back, I have really come to like the watch. I thought that the Blue dial would be a good second addition. I really do like the RG, but it's not a watch for everyday wear, although I suppose you could wear it every day if you so desired. I think that it's a little too dressy for jeans and t shirts, also since it's a gold plated watch, there is the wear factor. I believe that most of the high end reps we have today have good thick plating, there is always the chance that it will wear through over time. With all that in mind, I felt like the Blue dial would be a good choice for my second FF. It's a striking watch, low key enough to wear with any casual clothes, no problems relating to surface wear and still dressy enough to wear with a coat and tie. The primary reason I didn't chose the black dial S/S version was I simply have too many S/S black dial dive watches. Adding another one was not an option for me.

I thought long and hard about the Blue dial, primarily because of a really nice review here posted by Asheron82, back in January. My main concern after reading his review, looking at the photos and reading all the comments was the wavy pattern guilloche around the edge of the dial. The genuine blue dial has this pattern, the rep does not. I really couldn't decide, should I go ahead and buy one now, or perhaps wait for a V2, hoping that the dial would be improved. My biggest concern with waiting was, suppose they don't come out with a V2? The BP's while outstanding reps and probably the closest to gen "out the box" are not as popular as AP, Rolex and Panerai. Not in the world of genuine or the rep world. I believe that the dealers and manufacturers improve on the wildly popular watches, simply because a modest improvement creates tons of sales. look at the AP watches for example, the black dial AP S/S is now in it's 7th version over just a few years, and now there is a V8 (or some say a new V1) with an open caseback like the latest genuine AP's. I just don't think that BP's are popular enough to generate frequent updates like this. Because of this, I decided to be on the lookout for one in M2M sales. As luck would have it, that opportunity came about a few weeks ago, one came up and the seller PM'ed me as he knew I was interested in one. We made a deal, and 3 days later the Blue dial was on my wrist.

I am pretty impressed with the quality of both of these watches. There is really nothing big to fault with either one. The movements are pretty solid, a2836 movements, which should be good for quite a long time. I was fortunate enough to have and almost brand new ETA 2836 that was taken out of a Rolex rep that got a gen movement, so I had it serviced and transplanted into the RG. This was not because of any problems with the movement, but I felt like over time the ETA would be a better more accurate movement. The movement in the Blue dial is the a2836 that came with the watch and it's running accurate has a good power reserve, and will not be changed unless something happens to it.

Not sure about the crystal AR, it seems to be good, I don't believe it is double AR, as you don't get that "My crystal fell out!!" look, do get some reflection, but it's not bad. I wouldn't spend any money to get the crystal re AR'ed, as it's very adequate for me.

I also replaced the rep strap on the RG with a genuine Sailcloth. I wrote a review comparing the rep to gen straps here a whole back. If I were to do it again, I doubt that I would spend the almost 300USD for the gen strap. In fact I have had several people PM me about the straps, and my feelings are unless the rep strap doesn't fit, either it's too long or too short, I would stay with the rep strap. If it doesn't fit, then the gen is and option because BP makes three different length straps. The rep strap on the Blue dial is very nice, it looks very, very close to the gen strap in it's construction, however I cannot comment about it's color accuracy, as I have not seen a gen Blue Strap. I believe that one thing the rep makers have done is increase the length of the straps to match the length of the standard length gen straps. I believe that when the FF was first introduced, there were some who thought the strap was too short, but it's now the same as the gen. Possibly the makers copied XS strap in the beginning. I find both the genuine and rep sailcloth's to be very soft and comfortable. One deterent is the odd size of the lugs on the FF. They are 23mm which is and odd size and not as many strap options are available "ready made".While on the subject of straps, the dastardly BP lug screws have to be addressed. Almost every other brand of watches uses either a slotted screw in lug bar (Panerai, AP) conventional springbars (Most everyone else), but not BP!! They use bars with either hex head or Torx threaded caps on both ends. Following the advice of others who have encountered strap change problems, I purchased a pair of Torx screwdrivers in sizes 3 and 4 (2 each) I'm not sure that they are the correct removal tool, but they work. Just make sure you take care, because if you round out the inside "shoulders" you might end up having to resort to extreme measures to get the bar out.

Although I have read where some folks said that the BPFF were "huge" and didn't wear well, I don't find that to be the case with me. I have about a 7 1/4" wrist, and they fit fine. I believe that the way one's wrist is shaped hasa lot to do with watch comfort. If you have a very round wrist, almost every watch is going to want to "turn turtle", slipping from side to side. If your wrists are thin but flat, watches will not be as prone to slipping. So while wrist diameter is important, wrist shape is important as well. Folks would need to try one on to see if the are a "Fit" for them. I find that mine wear very similar to my 44 mm Panerai's.

Fit and finish wise, I believe these would stand up to any reps out there. The engraving on the S/S Blue is crisper, primarily because I believe the RG is engraved and then plated over. Otherwise they are very close in their finish and attention to detail.

Lume is pretty good on both of these. Pretty distinctive when the dial numbers as well as the bezel "light up" when you come in to a dark room from outside. Like most reps, the lume doesn't "Glow like a torch" all night long. Looking at lume in a photo is or can be very misleading, if you have a good camera/lens with a sturdy tripod, you can make in camera adjustments and make the lume look as bright as the sun or dim!! Longer the exposure the brighter it glows.

All in all I'm very happy with both of these watches. They are similar but different enough that having both gives you more options for wearing. While they are a far cry from the old 60's era BP FF's, which were tool watches in the strictest sense, they do carry the heritage forward more so as a "Dress Diver" than a tool watch. However, if I were assured that my Blue was water resistant to 5-6 atmos, I would not hesitate to wear it at the beach, pool or even shallow snorkeling. In fact we are heading to the beach in a couple of weeks, and I'm going to check the WR before we go.

Here are a few photos of the two together

[konadoc]

great review, as well as your review of the rep vs gen straps.

Can you confirm the actual color of the thread on the Gen strap for the Fifty Fathoms? I have reviewed numerous photos and sometimes it looks steel/gray, but other times just black. The bradystrap sailcloth comes in black, steel, or platinum stitching , so im wondering which choice would be closest to the gen.

thanks

konadoc

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[elconquistador]

I have the SS black dial and need to get the blue. It is my second BPFF. Sold the first one and regretted it.

[panerai153]

great review, as well as your review of the rep vs gen straps.

Can you confirm the actual color of the thread on the Gen strap for the Fifty Fathoms? I have reviewed numerous photos and sometimes it looks steel/gray, but other times just black. The bradystrap sailcloth comes in black, steel, or platinum stitching , so im wondering which choice would be closest to the gen.

thanks

konadoc

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The gen strap threads in most light look black. In bright sunlight, they appear a little lighter, but I would say Black. I have a Brady sail cloth with the steel grey stitching, and it is definitely lighter than the gen BP.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[panerai153]

Just another addendum: I decided to see if my Blue dial was water resistant. Tested it to 6atmos. I'm afraid it was not a pass. I took the Caseback off, greased the gasket and put it back on tight. Again up to 6atmos. Better this time, but not good enough to wear at the beach in the water. I was not impressed with the gasket, so if you plan to take yours under water, I would recommend a pressure test before you get it wet. I believe mine is fine for general wear, washing hands, etc. but not immersion.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk