My Journey on Finally Adding a Fifty Fathoms to the Collection . . .

[Mach]

I recently finally acquired a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1, which was my first foray into preowned territory:


Background:
Several years ago, I made the mistake of trying on a Fifty Fathoms:


This was a case of instant love! I just loved everything about it, especially that sapphire bezel. But IMHO it had a unique presence, and I rarely would see one on other peoples' wrists:


History:
I love watches that have history behind them. BTW I can care less if the Fifty Fathoms was the first or if the Submariner was first. I will let others do that research:


Unfortunately, I don't have the knowledge nor the patience to collect vintage pieces. This is why I truly appreciate the re-editions brands have been creating over the last several years. I was just completing my MBA when the 50th Anniversary editions came out and missed the boat on that one:


Almost Pulled the Trigger:
Over multiple years, I continued trying it on attempting to convince myself that its 45mm diameter wasn't too big for my wrist:






I even tried it on my right wrist to see of there would be a difference:


I came very close to pulling the trigger a few times but refrained from doing so in the end.


40mm Limited Editions:
Although the 45mm Fifty Fathoms was part of the permanent collection, Blancpain did release a few limited edition 40mm Fifty Fathoms. But these were no re-editions or re-interpretations of the original black dial Fifty Fathoms like the 50th Anniversary edition. Here we have the Tribute to the Fifty Fathoms MilSpec:




And this is their Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment III:


Lobbying Efforts:
During my frequent travel, I would visit the New York City and Las Vegas Boutiques. Of course, I would try on the 45mm Fifty Fathoms again and again. But I also debated with the staff on making a smaller size Fifty Fathoms in stainless steel part of the permanent collection.

Both staffs would argue that Blancpain would never do such a thing. It would go against the sole of what it stood for. Plus, it was meant to be big. It was a diver watch after all.

I argued to look at the data. Management should be using data to make these decisions. In fact, a counted over 20 Fifty Fathoms on display (new) in the NYC boutique and various ADs in the immediate area. I even took photos to prove it. Once again, no luck. Yet, I kept trying to advocate for a smaller Fifty Fathoms. I can be a stubborn or tenacious SOB depending upon one's viewpoint.

Near Miss in 2020:
When Blancpain announced their Fifty Fathoms Barakuda, I immediately called the NYC Boutique to place a deposit. I would finally have a Fifty Fathoms in my collection:


Then I was invited the boutique to see prototypes of the Barakuda and the Air Command:


After seeing both in person, I made the difficult decision to switch my deposit to the Air Command:


Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1:
In November of 2022, Henrik posted this photo of a smaller size Fifty Fathoms on Marc Hayek's wrist on another forum:


I immediately contacted the NYC Boutique. Of course, this was still under embargo. They stated they knew nothing. Granted, that was possibly true.

But I haggled with them to take a deposit. I was like, "Come on! How many times have I discussed this with you? You know this is what I've been wanting for years now!!!" They graciously took a deposit! My stubbornness, I mean tenacity finally paid off!

Not So Fast:
After it was officially announced, the boutique contacted me stating this was an online exclusive and they would have to refund my deposit. Although bummed, I figured I was prepared for this situation, and it would still finally become a reality.

I was assigned to a project in Kansas City. That morning, I was ready to go. Granted, I didn't sleep much that night. I had my computer, my phone, and my credit card ready to go.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get through to the site for several minutes. My anxiety shot through the roof. I kept trying and trying with no luck. When I finally did manage get on, they were sold out! I was forking pissed!

When I went to lunch, I came to this site and saw people mentioning they were able to get one in the basket. So, I'm in my rental and what do you know, I was able to put one in the basket while using my phone!

But then there's this eight minute countdown timer flashing in front of my eyes. Once again, my anxiety is through the roof. I'm making typos left and right. Even though I had an account of Blancpain, it didn't transfer my personal information over. I finally get everything populated in all required fields. I jump out of the card to take me wallet out of my pocket and grab my credit cards. Unfortunately, I grabbed the wrong one!

Needless to say, I was defeated. I came to the conclusion that this would never happen. I expressed my disappointment with the head of North American sales. His response, "We took a risk that we knew would lead to disappointment."

New Permanent Collection Release:
Almost a year later, a new 42.3mm Fifty Fathoms was released that would be part of the permanent collection. You are probably saying, "Wow! Your efforts paid off, Mark!" Unfortunately, these are in titanium. I just don't like the look of titanium, especially unpolished, since it appears like plastic to me.


But, once again, I tried that on multiple times trying to convince myself that titanium and not that bad:






A Non-Authorized Dealer to the Rescue:
Last month, a well-known non-authorized dealer here in Boston contacted me that they had received a new Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act I. In fact, they box was still sealed, the owner never even opened the box:


I was excited and anxious. Up to this point in my collection journey, I had never acquired a pre-owned piece. They graciously placed this on hold for me. They know I have a very heavy travel schedule. But a part of me viewed this as success while another part of me viewed this as failure. I would be paying a slight premium over the MSRP. However, after careful deliberation, I decided enough is enough. Let's make this a reality!

The following weekend, I was already planning to visit NYC. I was going to wait and visit the 5th Avenue Blancpain Boutique and see about acquiring a tropic strap. I decided to call a few days prior to the visit and explained the situation. They informed me that they were closed temporarily while they transition to East 57th Street:


I contacted the Las Vegas Boutique. They informed me that they would also be closing and looking for a new home in a couple of weeks. Fortunately, they had a tropic strap and a stainless steel buck available, which they FedEx to me:


Success at Last:
The following week, I immediately headed to this non-authorized dealer to seal the deal:






Was It Worth All This Frustration?
After years of searching, was it worth the wait? Absolutely! This piece isn’t just a watch—it’s the culmination of my passion, persistence, and an unwavering belief that the right timepiece would eventually find its way into my collection.