Hands-On: BLANCPAIN X SWATCH SCUBA FIFTY FATHOMS

While I typically don’t purchase the watches that most people would consider to be hype models, I also thoroughly enjoy some budget-friendly horological fun, and I recently decided to buy one of the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms watches. Like a trendy beverage at some Instagram-famous cafe or bar, my expectations were highly realistic going into this particular purchase, although a brightly colored plastic (sorry, “Bioceramic”) version of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is simply too strange to ignore, so I finally pulled the trigger and picked up the Arctic version, which is the vintage-themed model that offers an orange and beige colorway, inspired by the Dendronotus Frondosus nudibranch (sea slug) that inhabits the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean.

Moving onwards to the front of the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms watches, the gently domed crystal is made from bio-sourced plastic, although it has been given an additional anti-scratch coating that should make it a bit more resilient compared to what you will find on most other Swatch watches (including the MoonSwatch). Additionally, while the bezel ring is made from Bioceramic and fitted with a plastic 60-minute insert, the bezel rotates with a proper 120-click unidirectional motion, and the markings on the insert are all completely luminous. Furthermore, despite its lightweight Bioceramic/plastic components, the actual tactile feel of the bezel is quite a bit better than what I had expected, and the entire bezel stands out as one of the highlights of the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms series.