The Fifty Fathoms Automatique is the civilian production descendant of the 1953 reference co-developed with the French Navy, making it one of the few current dive watches with an unbroken specification lineage to the original professional tool.
The Fifty Fathoms Automatique is one of the better-value in-house dive watches at this tier; secondary prices are stable because the watch retails near the top of this range without significant markup.
The 42mm Fifty Fathoms Automatique is the version collectors quietly prefer. It wears like a proper dive watch without the wrist presence of the 45mm that dominates the catalog. Same depth rating, same movement, easier daily use.
The Fifty Fathoms line traces to 1953 and the original tool diving watch Blancpain built for the French military. The modern Automatique family reinterpreted that heritage for contemporary collectors, with the 45mm leading and the 42mm following as the smaller option. Reference 5015-1130-52 represents the steel, sapphire-bezel configuration in the 42mm format.
Blancpain has offered both sizes concurrently, but the 42mm has always been the quieter seller, which makes it less visible at retail and on the secondary market. The textile strap and bracelet configurations give owners flexibility that the 45mm shares, but the 42mm wears the proportions better on smaller wrists.
The 42mm is genuinely less common than the 45mm, so secondary market examples are harder to find and comparison shopping takes longer. Buyers sometimes conflate the two sizes in listings, so verify the reference number rather than relying on seller descriptions of size. The sapphire bezel on the 5015-1130-52 is scratch-resistant but not scratch-proof, and deep scratches are costly to address.
Early examples from 2007 to 2010 may have higher service mileage if they saw regular dive use. Blancpain authorized service is expensive relative to independent alternatives, and the 1315 caliber requires a watchmaker with genuine familiarity with the movement.
The 42mm commands a modest premium over the 45mm in some pockets of the market simply because of scarcity, though retail pricing has historically tracked lower. Pre-owned examples in good condition with box and papers hold value well. Bracelet configurations tend to attract slightly higher bids than textile strap versions, though both are correct.
The caliber 1315 is an in-house automatic with a five-day power reserve and column wheel chronometry. Blancpain recommends service intervals around five years for dive watches used in water. The movement is well-regarded and capable of independent service, though finding a watchmaker who has worked on 1315 movements specifically is worth the extra search.
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The Fifty Fathoms Automatique is less replicated than the Submariner but attracts increasing attention as secondary values rise. Movement quality and dial authenticity are the primary concerns.
| Area | What to check | What is correct | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| dial | Printed text and applied index quality | Applied metal indices with correct dimensions; all text printed in crisp Blancpain typeface; the "Fifty Fathoms" signature is in a specific italic font with correct weight | Fuzzy text printing under magnification; applied indices with uneven heights or gap between index foot and dial surface; incorrect font weight on signature |
| case | Rotating bezel ratchet feel and locking | The bezel rotates counterclockwise only with 60 distinct clicks; each click is firm and the bezel does not back-rotate under normal handling | Bezel that rotates in both directions; loose or mushy click feel; bezel that can be nudged backward with light pressure |
Editorial estimate. Actual prices vary by condition, date, and box/papers status. Live pricing data is in development.
| movement | Cal. 1315 identification | Cal. 1315 runs at 28,800bph with 120-hour power reserve via twin barrels; silicon balance spring; rhodium-plated finishing on bridges; visible via caseback | Non-Blancpain movement; incorrect power reserve for stated Cal. 1315; absence of silicon spring color on balance |
| caseback | Exhibition caseback and movement view | Sapphire caseback displays Cal. 1315 with correct Blancpain decoration; caseback engraved with reference and serial; water resistance crown visible | Non-Blancpain movement visible through caseback; caseback with incorrect engraving; reference number inconsistent with the Automatique variant |
| dial | Moisture indicator presence | A small moisture detector disc is present under the crystal in the original specification; it changes color if water has entered the case | Moisture indicator absent on a stated original example; incorrect disc color suggesting water ingress history |
| crystal | Sapphire crystal with AR coating | Domed sapphire crystal with blue-green AR coating; coating is uniform across the surface and changes in tint at different angles | Flat crystal where dome is expected; mineral crystal; no AR coating; incorrect AR tint color |
