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Introducing The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda Limited Edition (Live Pics & Pricing)
Once for the Bundesmarine, now for the Blancpain boutique.
Quick Take
Over the past few years, Blancpain has worked their way through their archives, releasing a number of re-editions of iconic Fifty Fathoms models. They’ve run the gamut from funky models from the 1970s, all the way to early mil-spec tribute executions. But now a new tribute model is out, and it captures the essence of one of the most lusted after Fifty Fathoms models: the Barakuda.
The Barakuda features the caliber 1151, a poster movement for Blancpain's expertise in haute horlogerie, along with a dial that strikes the dual-tone notes of the original. The watch is priced slightly under what the original Barakuda models typically bring in at auction.
The lore surrounding the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms runs deep. The watch was originally created to meet the needs of French combat swimmers, namely the Nageuers de combat, to aid in the execution of challenging underwater special missions. The Fifty Fathoms carried out its duty timing covert underwater infiltrations, mine disposal, and underwater intelligence gathering. As the watch earned a reputation for reliability and legibility, other special forces took notice.
The German Navy, known as the Bundesmarine until 1995 (when Deutsche Marine became the official name, following German reunification) acquired a special model of the Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms, featuring two-tone markers, through the aquatic supplier Barakuda (a German firm; often, however, especially in auction listings, the spelling "Barracuda" seems to be used when referring to the watch). While the watch was initially issued to the military, it was eventually retailed to the civilian world as well. Production numbers aren’t verified, but it’s widely believed there are about 150 of these watches. The Barakuda is characterized by its two-tone markers. The pop of red at the base of the hour markers injects a serious dose of funk into a watch that’s otherwise intentionally monochromatic, and that touch of red, along with the military provenance, have made this a very prized watch among Fifty Fathoms collectors. It’s hard to believe this wasn’t the first limited edition tribute model that Blancpain produced.
Initial Thoughts
Sometimes tribute watches stymy creativity and efforts to expand brands’ design language, by tying up resources within the manufacture for the sake of reinterpreting something that’s been done before. There’s a financial payoff because collectors love heritage models, but in terms of expanding the identity of the brand and truly innovating, tributes can be a slippery slope. There's a larger philosophical question to be answered about whether something should be recreated. It’s hard to create something better than the original, and it’s even harder to properly pay homage and properly add something to the design. In the case of the Barakuda, Blancpain hasn’t just reverse engineered a fan favorite, they’ve made a compelling tribute watch with the inclusion of an in-house movement with a 100-hr power reserve.
It’s easy to overlook the fact that we’re talking higher level horology here, because of the utilitarian appearance of the Fifty Fathoms, but at the watch's core is a movement that requires painstaking assembly in one of the country's premier manufactures. This isn’t the "lets throw a supplied movement in a watch that looks like an old one" play. Has Blancpain been cashing in on nostalgia and milking the Fifty Fathoms legacy for some time now? Of course, but it's a legendary watch for a reason, and what we’re getting is a sports watch, with a mechanism that has been assembled alongside some of the finest watch movements within the Swatch Group.
The 40.30mm case sports a display caseback to show off the highly finished and decorated movement, and to drive home the historical significance, the watch comes on a Tropik-style rubber strap, as it would have in the late '60s. The bezel, however, strays from the original design. The Barakuda of the late ‘60s has pronounced hash marks around the entire bezel, while the tribute watch uses the bezel pattern of earlier models of the Fifty Fathoms watches. It does, however, feature a domed sapphire insert that's scratch resistant. This domed sapphire bezel design was introduced by Blancpain in 2003, and appears on many tribute models. The crystal features a prominent dome as well, similar to the original watch.
We at HODINKEE have long been championing the idea that lume that's made to appear aged can be considered just another color, and it is, but when it comes to this specific watch, it's very much part of the vintage vibe of the original Barakuda. Blancpain cites the marker color as "old radium type Super-LumiNova," and there's a subtle variation in the way the colors on the Barakuda appear that make it very difficult to the untrained eye to tell it apart from actual radium. In other words, it's done well. And when it's done well, it's more than just a color; it makes an homage watch more compelling.
The Barakuda typically performs well at auction, and it's speculated, as we mentioned, that there are less than 150 examples, meaning they don't come up for sale very often. With 500 examples of the limited edition tribute watch, it's a sure-fire way to snag one of the most visually interesting executions of the Fifty Fathoms – vintage or modern.
The Basics
Brand: Blancpain
Model: Fifty Fathoms Barakuda Limited Edition
Reference Number: 5008B-1130-B52A
Diameter: 40.3mm
Thickness: 13.23mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Color: Black
Indexes: Printed
Lume: Super-LumiNova with a radium-like color
Water Resistance: 300 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Tropik Strap
The Movement
Caliber: Blancpain 1151
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Diameter: 27.4mm
Thickness: 3.25mm
Power Reserve: 100 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 3 Hz (21,600 vph)
Jewels: 28
Pricing & Availability
Price: $14,100
Availability: Blancpain boutiques
Limited Edition: 500 pieces
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