Bundeswehr-Issued ‘No Rad’ Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

I’ve pondered many times if beginner’s luck is universal. We’ve all seen it, but how, why? Think in the watchmaking context. Even if you try to consciously separate the fallacy collectors have to preference the earliest iterations of any watch, it still holds. There’s a magic about tabula rasa thinking, as long as you exclude everything on Kickstarter. And the Fifty Fathoms is what first-principles thinking from some of the brightest Marine Nationale frogmen of the early 50s created. Whether it’s luck or something to do with the creative enthusiasm a new idea attracts, it’s still one of the best looking military divers ever created, 70 years later. I’ve said it before, but it has the kind of persona that’s itching to start a bar fight, and would win. Rambo with an escapement.

Of all early Fifty Fathoms, it is probably the Milspec and this ‘No Rad’ that most capture the imagination. The milspec for its very manly name, the ‘No Rad’ for its loud yellow warning. See, the Fifty Fathoms was created in an era where radium was the standard. Then, when it was discovered that your teeth would fall out and you’d die a slow painful death, everyone switched over to tritium. To underscore new safety for military applications, Blancpain printed a massive ‘No Radiations’ marker at 6 in full spectrum color, a rad sign with an X through it. This, I just find amusing, as it’s essentially the brand shouting ‘We won’t kill you guys, promise!’ This one was issued to the Bundeswehr Kampfschwimmers, as serious as frog-manning got at the time. As hazard to life is concerned, I think radiation would be the least of a 60s Kampfschwimmer’s worries. More sharks, bullets, and enough cigarettes to sponsor a Ferrari F1 team. That’s the life.

The Bundeswehr continued using the Fifty Fathoms through the 70s for its dependability, even creating their own iteration in 1975 with no bezel markings and a prominent 3H that’s now a bit of a rare bird collector’s darling. But the earlier watches are the beautiful classics that Blancpain has built their modern brand image upon. Despite all the magnificent 90s complication, Blancpain rest on the Fifty Fathoms today as heavily as AP use the Royal Oak. And yet, none are better than the start. Luck? Brilliance? A high from parallel diving bends and cigarettes? Who knows, but I know I like this one.

This example is just great. The tritium dial has what certain looks like original applications and no visible damage. That lovely wide bakelite bezel is uncracked. Its case has deep engravings and many delicious battle scars. It comes from a well-regarded London retailer, whose name appropriately includes the word Fathoms.