Last year, Swatch set a fire. The MoonSwatch, created in collaboration with Swatch Group stablemate Omega, brought the storied Speedmaster to the masses in Swatch’s proprietary bioceramic material for a price of just AED1,000—if you could get one before the in-store-only release sold out, that is. And now, a new collab with another Swatch Group member, Blancpain, is here to add fuel to the fire.
The newly announced Blancpain x Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms is the hottest collaboration in watches since… well, the MoonSwatch.
Like the MoonSwatch before it, this reimagined icon of watchmaking comes will all the delights that Swatch can offer, and by that we mean a fun variety of colours – 5 in this case. Named after the world’s five oceans (makes sense for a diving watch), the key element about this new collab is the movement – it is mechanical.
Powered by Swatch’s Sistem51 Automatic movement, it is made of 51 machine-made components and offers an impressive 90 hours of power reserve when fully charged. The 42.3mm case is made in Bioceramic, a two-to-one blend of ceramic and bio-sourced material derived from castor oil. The NATO strap included with each is made, fittingly, from recycled, ocean-gathered fishing nets. The automatic movement and superior depth rating inevitably push the Blancpain x Swatch Fifty Fathoms up in price compared to the MoonSwatch.
Just in time for the 70-year-anniversary of the launch of Blancpain’s original Fifty Fathoms diver – a watch that is perpetually at the top of any fan of dive watches’ wish list. Which makes the new collab with Swatch even more enticing due to the hugely accessible price tag of AED1,500, for one of the most desired watch designs in the business, albeit without all the hallmarks of the original version.
The new Blancpain x Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms are only available to purchase in-store, and are limited to in-person sales – a learning that Swatch took from the chaos that surrounded the purchasing of the Moonswatch in general.
While the first rush of releases has come and gone, there will be regular additional drops of the non-limited-edition collaboration available only in the Dubai Mall Swatch store in Dubai, before being released into other Swatch stores across the UAE. Expect long lines—and inflated resale prices on reselling sites for this reimagined icon of watchmaking.