As if watch collecting wasn’t addictive enough, Swatch has teamed up with another of their company’s brands to produce this second such collaboration. Whereas the MoonSwatch was a quartz chronograph, the Fifty Fathoms features its in-house SISTEM51 automatic movement.
The model I bought and am reviewing is called the Antarctic Ocean (each of the colourways is named after an ocean) and comes in a crisp white and grey finish with a water-sensitive Scuba logo on the dial. But is it as good as the MoonSwatch I reviewed? Let’s find out.
Blancpain x Swatch Fifty Fathoms Overview
| Price | £350 |
| Case size | 42mm |
| Lug width | 20mm |
| Thickness | 15mm |
| Water Resistance | 91m |
| Movement | Swatch SISTEM51 automatic |
Case and movement
The Fifty Fathoms is made of the same ‘bioceramic’ material as the MoonSwatch. The case is just as nice as its sister model and the crisp white looks great against the grey bezel. It’s equally as light – which is welcome as otherwise the thick case would feel quite unbalanced. The bezel action feels good with a positive click.
Swatch’s SISTEM51 is a mechanical movement but produced entirely by machines. The mechanism features only 51 parts, including a single central screw. It’s fully sealed, with regulation being done by laser during production, so if it breaks the only option is to replace the entire thing. I am comfortable with this – though many other reviewers balk at the idea of a disposable movement. One oddity of the movement is that it hand winds ‘backwards’ – counter clockwise. Otherwise it’s fine: 90 hours of power reserve beats everything else in my collection. I particularly like the little sea slug (the manual assures me it is called a ‘Nudiebranch’) on the transparent rotor, visible through a display case back.
I like the way this watch wears but not as much as the MoonSwatch. It is bigger and a little bulky if worn with sleeves.
Dial and Hands
The dial of the Blancpain x Swatch Fifty Fathoms is great: extremely legible with high quality lime on the applied dot markers. Although this look was popularised by the Rolex Submariner, Blancpain did it first. The whole thing is designed to be legible at a glance and the watch does not disappoint.
Strap
Just like the MoonSwatch, didn’t like the stock strap – a NATO that obscures that lovely case back design and makes a thick watch feel even thicker. Again, I switched to a rubber strap from Amazon (this one) that matches the watch perfectly and is much more comfortable for my wrist.
The strap change is a little more involved than usual, requiring a couple of Allen keys (thankfully supplied with my watch strap kit) but it’s authentic to the original and very, very secure.
Blancpain x Swatch Fifty Fathoms – The WRUK Verdict
Overall? I love my second Swatch. Its is not as good value for money as the MoonSwatch with the automatic movement adding £100 to the price, but there are plenty of used Blancpain x Swatch deals on eBay if you want to achieve the look for less.
| What I Like | What I Don’t Like |
| Great pedigree and one of the cheapest ways to get a Blancpain logo on your wrist | The OEM strap is quite short and feels cheap compared to the rest of the package |
| I love the cool look of the white case and the grey bezel | Bioceramic is not for everyone |
| The SISTEM51 movement is an interesting addition to my collection | The watch is less pleasant to wear than the MoonSwatch thanks to its thickness, especially on the stock NATO. |
Buy a Moonswatch
You can buy a Blancpain x Swatch Fifty Fathoms in-person from a Swatch AD or online from https://www.swatch.com/. Alternatively you can buy a pre-owned Blancpain x Swatch from eBay.
The aftermarket rubber strap I have fitted came from Amazon.