There’s nothing like a noble cause to stimulate the creativity of luxury watch brands. I’m making reference, of course, to the annual Only Watch auction, which stars some exceptional and one-off timepieces from a spectrum of Switzerland’s finest–all of which are going to be auctioned off next month for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. One of the most interesting to me from this year’s crop–at least in the sport-themed genre–comes from Blancpain.
The Blancpain 500 Fathoms definitely stood out in the manufacturer’s case at Baselworld this year, making it a great choice for the Only Watch event. While clearly respectful of the brand’s Fifty Fathom dive watch heritage, this model makes no mistake that it was created for even deeper missions. At 48mm, it’s noticeably beefier than the current Fifty Fathoms watch, and it also has a helium release valve–a feature that’s all but inevitable in a watch that can tackle the kind of water pressure that this one can (1,000 meters). This Blancpain 500 Fathoms dial is certainly eye-catching, even if it lacks the sober elegance of the Fifty Fathoms watch. This is offset, however, by the intricate design, which combines carbon fiber with metal to create a strong and purposeful effect. Of course, the manufacture Blancpain 1315
Is that all I needed to do? Just ask? Well apparently that was all that Russian weapons factory worker Viktor Zagaevsky needed to do to get a new (for him) Blancpain wrist watch. Russia loves its former Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and he spends a good deal of his time touring around the country. While visiting the weapons factory recently, Putin was stopped on his way out. In a ballsy gesture Zagaevsky asked for something as a souvenir to remember Putin’s visit. Putin is commonly beloved in his country and tends to draw much fanfare. Apparently taken back by the request, Putin simply asked what the blue collar metal worker wanted. Who reportedly responded with “how about your watch?”