The newly-released Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2: Tech Gombessa is the latest addition to the brand’s Fifty Fathoms collection, embodying Blancpain’s passion for diving. Its name “Tech Gombessa” commemorates the 10th anniversary of Gombessa, a project that Blancpain helped create by becoming the founding partner of the initiative established in 2013. The Gombessa Expedition is dedicated to the study of the behavior of the great hammerhead shark in French Polynesia. The project is led by a committee of passionate deep-sea divers, including Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain, and Laurent Ballesta, founder of the Gombessa project.
The new Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2: Tech Gombessa was intended to meet the needs of all extreme divers, starting with the members of the Gombessa Expeditions whose research work involves long-duration deep dives. In fact, this advanced diver’s watch makes it possible for the first time to measure up to three-hour-long tech dives or exits from a saturation system. Blancpain says the Tech Gombessa is the first of its kind. Water resistant to 300 meters, the watch features a rotating bezel replacing the traditional 60-minute with the three-hour scale, linking to a customized hand that completes a full rotation every three hours using Blancpain’s new mechanical Caliber 13P8.
Additionally, Blancpain designed the central lug to integrate the strap with the middle case to shorten the lug-to-lug distance. This update ensures that the 47mm Grade 23 titanium case is comfortable to wear on a bare wrist or over a wetsuit. Its wide wristband has an ergonomic titanium pin to ensure a secure fit. The Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2: Tech Gombessa continues the tradition of retaining optimal legibility with a custom finish that captures over 95% of available light, featuring luminescent blocks to enhance readability. Finally, the caseback boasts large cutouts to glimpse the watch’s internal movement. The Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2: Tech Gombessa sells for $28,000.
Check out Tech Gombessa’s predecessor: the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1.
