Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Goes 38mm - Yes, Finally!

You know that feeling when a brand finally listens to its fans? That’s what this feels like.

Blancpain has just dropped a whole new lineup of 38mm Fifty Fathoms watches, which means they might have finally realised what we as customers actually want. Not just for Blancpain, but for dive watch lovers in general. For years, the Fifty Fathoms was mostly a 45mm beast - legendary, sure, but not exactly something you’d throw on your wrist every day unless you have arms like a Marvel superhero.

But now? Things just got a lot more wearable.

A New Size. A Familiar Look.

Let’s start with the basics. Blancpain has released 14 new references, all in a new 38.2mm case. You can get them in stainless steel, grade 23 titanium, or 18k red gold. Dial choices are simple: black or blue sunburst. Both very classic. You also get a choice of straps - sail-canvas, NATO, or tropic rubber - with either a pin buckle or a deployant clasp. And if you go for steel or titanium, you can grab a bracelet too.

The vibe is pure Fifty Fathoms. Applied hour markers, bold Arabic numerals at 3, 6, 9, and 12, a subtle date tucked in at 4:30, and a classic uni-directional sapphire bezel that matches the dial. It’s unmistakably a Fifty Fathoms, just...smaller.

The proportions are fully reworked, which is a good sign. At 12mm thick, the watch wears noticeably slimmer than the 42mm version (which comes in at 14.2mm). Lug width is 19mm, down from 21.5mm. It’s still rated to 300 meters of water resistance, and the overall look is as sharp and serious as you’d expect from a Blancpain diver.

Around the back, there’s a sapphire caseback showing off the in-house calibre 1150 movement. It’s an automatic with a 100-hour power reserve (yes, you read that right), twin barrels, and a silicon hairspring for magnetic resistance.

Source: Hodinkee

Alright, But How Much?

These aren’t budget watches, but Blancpain doesn’t do “budget.”

Here’s the breakdown in euros:

• Stainless Steel:
  ~€15,300 (strap + pin buckle)
  ~€16,700 (strap + deployant)
  ~€17,900 (bracelet)
  
  

• Titanium:
  ~€16,400 (strap + pin buckle)
  ~€18,200 (strap + deployant)
  ~€19,400 (bracelet)
  
  

• Red Gold:
  ~€28,000 (pin buckle)
  ~€31,000 (deployant)
  
  

No limited editions here. This lineup is joining Blancpain’s permanent catalogue, which is another sign that this isn't just a one-off experiment. It's a real commitment to making the Fifty Fathoms more accessible (at least in size, if not in price).

Source: Hodinkee

Why This Matters

For the last decade or so, if you wanted a Fifty Fathoms that didn’t feel like a wrist-dominating tank, your only hope was to wait for a rare limited edition, like the 2020 “Mil-Spec” collab with Hodinkee or one of those 40.3mm reissues. They were gone in minutes. It always felt like Blancpain knew people wanted a smaller Fifty Fathoms but just didn’t want to make one for the general public.

That’s changed.

The release of the 42mm case into the main lineup in 2024 hinted at a shift. Now, with this new 38mm range, it’s clear: Blancpain is opening up the Fifty Fathoms to wrists of all sizes. Whether you’ve got smaller wrists or you just like a vintage-sized watch, this is a welcome move.

It’s also a smart one. The market is clearly swinging back toward smaller watches. Look at what we saw at Watches & Wonders 2025 - Patek, Cartier, Grand Seiko - everyone's trimming the fat, tightening up proportions, and designing with actual wrist comfort in mind.

The 38mm Fifty Fathoms feels like a response not just to collectors, but to the entire shift in consumer taste. It’s still built like a proper dive watch, but it wears more like the vintage pieces that inspired it. That’s what I like to call good design.

Source: Hodinkee

The Movement Is No Joke

Let’s talk about that calibre 1150 for a second. It’s one of Blancpain’s go-to automatic movements, and for good reason. It’s just 3.25mm thick, helps keep the whole watch nice and slim, and packs a punch with a 100-hour power reserve.

That’s four full days. No need to wind it if you forget to wear it over a long weekend.

And it’s not just about power. Thanks to the silicon hairspring, it’s also anti-magnetic, so it’ll survive life around laptops, speakers, and all the other tech we live with. Blancpain didn’t cheap out here; they gave the 38mm model the same serious engine they use in their bigger pieces.

Source: Hodinkee

My Take

Look, I haven’t seen this one in the metal yet, but based on everything we know, I really like what Blancpain is doing here.

The Fifty Fathoms has always been one of the most important dive watches ever made. It basically invented the category back in the early ‘50s. But for years, it’s been out of reach - either too big, too expensive, or only available in limited runs.

Now we’ve got something that feels a little more democratic (again, in size, not price). You can still buy the 45mm if you want that oversized diver energy. The 42mm is there as the middle ground. And now the 38mm gives us a more vintage-friendly option that won’t overwhelm your wrist.

Is it cheap? Nope. But if you were already saving up for a Fifty Fathoms, this one might actually be the smartest choice in the lineup.

Source: Hodinkee