1960s Blancpain Aqua Lung "No Radiations"

Few modern companies carry a history that can rival Blancpain SA, which is recognized as being the first watch brand dating all the way back to 1735 with an extensive pedigree of inventions and innovations within the now vast world of horology. The Blancpain dive watches are one of the most important innovations of the brand's history.

The idea for the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms was conceived in 1952, when French Navy members requested a wristwatch that was waterproof enough to withstand the pressures endured during the diving missions required of the elite team of combat “Frogmen” divers, also known today as a dive watch. The task of finding this watch was famously taken on by French Navy officers Captain Robert “Bob” Maloubier & Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, who after testing numerous "waterproof" watches at the time failed to find a fit for their tactical requirements. While these requirements may seem stock-standard today, in 1952 they were groundbreaking. A wristwatch that was water-resistant enough to survive a diving-based combat mission, but was also visible enough to be easily read underwater, even at night.

Since no watch like this existed at the time, Capt. Maloubier created the blueprints for what would become the world's first diving watch, and sent them to various notable watchmakers to manufacture. Though, at the time most watchmaking brands were focused on manufacturing aviation watches, and weren't interested in making hyper-waterproof watches. 

Though their luck would come to fruition when Capt. Maloubier and Lt. Riffaud engaged with Jean-Jacques Fiechter, the CEO of Blancpain SA from 1950 to 1980. Being a diver himself, Fiechter not only accepted the requirements to produce the timepiece for the elite combat diving team but improved upon the design, resulting in a product that not only adhered to the specifications set forth by the French Navy but innovated the watch industry as a whole.

Armed forces from around the world were early adopters of Blancpain dive watches, including the French and American Navies. Early underwater explorers adopted the new dive watch as well, most notably Jacque Cousteau became a major proponent for Blancpain among many others.

The early versions of the Fifty-Fathoms utilized radium luminous material, which was commonplace in early watchmaking and wristwatches of the 1950s. But as the Cold War heightened throughout the 1960s, so did the awareness of the harmful properties of radiation. As a result, watch manufacturers began experimenting with different luminous compounds, though tritium became the most widely employed material across Swiss brands. Blancpain marketed this transition loudly and boldly so as to verbalize the safety of their products to the masses, resulting in dials that bore bright red and yellow radiation symbols with a black X through the logo and the text "No Radiation". This dial printing was first seen on the Fifty-Fathoms model and was kept in the transition to the improved Aqua Lung of the 1960s.

The "No Radiations" Blancpain Aqua Lung presented here is one of the best-preserved examples we've ever seen. From the impressive bakelite bezel, near-perfect dial, and well-maintained case, we would be hard-pressed to find another example that matches the condition of this one.