Why This Watch Matters

The perfect blend of American and Swiss watchmaking, built with a purpose with precision.

The Full Story

The Fifty Fathoms served a number of elite military units worldwide, and finally, it was time for America to get in on the action. But there was a slight issue: U.S. laws dictated that American military suppliers would be favored in the procurement process. To remedy the situation, Allen V. Tornek came up with a solution. He’d import the watches through his American company and have Blancpain brand the pieces “Rayville." These watches, in every iteration, are every bit of a Fifty Fathoms, just under a different name.

We have come across a few of these "Baby Blancpains" over the past year or so. Most are either not branded with a model name at all or they are referred to as Bathyscaphes. Making this U.S. Divers example special is the legendary "Fifty Fathoms" script, right on the dial.

In 1943, the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Air Liquide engineer Emile Gagnan developed the world's first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (or, SCUBA). They called it the Aqua-Lung. This invention is considered the starting point of modern diving. By 1950, distribution of the Aqua-Lung expanded to Britain, Canada, and the US. The US distributor, Rene Bussoz of Rene Sports in Los Angeles, California, signs on for exclusive stateside rights to the product and created U.S. Divers to market Cousteau and Gagnan's product.

By the 1960s, Air Liquide (Cousteau, Gagnan, and friends) had purchased U.S. Divers and looked to make the brand name known around the world. In doing so, they expanded the company's offerings through shops and catalogs to include other tools needed to dive, like watches.

That is where our watch comes in. Rayville imported this Fifty Fathoms from Blancpain for retailing through U.S. Divers in the USA. This is not a watch that comes to market all too often. Given the extremely specific nature by which it was manufactured, imported, and retailed, there just are not too many around.

We paired this rare bird of a Fifty Fathoms with our Bedford suede strap in beige to play off of the lume patina.

The Fine Print

What We Love And What You Should Know

Things We Love:

- U.S. Divers history
- Blancpain made with Fifty Fathoms on dial
- Classic Blancpain style bakelite bezel

Things To Know:

- Scratches on case
- Wear on dial

This U.S. Divers diver is in good and honest overall condition. The case is in very good condition, probably unpolished, retaining crisp edges to the lugs and case sides. The case is chrome plated and shows very little wear to the plating. The reverse sides of the lugs have some scratches from strap removal and placement. The caseback has a few deeper scratches and has retained a brushed finish. The engravings on the caseback are all clearly visible. 

The dial is in ok condition with an overall patina to the glossy black finish. The periphery of the dial shows wear as does the left side of the six o’clock marker. There is wear on the dial emanating from the handstack to the seven and nine o'clock hour markers. This is a result of the hands sitting for a long period of time at 7:35 and burning the dial finish. Mostly, the dial has matted in this area but some of the 5 in "500 FEET" is lost. The hour markers have developed some patina. The lume on the dial is full and has aged to dark cream to green color. The hands have developed a patina and have a similar tone to that of the dial. The hands and hour markers themselves show some oxidation.

The external Bakelite bezel has developed an overall patina with some wear near the 20 and 45 minute marks as well as a slight crack around the 60 minute mark. The dial is signed by U.S. Divers. The caseback and movement are signed by Rayville. This watch was photographed on a 175mm/6.9inch wrist.