Russell Sheldrake Swatch x Blancpain quietly releases the seventh Scuba Fifty Fathoms. It is named Blue Lagoon and its color scheme is taken from the Tambya Marinelli sea slug. This $400 watch will be quietly released just before Christmas with no marketing.
If you’ll pardon the pun in the title, this new Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms Blue Lagoon just came out of nowhere. The sixth addition to this family of collaborations, the Black Oceans of Storm, was teased to the public prior to its release, but this new Blue Lagoon model was never even sent a press release, let alone a public release. It was just quietly uploaded to the Swatch website. You can also run your campaigns on social and go even further.
So what are we thinking with this new release? And why do brands choose to quietly discontinue some watches while making a fuss about others? So let’s get to the last question first. Swatch releases a lot of watches every year, and while some in the community may criticize them for not doing any marketing for watches they aren’t proud of, I personally believe that They would argue that a design they are not proud of is not marketing. It will not be commercialized.
This all comes back to the marketing calendar: what brands want people to pay attention to at what times of the year and how they can achieve that. Considering we’re only a few days away from Christmas at the moment, Swatch is pushing hard with their Christmas collection considering these watches are in the lower price range but still make great stocking stuffers. However, the Scuba Fifty Fathoms series is one of Swatch’s most expensive watches, priced at $400. So it’s more difficult to sell this as a last-minute gift idea on short notice. So it’s understandable why they want to push a festive feel instead of a more premium product now.
So let’s take a look. At this point, I think most people know what the Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms is. Inspired by Blancpain’s legendary Fifty Fathoms diving watch, it’s powered by the nifty automatic Sistem51 caliber and cased in colored bioceramic. This is the seventh iteration of this watch, and each color scheme is based on a different sea slug, with the rich blue here drawn from the Tambilla Marinelli sea slug, which is reproduced on the movement itself.
The only notable change here is that it now comes with a NATO-style strap, and a two-part fabric strap that attaches to the case via a spring bar. This means that the display back is completely visible the moment you take off the watch. Nothing else has changed, the date window remains at 4:30, the dimensions are still 42.3 mm wide and 14.4 mm thick, and the water resistance is 91 meters.
Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms Blue Lagoon price and availability
The Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms Blue Lagoon is available at select Swatch stores worldwide. Price: $400
Brand Swatch x Blancpain Model Scuba Fifty Fathoms Blue Lagoon Case dimensions 42.3 mm (D) x 14.4 mm (T) x 48 mm (LTL) Case material Bioceramic Water resistance 91 meters (50 fathoms) Crystal Scratched bio-glass resistant Coated dial Sun-brushed blue Lug width 21mm Strap Two-part NATO, blue and white Style, made from recycled catches. nets movement System 51, manufactured in-house, automatic power reserve 90 hours Functions Hours, minutes, seconds, date Availability Available only in select Swatch boutiques from January 11th Price $400
