There are only five oceans on Earth but that hasn’t stopped Blancpain and Swatch from adding a sixth ocean timepiece to the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection. This time around, the watchmakers sought inspiration from Oceanus Procellarum—Latin for ‘Ocean of Storms’—a massive lunar mare on the western edge of the moon’s surface. The new model shares the same measurements and features as its bioceramic brethren and arrives on 11 January at select Swatch locations worldwide. As it just so happens, 11 January is also the day of the new moon. Coincidence? We think not.
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What the heck is a lunar mare? Someone out there might be asking. Essentially, lunar mares are the dark splotches you’ll notice when looking up at a full moon on a clear night. Once mistaken as seas by early astronomers, they’re actually large basaltic plains formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. Meanwhile, Oceanus Procellarum is the biggest lunar mare of them all, with an overall size of approximately 2 million square kilometres.
With the latest release, Blancpain and Swatch have once again scaled something insanely vast and impressive down to wrist-friendly proportions. The new OCEAN OF STORMS nevertheless takes plenty of design cues from its lunar-based underpinnings, such as the striking black colourway inspired by the new moon (aka the Black Moon). It also falls seamlessly in line with the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms collection, employing Bioceramic construction and running on Swatch’s revolutionary SISTEM51, the world’s only mechanical movement brought to life by way of entirely automated production methods.
Like other models in the range, OCEAN OF STORMS is 42.3mm in diameter and water-resistant down to a full fifty fathoms (equal to 91 meters or 300 feet). This latter feat of strength doubles as an ode to Blancpain’s original Fifty Fathoms—dubbed by the brand as the “first true diving watch“—an iconic model that’s been turning heads and plunging oceans for seven decades and counting.
As for the unique Bioceramic on the case and crown, that comes to us from Swatch, which crafted it out of sturdy ceramic and bio-sourced material. Along similarly sustainable lines, the watch comes with a NATO strap made from recycled fishing nets.
OCEAN OF STORMS is sleek and sporty at first glance but also adorned with all kinds of glorious detail. For instance, one will find signature logo emblems on the black sunray-finish dial, case, and crown (respectively) while the exhibition caseback features motivational inscriptions such as PASSION FOR DIVING and OCEAN BREATH. Peer through the caseback window to behold the legendary SISTEM51 self-winding movement, which delivers a whopping 90-hour power reserve and features an illustration of the full moon (highlighting Ocean of Storms, in particular) along with a digital imprint of a sea slug.
The non-limited OCEAN OF STORMS has arrived like the new moon and is now available worldwide at select Swatch retailers, including locations in Sydney. And so the Blancpain x Swatch ocean legacy looks up to the stars and continues accordingly.
Blancpain X Swatch Oceans of Storm
- Brand: Blancpain x Swatch
- Model: Scuba Fifty Fathoms – Oceans of Storm
- Movement: Sistem51 Automatic
- Diameter: 42.3mm
- Thickness: 14.4mm
- Case Material: Bioceramic
- Water-Resistance: 91m
- Power Reserve: 90 hours
- Price: AUD$655
