Blancpain GMT Fifty Fathoms Men's Swiss Luxury Watches Review

Blancpain Diver men's time keepers merge complications and ultra-slim cases with properties of a diver watch. It was only a matter of time that Blancpain – a company that named the Le Brassus collection after a lake – created a series of diver dedicated watches.

Made in three variations, Fifty Fathoms, GMT and Air Command, and marked as “Specialites” (special), these watches give a taste of the company's Sports collection. What makes the Specialites Diver special is its distinct blend of stylistic characteristics: equal part traveler, equal part sports and small part casual. Such a unique combination cannot fit into any of the mentioned categories, and in order to avoid compromise, Blancpain created a separate collection.

All men's diver watches feature a powerful masculine design, even somewhat rustic in its outward appearance: an immediate announcement of utility preference. A closer look reveals that the bracelet (or the lugs with the strap) provide the initial “brutal” impulse of power, which is subsequently “civilized” and toned down by the unidirectional rotating bezel – a feature whose numbers and markers indicate a measure of clear purpose and direction.

Black or dark blue dials further bridle the design by calling attention to the large Arabic numeral and the pointy hands, all luminous. I think that despite the achieved balance, there is still something ruthless seething inside Blancpain men's divers, which makes the watches especially suitable for explosive, fierce personalities.

It's interesting that Blancpain alter almost nothing in the women's models of diver watches. The pieces get smaller – but all the features, and, most notably the design, remain unchanged. Yet this only change in design achieves exactly what one would expect for a ladies watch: the smaller it is, the less showy and intimidating it becomes.

Moreover, it puts on finesse and gentleness. I would go as far as to say that the true character of men's diver watches cannot be perceived without consulting with the women's models. Indeed, perhaps for some men – or most – the feminine variation is the more apt choice.