The 51-year-old engineer from Singapore had a front-row seat to one of the most anticipated watch launches of 2023
Last year, Blancpain celebrated the 70th anniversary of its Fifty Fathoms dive watch in grand style, spacing out the release of the special editions in three acts. It kicked off 2023 with Act 1, which interpreted the original Fifty Fathoms in 1953 with the automatic Calibre 1315 with a platinum (the traditional metal to celebrate a 70th anniversary) rotor. Later, Act 2 was unveiled to be a collaboration with Gombessa Expedition, the Tech Gombessa with a timing scale on the bezel that can measure up to three hours, a first for a wrist dive watch.
The final Act 3 was launched in September 2023 in Cannes, the birthplace of Fifty Fathoms. While on a dive off the coast of Cannes, former Blancpain CEO Jean-Jacques Fiechter ran critically low on oxygen and realised the importance of a highly legible diving watch to keep track of time underwater. Hence was born the Fifty Fathoms, which took its name from an old measurement of the depth of water. Fifty fathoms are equivalent to 90m.
Act 3 is inspired by the Mil-Spec dive watch with a moisture indicator on the dial. It comes in a bronze case.
Read more: All you need to know about Blancpain FIfty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1, 2 and 3
One of the few lucky invitees from Southeast Asia to the exclusive Cannes event was Lim Ee Chiat, a 51-year-old engineer in Singapore who started collecting watches in his 30s. “But I’ve had an interest in mechanical watches since my 20s and was already exploring the world then,” says Lim.
An avid fan of Blancpain watches, Lim had the brand to thank for picking up scuba diving at the age of 50.
“I’ve always wanted to learn scuba diving but procrastinated. I only obtained my Padi license recently because of the Blancpain Ocean Commitment, which helped me gain new perspectives on ocean conservation and make my watch collecting journey more meaningful,” he enthuses.
