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I also couldn’t – or rather, didn’t want to – make friends with the rubber strap at first. I don’t like rubber on my skin, preferring fine leather (hydrophobic) or cleanly woven nylon – preferably made from recycled fishing nets in the form of a NATO strap, but with a historically correct double-D ring instead of a fiddly buckle.

But, the Pre and Après Dive test on bare skin proved me wrong. The Tech Gombessa is extremely comfortable to wear, despite its 47-millimeter case diameter on my tiny 55-millimeter wrist. The comfortable feeling may also be due to the ultra-light and ultra-high-quality titanium of the case construction.

Jason Heaton wearing the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa (photo courtesy Dietmar Fuchs)

Blancpain’s communications explains that “Titanium Grade 23 was chosen for the material of the case. This purest titanium in existence, also called Grade 5 ELI (extra low interstitials, with “very low inclusions”), has only recently been used by Blancpain for its collections. It features exceptional strength as well as anti-allergic properties while being remarkably lightweight.

The low weight ensures the high wearing comfort, so that the watch is hardly noticeable on the wrist despite the large diameter of 47 millimeters. This is also assisted by the fact that, for the first time on a Blancpain timepiece, the watch features central horns attached to the inside of the middle section with an integrated bracelet.”

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa

I can only agree with this. With the exception of the integrated bracelet, which actually looks – for a rubber strap – very valuable. But it cannot be easily replaced by a NATO strap. That’s a problem that I’ve already encountered with the X Fathoms.

While I can understand that Blancpain knows that 80% of its clientele are collectors and watch aficionados, with only a few who actually dive with the watch and even fewer making extreme dives in dry suits, it is that latter that helped develop the watch so I can’t overlook the strap issue.

What else? Let’s first consider the usual requirements for a diver’s watch, which include “optimal readability in all light and visibility conditions.” Here, the Tech Gombessa, like all its siblings in the Fifty Fathoms collection, is perfectly equipped. And, in my opinion, it marks the top in terms of legibility among all diving watches, because not only the numerals of the watch are coated with Super-LumiNova, but also the graduations on the dive time ring. And the latter is at least as important for divers.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa lume

Two more features elevate the Tech Gombessa above its Fifty Fathom siblings: the Super-LumiNova mass is applied so thickly that it appears three-dimensional, and the coating of the dial in “absolute” black, which is a new creation of the color industry that is supposed to absorb 97 percent of the light so offers the highest contrast to the bold Super-LumiNova.

“In stark contrast, the indexes are made of domed and luminescent block appliques, this time in orange with blue emission. These codes are also found on the hour and minute hands, so that one can distinguish the time indication from the dive time,” Blancpain reports, leading on to the first use of a dive timer used independently of the time indication, in the form of a hand equipped with the same color code of the bezel – so that there is no confusion.

Dive Timer

Which brings us to the biggest innovation: the dive timer by means of an additional hand, as well as a bezel with a circular division of three hours of dive time.

This is due to the longer diving times with a rebreather and is therefore the favorite diving equipment of the Gombessa team. This bezel works perfectly with the new fourth hand, the dive time hand, as it takes a total of three hours to complete one rotation. Before diving, you turn the bezel – this is not new – with the diamond over the tip of the hand – in this case, the dive time hand and not, as usual, the minute hand, as on a three-hand watch.

On the Gombessa Tech you can now – quite quickly and safely read off the elapsed dive time. Since the deco times are also correspondingly long during such dives, the new dive time ring also makes sense here.

Even the handling underwater the Gombessa diving experts have considered. Thus, the ring can be easily operated even with thick dry diving gloves. Details that come entirely from practical experience. Diving is done with computers and the mechanical time measurement serves exclusively as a backup.

What I miss

In this case, I am particular – as you can see in the pictures – I always dive with “time” and “depth” as mechanical backup. In an emergency with total electronic failure I can still perform a save return with “Deko on the Fly”, or dive tables at hand. Or in the highest emergency with the old fashioned “90s rule“ only a watch and a depth gauge are needed.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa (photo courtesy Dietmar Fuchs)

I wish that Blancpain offered the ingenious depth gauge from the X Fathoms in a separate case adapted to the Gombessa Tech design.  A “real” diver’s watch only makes sense to me if you use it in combination with a mechanical depth gauge. And wouldn’t this unique combination be the perfect solution for the next limited Tech combo? This time not being distributed online to the fastest buyer but in reference to its origin exclusively to certified tech divers? Sorry, I’m dreaming again.

Details

Let’s start on the negative side: the font of the lettering takes some getting used to, to say the least. In the past, Blancpain had a better hand with other fonts – just take a look at the “Commercial Script” of the Fifty Fathoms.

Back of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa

On the back is the nice oscillating weight behind the rear crystal with its fine “Gombessa Expeditions” logo.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa helium escape valve

In addition, a revised helium valve, which was indeed necessary in the context of Gombessa V – in contrast to the advertised helium outlets of many wanna-be pro dive watches of other manufacturers.

Also useful, as I know from practical experience is the new spherical glass that “eliminates any visual distortions – well, almost.

I also like the huge “Peli box” in which the watch is delivered. What for? Not for storing the watch, but because the box offers enough space for modern photo/video equipment, which, in the spirit of Laurent Ballesta, encourages many new tech divers to document their adventures with the Fifty Fathoms.

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