Blancpain Fifty Fathoms BUND Barakuda

This ultra-rare Blancpain Fifty Fathoms BUND Barakuda is a German Navy combat swimmer watch from the 1960s.

The demand for waterproof diving watches grew in the middle of the 20th century. Wristwatches that were used for military purposes made particularly high demands on robustness, reliability and water resistance. The legendary Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, launched in 1953, is considered one of the very first dive watches. Due to its high water resistance and robustness, it was ordered by the French Navy. In the 1960s, Blancpain produced another watch for the combat divers of the German Navy. This model was named after the equipment specialist "Barakuda" and today makes collectors' hearts beat faster.

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms BUND Barakuda presented here dates back to the 1960s and was in service with the German Navy. On the caseback you can see the Bundeswehr supply number and the engraving "BARAKUDA". The BUND meets the most important requirements for a military diver watch: high water resistance, anti-magnetic case, self-winding movement, luminous hands and markers contrasting with a dark dial and a rotating bezel. The large 43mm case looks well-proportioned and is quite eye-catching on the wrist thanks to its orange bezel.

Condition report
Dial: great condition - absolutely clean black surface - intact two-tone hour markers - old tritium lume in markers and hands - signed with "T<25 MC SWISS" - perfectly preserved white lettering.

Case: natural wear marks - evenly aged - intact and clearly legible engravings on the back: 6645-12-129-8664 BUND BARAKUDA STAINLESS STEEL SWISS - case number on the back: 209xxx - original winding crown - few scratches on the crystal.

Bezel: bright orange bakelite bezel - very few signs of wear visible only under a 10x loupe - rotates smoothly in either direction.

Movement: automatic caliber AS 1902/03 - timegrapher: rate: -17s/day, amplitude: 307, beat error: 0.1.

Summing-Up
Historically, the Barakuda is one of the Blancpain's most significant diving watches. The combat swimmer watch here has a high recognition value and is preserved in great collector's condition. For military diving watch enthusiasts, this Blancpain is a very rare find.

Bundeswehr supply number: 6645-12-129-8664
Case number: 209xxx
Movement number: 634xxx

Int.Exe.: 26254