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Moeris 'Blancpain' Bathyscaphe, 1950s — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Moeris 'Blancpain' Bathyscaphe, 1950s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Moeris (maker)
Date
1950s
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
Product 160423313433
Credit line
Dealer listing, S.Song Watches (product 160423313433)
Catalogue title (original)
Moeris 'Blancpain' Bathyscaphe (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle (stock number Product 160423313433), this is a wristwatch by Moeris, dated 1950s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — S.Song Watches

This Moeris is simply a Blancpain Bathyscaphe rebranded. While it is more common to see the Waltham versions of these Bathyscaphes, the Moeris is hardly ever seen, making it much rarer than even the Blancpain. If you are thinking of a quintessential 50’s dive watch, this Moeris must be up there. Featuring a black glossy dial with large triangular lume markers, dagger hands, elongated lugs with large bevels and of course a perfect Bakelite bezel, this is what I think of when someone says ‘dive watch’. All of this adds up to make for a stunning watch on the wrist and this example is made even more special as it comes perfectly preserved, having never been worn before!

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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