For many, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Mil-Spec is a grail watch. So when ZF recently released their take on the 2017 limited edition, I had to get one (from @jtimewatch in this case) and see if it was good. Spoiler alert: ZF pretty much nailed it.
Straight out of the crappy chinese shipping box, the first thing you notice is how it intuitively feels like a real Blancpain watch, something that few reps have been able to do for me. It feels luxurious, with polished and brushed surfaces that catch the light beautifully. The dimensions are impressively close to the original. Spot on diameter at 40.3mm and only 0.5mm thicker than the genuine Mil-Spec, the watch wears wonderfully. Even with the added thickness (13.5mm vs. 13mm), it’s hardly noticeable, even if you were to handle both the gen and the rep side by side.
For me, the sapphire lumed bezel insert is where ZF truly shines. The shape is accurate, the printing is razor-sharp, and the lume is powerful and perfectly matched to the dial and hands. The insert fits like a glove, with tolerances so tight that it feels like a piece of genuine Swiss craftsmanship. The bezel knurling itself is close, but if you are really nitpicky you'll notice that the milled teeth are a slightly different shape than the gen. The bezel action, is a different story. It feels cheap and sounds loud—a dead giveaway. However, it’s precise, with no play and perfect alignment. I'd rather have it this way, than the other way around.
Then there’s the sapphire crystal, which is as clear as they come. The AR coating is superb, rivaling even that of gen modern Omega pieces. Reading the dial is an absolute delight: it's already high-contrast by it's gen heritage. And now with zero glare and perfect transparency. It’s the kind of detail that makes you forget you’re dealing with a rep.
Speaking of the dial, ZF nailed it too. the execution is equally impressive. Sure, it's a bit easier as this gen design has no applied markers—replicating those flawlessly remains a tall order (looking at you, rep Aquanauts). But the printing here is razor-sharp and precise, and the subtle sunburst finish adds a touch of elegance. It’s one of those details that quietly whisper, “Yes, this is a Blancpain” fooling your intuition in all the right ways.
But, like all reps, there are tells. The biggest here are the white-painted hands: Beautifully finished and proportionally correct, but painted white instead of steel / white gold. The later Hodinkee Mil-Spec version had white hands, but that came with a different bezel and a few other changes. So, if you know your Blancpain limited releases, this will be an obvious "huh?" Personally, I love the look. If I were designing a Blancpain myself, I’d go with white hands. But the white handset is a curious choice from ZF, given how obsessively accurate they were elsewhere. And given how easy it would be for ZF. I get it that it's hard to replicate a GMT-Master BLRO II ceramic bezel - even Rolex struggles getting that right - but steel / plated handset is an easy default.
Then there’s the movement. ZF’s effort isn’t terrible; the Blancpain-style decorations are a nice touch. And now you can spot other big tell: the rotor engraved with “Ocean Commitment,” a clear part copy-paste from another ZF Blancpain rep. It’s one of those mistakes that’ll make any die-hard Blancpain enthusiast raise an eyebrow. Still, the movement is reliable enough for daily wear, and mine runs at about +3s/d in real life.
Moving to the strap, ZF includes a (20mm) sailcloth version that looks quite good but feels… like a low-quality chinese strap Rough and uncomfortable, it’s a strap you’ll want to replace immediately. I switched mine for my black Erika's Originals elasticated Marine Nationale strap. The elasticity balances the watch’s tall profile wonderfully. I’ve also got my eye on a regular pin buckle Artem sailcoth strap, especially as Artems were originally inspired by the Blancpain sailcloth straps.
And about those drilled lugs… From the outside, they look fine, but on the inside, they’re slightly misaligned, as if drilled at an angle. Functionally, they work for removing the (curved) spring bars, but the off-kilter look is a bit strange when the strap is off.
Size-wise, this watch hits the sweet spot. At 40.5mm, it’s smaller than most modern Fifty Fathoms models at least 42mm or even 45mm. On my 7-inch wrist, it wears comfortably, thanks to the short lug-to-lug length. Yes, it’s thick, and the case doesn’t hug the wrist—it sits tall and proud. But that’s part of the design: This is a luxuy grandchild of a military frogman grandfather, so it should keep the family resemblance. After all, 40mm FFs were considered oversized tools in the ’50s, so I think anything smaller than this wouldn't fit the Fifty Fathoms brand.
So is this worth the 400-450 bucks? Hell yeah IMHO! In the end, the ZF Mil-Spec is a replica that punches way above its weight. Epecially as the gen article currently sells between $15,000 and $20,000. Even if I won the lottery today, I don't know if I would swap this replica for a real 5008 Fifty Fathoms Mil-Spec. This is just one of those reps that feels so close, it really fools your intuitive side into believing that you have the real thing on your wrist. Sure, it’s not perfect, no rep ever is. But it gets so much right that it’s hard not to be impressed. So for anyone craving the Fifty Fathoms experience, at the right size, without the hefty price tag, this one’s worth a look.
Awesome:
1. Overall just feels luxurious and well-crafted.
2. Perfectly shaped, crisp, glowing bezel insert.
3. Precise printing with beautiful sunburst dial.
4. Lume is bright, equal, and long-lasting.
Not Great:
1. Handset is white, but should look white gold / steel colored.
2. Rotor incorrectly marked “Ocean Commitment.”
3. Bezel action feels cheap and loud.
4. Low-quality, uncomfortable sailcloth strap.
Straight out of the crappy chinese shipping box, the first thing you notice is how it intuitively feels like a real Blancpain watch, something that few reps have been able to do for me. It feels luxurious, with polished and brushed surfaces that catch the light beautifully. The dimensions are impressively close to the original. Spot on diameter at 40.3mm and only 0.5mm thicker than the genuine Mil-Spec, the watch wears wonderfully. Even with the added thickness (13.5mm vs. 13mm), it’s hardly noticeable, even if you were to handle both the gen and the rep side by side.
For me, the sapphire lumed bezel insert is where ZF truly shines. The shape is accurate, the printing is razor-sharp, and the lume is powerful and perfectly matched to the dial and hands. The insert fits like a glove, with tolerances so tight that it feels like a piece of genuine Swiss craftsmanship. The bezel knurling itself is close, but if you are really nitpicky you'll notice that the milled teeth are a slightly different shape than the gen. The bezel action, is a different story. It feels cheap and sounds loud—a dead giveaway. However, it’s precise, with no play and perfect alignment. I'd rather have it this way, than the other way around.
Then there’s the sapphire crystal, which is as clear as they come. The AR coating is superb, rivaling even that of gen modern Omega pieces. Reading the dial is an absolute delight: it's already high-contrast by it's gen heritage. And now with zero glare and perfect transparency. It’s the kind of detail that makes you forget you’re dealing with a rep.
Speaking of the dial, ZF nailed it too. the execution is equally impressive. Sure, it's a bit easier as this gen design has no applied markers—replicating those flawlessly remains a tall order (looking at you, rep Aquanauts). But the printing here is razor-sharp and precise, and the subtle sunburst finish adds a touch of elegance. It’s one of those details that quietly whisper, “Yes, this is a Blancpain” fooling your intuition in all the right ways.
But, like all reps, there are tells. The biggest here are the white-painted hands: Beautifully finished and proportionally correct, but painted white instead of steel / white gold. The later Hodinkee Mil-Spec version had white hands, but that came with a different bezel and a few other changes. So, if you know your Blancpain limited releases, this will be an obvious "huh?" Personally, I love the look. If I were designing a Blancpain myself, I’d go with white hands. But the white handset is a curious choice from ZF, given how obsessively accurate they were elsewhere. And given how easy it would be for ZF. I get it that it's hard to replicate a GMT-Master BLRO II ceramic bezel - even Rolex struggles getting that right - but steel / plated handset is an easy default.
Then there’s the movement. ZF’s effort isn’t terrible; the Blancpain-style decorations are a nice touch. And now you can spot other big tell: the rotor engraved with “Ocean Commitment,” a clear part copy-paste from another ZF Blancpain rep. It’s one of those mistakes that’ll make any die-hard Blancpain enthusiast raise an eyebrow. Still, the movement is reliable enough for daily wear, and mine runs at about +3s/d in real life.
Moving to the strap, ZF includes a (20mm) sailcloth version that looks quite good but feels… like a low-quality chinese strap Rough and uncomfortable, it’s a strap you’ll want to replace immediately. I switched mine for my black Erika's Originals elasticated Marine Nationale strap. The elasticity balances the watch’s tall profile wonderfully. I’ve also got my eye on a regular pin buckle Artem sailcoth strap, especially as Artems were originally inspired by the Blancpain sailcloth straps.
And about those drilled lugs… From the outside, they look fine, but on the inside, they’re slightly misaligned, as if drilled at an angle. Functionally, they work for removing the (curved) spring bars, but the off-kilter look is a bit strange when the strap is off.
Size-wise, this watch hits the sweet spot. At 40.5mm, it’s smaller than most modern Fifty Fathoms models at least 42mm or even 45mm. On my 7-inch wrist, it wears comfortably, thanks to the short lug-to-lug length. Yes, it’s thick, and the case doesn’t hug the wrist—it sits tall and proud. But that’s part of the design: This is a luxuy grandchild of a military frogman grandfather, so it should keep the family resemblance. After all, 40mm FFs were considered oversized tools in the ’50s, so I think anything smaller than this wouldn't fit the Fifty Fathoms brand.
So is this worth the 400-450 bucks? Hell yeah IMHO! In the end, the ZF Mil-Spec is a replica that punches way above its weight. Epecially as the gen article currently sells between $15,000 and $20,000. Even if I won the lottery today, I don't know if I would swap this replica for a real 5008 Fifty Fathoms Mil-Spec. This is just one of those reps that feels so close, it really fools your intuitive side into believing that you have the real thing on your wrist. Sure, it’s not perfect, no rep ever is. But it gets so much right that it’s hard not to be impressed. So for anyone craving the Fifty Fathoms experience, at the right size, without the hefty price tag, this one’s worth a look.
Awesome:
1. Overall just feels luxurious and well-crafted.
2. Perfectly shaped, crisp, glowing bezel insert.
3. Precise printing with beautiful sunburst dial.
4. Lume is bright, equal, and long-lasting.
Not Great:
1. Handset is white, but should look white gold / steel colored.
2. Rotor incorrectly marked “Ocean Commitment.”
3. Bezel action feels cheap and loud.
4. Low-quality, uncomfortable sailcloth strap.
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