Short answer
A "fake Fifty Fathoms 1953 5050" is a replica of Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms, the dive watch line Blancpain launched in 1953. Sellers attach the 5050 reference to 1953-style editions. No replica matches the original in every part. The main gaps are case size, the locking bezel, the movement, and dial printing.
What the 1953 Fifty Fathoms is
Blancpain released the Fifty Fathoms in 1953. Jean-Jacques Fiechter, head of Blancpain at the time, drove the project. French Navy combat swimmers used the watch. The original carried a rotating bezel with a lock, a dark dial with large luminous markers, a moisture indicator on the dial, and an automatic caliber. Blancpain built the first run for military divers. That 1953 design became a template for later dive watches.
What shows up in replica listings
Case size
Replica listings for 1953-style cases run from 40 mm to 45 mm. Lug width is listed as 20 mm or 22 mm. Genuine case sizes changed across editions and years. Ask the seller for a photo with calipers before you pay.
Movement
Three movements cover most of this market: the Miyota 9015, the Seagull ST2130, and Asian ETA 2824 clones. The Miyota 9015 runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour. The Seagull ST2130 is a Chinese copy of the ETA 2824-2 layout. No replica uses a Blancpain caliber. Replicas with no date window are the safer pick, because a date wheel adds one more part that can be wrong.
Crystal and bezel
Cheap units use mineral glass. Mid and top units use sapphire with inner anti-reflective coating. The original 1953 bezel locks in place. Most replicas copy the look of the bezel but not the lock. Insert material should be aluminum for a 1953-style watch. Ceramic inserts appear in listings and do not belong on this design.
Lume
Better replicas use Super-LumiNova in a cream or aged tone. Cheap dials use printed lume that glows for a few minutes. Ask for a lume shot in a dark room.
The moisture indicator
The original dial held a small disc that changed color when moisture entered the case. Replicas print that disc or fit a copy that does nothing. Look for a flat printed circle that never reacts.
Checks before buying
- Dial text: font weight of the brand name, depth rating, and spacing of the model name. Wrong fonts are the first tell.
- Bezel alignment: the marker must sit at 12 with the crown at 3.
- Click count and back play on the bezel ring.
- Caseback engraving: serial and reference numbers. Fake numbers repeat across units.
- Crown: size, signature, and thread quality on winding.
- Movement photos: rotor, balance, and jewel count.
- Water resistance. Most replicas hold 3 to 5 ATM at best. Do not dive with one.
Price bands
Replica Fifty Fathoms watches sell from about $80 to $600. Under $150: mineral glass, low beat movement, printed dial. From $200 to $400: sapphire glass, Miyota 9015 or Seagull ST2130, better case finishing. At $400 and up: sellers claim "super clone" status, with Asian ETA copies and closer dial text. Price does not prove quality. Parts and service for these movements are hard to source, so factor that into the total cost.
Reference numbers
Confirm the exact 5050 reference with Blancpain or with auction records before you compare any listing to a real watch. Blancpain uses separate references for 1953 tribute editions and for current Fifty Fathoms models. Replica sellers mix references and years. A listing that claims a 1953 original for a few hundred dollars is a replica, not a vintage watch.