Short answer
The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 1953 ref. 5050 is a modern re-edition of the 1953 original, roughly 40mm across, automatic, with a domed sapphire bezel insert and a date tucked down near 4:30. Replicas exist, but they live in a different world than Submariner clones. Nobody mass-produces a convincing calibre 1151, so most fakes run a Miyota or an Asian ETA clone under an engraved rotor plate. The case and bezel are where the money goes, and where the shortcuts show.
What the 5050 actually is
Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms landed in 1953, built around a request from French combat divers who needed something legible underwater and trustworthy at depth. The 1953 re-edition, referenced 5050, pulls that idea into a wearable case size (spec sheets usually list 40.3mm) and keeps the vintage layout: Arabic numerals, a date at 4:30, a domed sapphire bezel insert, and a movement from the 1151 family with a power reserve often quoted near 100 hours. Limited runs and platinum versions pushed prices into five figures on the secondary market.
What replicas get right
- Overall silhouette. The case shape, lug curve, and dial layout are simple enough to copy, and most mid-tier fakes get the proportions right from a few feet away.
- Strap and hardware. Sailcloth-style straps and signed buckles are cheap to make and usually decent.
- Lume. Modern fake lume is bright and lasts a few hours. It's one of the least useful things to judge by now.
Where they fall short
- The bezel. A domed sapphire insert with crisp printing costs real money. Cheap versions use flat mineral glass or a printed ring, and the action feels gritty or loose with backplay.
- The movement. There is no widely available clone of the 1151. You get a Miyota 9015, an NH35, or an Asian 2824 with a decorated rotor. It works. It just isn't what the caseback claims.
- Dial printing and hands. Look at the numeral shapes, the spacing of "Fifty Fathoms" against the depth rating, and whether the hands are flat or properly stepped. This is where a $120 fake and a $500 fake separate.
- Case finishing. Brushed and polished transitions on the lugs, crown guards, and bezel edge are where a machined case shows tool marks under a loupe.
Before you pay
- Ask which movement is inside, by name. "Swiss movement" on its own means nothing.
- Request daylight photos plus a macro shot of the dial and caseback.
- Ask about water resistance, then assume the answer is no. Don't swim with a replica unless it has been pressure tested, and even then, gaskets on cheap cases fail.
- Check the bezel action on video or in person. If it wobbles or the pip doesn't line up at 12, walk.
- Know the price bands. Under about $100 is costume jewelry. Above about $600 you're paying for a story, not a better watch.
What you won't get
Service. Parts. A movement most independent watchmakers will touch. And nothing about a replica belongs anywhere near a claim that it's genuine. Buy it to wear, not to resell, and keep your receipts so there's no confusion later.
Bottom line
The 5050 is one of the great dive watch designs, which is exactly why it gets copied. If you want the look, a good mid-tier replica delivers it. If you want the watch, save for the real thing, because the bezel and the movement are the two things no factory has faked well.