Blancpain reaffirmed their dedication to ocean preservation with the fourth in the series of watches labelled as Blancpain Ocean Commitment. We attended the launch event in Singapore, and bring you this hands on review.
New and Reviewed: Blancpain Ocean Commitment 4 (BOC IV)
The Blancpain Ocean Commitment 4 retails from SGD 30,700. Price inclusive of GST. Limited edition of 100 pieces.
The cause
The cause is one which is derived from one of the many passions of Marc Hayek. This strong desire to save the planet’s oceans has already sprung 4 (counting this novelty) Blancpain Ocean Commitment (BOC) watches. The first three were released in 2023. Act 1 was the Fifty Fathoms. Act 2 came in the form of the Fifty Fathoms Gombessa , with Act 3 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms And this novelty marks the fourth in the series.
The BOC IV watch supports the Blancpain x Sulubaaï Marine Research Center in the village of Sandoval. This a project that has been funded by Blancpain since 2023. For each watch sold, Blancpain contributes EUR 1,000 to the Centre, with a program aimed at the sustainable management of marine resources, with the key principles of protection, restoration, education, and replication.
The case, dial and hands
The case is the classic Fifty Fathoms case, executed in Grade 23 titanium, the same material used in the Gombessa Act 2 watch. The case is rather large, measuring 45mm in diameter with a thickness of 14.1mm. It houses a helium escape valve at the 10 o’clock position for saturation dives in a hyperbaric chamber. As a diving watch, and to meet the diving ISO specifications, the bezel is unidirectional, and is made of titanium with large knurls on the edges, with a ceramic insert which is angled toward the dial. This makes the bezel easy to grip and manipulate with diving gloves.
The dial could serve as a case study in legibility. All the markers are large, and nomenclature remains restrained to just the Blancpain logo, and the proclamation that this is a Fifty Fathoms TECH watch. The seconds hand in blue, which is long and slender, with a javelin arrow tip. The black dial is very black. Blancpain calls this an absolute black dial, as it absorbs up to 97% of light incident to it. This creates a high contrast background for the indices and hands to be optimally readable, even when under water. We first saw this in the Act 2 Gombessa, and understand the material is similar to the one from Vantablack used by Moser and by Panerai for their LAB ID Luminor 1950 Carbotech. The technology is based on carbon nanotubes, which absorbs almost all the light incident on it, making it very black. This has the effect to enhance contrast on the dial.
Lume is exceptional. Each index is formed by luminescent block-shaped appliqués and the legibility remains excellent in the dark.
The watch is delivered with an integrated rubber strap with central lug attachment to the center of the case.
The movement
The movement is the caliber 1315A, Blancpain’s workhorse automatic movement with a five day power reserve. The balance is silicon and thus antimagnetic. A custom 18 ct gold oscillating weight with the BOC logo is visible.
The movement finish through the sapphire case back looks very nicely done, typical of Blancpain. The finnisage approaches the haute horlogerie levels often associated with dress watches.
Competitive Landscape
As outlined in the Act 2 Gombessa review, we noted that the field of serious diving watches is very diverse with a heavy population. We would classify the BOC IV as a purpose made, professional watch with a touch of luxury, and though this narrows the field considerably as it excludes professional tool diving watches, the field is still quite large. And in our reckoning, not much is different from what we described in the Act 2 review.
What remains is Act 2 Gombessa itself. Sibling rivalry at its best. The watch is very similar to the Act 2 Gombessa release. The BOC IV ‘s case is smaller at 45mm vs 47mm. And the dial has a white and blue colour way compared to the bolder look of the Act 2 with its orange markers with white accents. The absolute black dial first seen on the Act 2 is retained. The movement in the Act 2 is the Caliber 13P8, while the BOC IV is the 1315A. We are not clear as to the differences between the two movements, and can only see that the 13P8 has a special, patented 3 hour timer while the BOC IV is a more regular automatic movement. From our analysis of the 13P8, the 3 hour timer is similar to a GMT hand, but moving faster than the typical second timezone hand, making 1 complete revolution in 3 hours instead of 12 or 24. If this is the only difference between the two Blancpain movements, this special hand does come with a rather heavy price premium. The BOC IV is less expensive than the Act 2, coming in at just a tad above SGD 30k vs the SGD 40k for the earlier release. Furthermore, Act 2 is not a limited edition, but a limited production estimated to be 100 annually, while BOC IV is a limited edition of 100 pieces. Curious indeed. If the murmurs throughout the collector community are anything to go by, the BOC IV will be sold out soon, if not already.
Concluding thoughts
This is a beautiful watch. It is still rather large at 45mm, but for a robust, purpose built professional diving watch, it is probably par for the course. And on my 7.5″ flat wrist, it wears reasonably well, and much more wearable than Act 2 Gombessa. The materials chosen are well thought out, from the Grade 23 titanium case, to the concave surface made by the inward cant of the ceramic bezel insert, to the absolute black dial and fabulous lume. All making a superb diver’s watch.
As mentioned in our Act 2 review, it is not a watch designed by watchmakers dreaming it up in their ateliers in the Swiss mountains. But one that is born out of the realities and necessities of extreme diving. As a result, the form follows function. It is large. It is robust. It is incredibly strong and reliable. It does hyperbaric compression diving with ease. And it does look very nice on the wrist.
Photo Notes
The photographs were made at the Blancpain boutique in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore on launch day. I used the Leica SL3-S, a new camera released recently, and has become the workhorse for Deployant as I bought one. The lens used for the watches is the Laowa 90mm f2.8 2x Ultra Macro. The Leica Sumicron-SL 35mm ASPH was used for the photograph depicting the presentation. Photographs not marked with the Deployant watermark are supplied by Blancpain.
