Blancpain is following the popular trend of utilizing ceramic as case material with the introduction of its new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II.

Thanks to the evolution of ceramic technology and manufacturing techniques,  Blancpain has introduced its unique new blue ceramic watch case. Possibly the first of its kind, what makes it so unique is the fact that color uniformity is quite difficult to achieve with ceramic.

Deviating from the traditionally black, white, or gray case, the new timepiece is a rich blue hue, and it may just be the first of a series of future colored ceramic cases.

To achieve the perfect blue shade, the watchmaker spent years testing the complicated technology involving adding the perfect amount of pigment to a bonding agent in the case production process.

The rest of the Blancpain timepiece is impressive, too, with 1,000 feet of water resistance, an automatic caliber F385 running at 5Hz, a 50-hour power reserve, and a unique 12-hour flyback chronograph.

Interested customers might be able to get their hands on the new Fifty Fathoms Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II for around $17,000, but only 250 pieces will be made. Although exclusive, nearly $1,100 of each purchase will go toward scientific expeditions in support of Blancpain’s Ocean Commitment project.