The top pick for anyone who wants the Fifty Fathoms look is a genuine Blancpain Fifty Fathoms from the secondary market, judged on four points: the movement inside, the rated water resistance, the case and bezel finishing, and whether the service history travels with the watch. An original-design dive watch that borrows the same styling cues is the runner-up. Replica listings sold as a "fake Fifty Fathoms 5000" come third, and they get most of the space below, because that phrase is what brings people here.
What "Fake Fifty Fathoms 5000" Usually Refers To
The number in the phrase gets used in different ways. Some sellers attach it to a reference number, others to a movement or case series in their own catalog, and some use it as a search magnet with no fixed meaning at all. Two listings that both say "Fifty Fathoms 5000" can describe watches with different case sizes, different movements, and different bezel inserts.
Before you compare anything, ask the seller two questions: which genuine reference is being copied, and which movement sits inside. If the answers shift between messages, or the photos repeat across several listings, you are looking at a stock-photo operation rather than a described watch.
Option 1: Genuine Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
- Pros: published specs you can verify, an in-house movement with a service network behind it, a depth rating the maker stands behind, and resale value that holds.
- Cons: high cost, limited availability on some references, and no route to the Fifty Fathoms silhouette at a bargain price.
Best for: collectors, and anyone who will actually take the watch underwater.
Option 2: Original-Design Homage Divers
- Pros: legal to buy and resell, sold under the maker's own name, backed by a real warranty, often tested against the ISO diver's watch standard, and priced far below the original.
- Cons: the logo is not Blancpain, the case proportions differ, and resale value is limited.
Best for: daily wear, swimming, and travel where a scratch or a theft would hurt less.
Option 3: Replica Listings Sold as "Fifty Fathoms 5000"
- Pros: the closest visual match for the smallest outlay, wide availability, and high-tier builds that use sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown, and a generic automatic movement.
- Cons: trademark infringement, no maker service, unverified water resistance even when it is printed on the caseback, weak gaskets and seals, no resale market, and quality that varies between two units of the same listing.
Best for: nobody who plans to get the watch wet. Treated as costume jewelry, a replica can be worn on land. Treated as dive gear, it is a liability.
What to Inspect on a Replica
- Movement: ask for the caliber name and whether it is a generic automatic or a decorated copy. Genuine Fifty Fathoms watches use in-house calibers.
- Case and bezel: check diameter, thickness, lug width, crown guards, bezel action, and whether the insert is ceramic or painted aluminum.
- Crystal and dial: sapphire against mineral glass, anti-reflective coating, lume application, date window position, and dial printing.
- Water resistance: never trust the caseback print. A watchmaker can pressure test the case, and many will refuse to guarantee the result on a replica.
- Photos: request a video of the running watch with a handwritten date card in frame.
- Terms: get the return window and the refund conditions in writing before you pay.
Legal and Practical Risk in the US
Watches that carry a trademarked name without authorization are counterfeit goods. Selling them, and importing them, is illegal in the United States, and customs officers seize shipments at ports of entry. A seized parcel means no watch and, in most cases, no refund. Beyond the legal side, a replica has no parts pipeline: when a stem breaks or a gasket fails, the fix depends on whatever a local watchmaker is willing to improvise.
Matching the Watch to the Use
For water sports and anything with salt or depth involved, buy a genuine dive watch or an original-design diver tested to the ISO standard. For a display piece that stays on a desk, a genuine Fifty Fathoms is the cleaner long-term hold. If you buy a replica anyway, budget for a pressure test, keep it out of the pool, and treat the listing photos as marketing rather than documentation.