When fi rst launched in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms was the very fi rst modern diving watch. Frogmen from several of the world's largest marine corps rapidly incorporated it as a fundamental element in their standard-issue gear. The French were the fi rst to equip themselves with Fifty Fathoms models for their underwater missions. Other military elites followed, including the German Bundesmarine in the 1960s.

The latter were supplied with Fifty Fathoms models via Barakuda ‒ a company specialising in the production and marketing of technical diving equipment. Alongside the watches intended for the military, the company introduced the German market to a civilian model adopting a distinctive style, notably featuring the use of two-tone rectangular hour-markers, white-painted fl uorescent hands, as well as a highly visible date display at 3 o'clock.