We watch enthusiasts get touchy whenever we talk about homages. But what are they and why do they bother us so much? They are horological creations made to honor or pay respect to, publicly, iconic models of the past which are no longer in production and/or are rare. An homage is not a replica or copy, as in both latter cases the watch is made to look like something that still exists and generally for a fraction of the price of the model it was inspired by. A $200 watch that looks just like a $10,000 Rolex is a copy/replica, but one which shares common design characteristics—or overall aesthetics—with a 1950s Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is an homage. And all of that is different from a reedition in which case the brand itself—or someone who bought the rights to it—recreates an old watch to an almost identical form. And there is a huge gray area between all of that and regardless of what anyone thinks, you do you friend. 

So today we are going to take a look at what we could consider to be an unofficial re-issue of a 1950s military Blancpain Fifty Fathoms should the brand have gone into a different direction and decided to have some fun in the process. Exactly like it happened with the MKII Fulcrum 39 and the Draken Aoraki Mil-Spec, two watches inspired by something from the past which doesn’t exist anymore and which the brands probably wouldn’t have had the guts to make. Indeed, the Redwood Tactical V3 has the soul of the original Fifty without the pompous luxurious fanfare of the contemporary Fifty. In other words, a tool watch and diver for those who like to get shit done with their watches in the real world. A watch anyone can buy and do anything with, packaged with the now signature modernist and ultra spec’ed character Redwood is becoming to be recognized for. The Tactical V3 is everything but a copy or replica, it is its own thing. 

Specifications 

This Redwood is a tough SOB. Whenever you hear people talk about “beater watches” then they probably have a G-Shock in mind. But I would argue they could—and should—have the Tactical V3 in their line of sight. For all intents and purposes, we’re dealing with a diver just like the Fifty Fathoms was a diver, a professional one, which pros could be using as well on account of many things. The first one being the overall good quality of this watch, the precise coin-edge knurling on the bezel and its tactical operation (precise clicks and the absence of backplay,) the flat and matte aspect of all of its part, including the fully brushed case and a brushed aluminum bezel insert. As well as its robustness found in the scratch-resistant flat piece of sapphire (flat crystals do not create much flecto,) 200 meters of water resistance (screw-down crown and case-back,) and the convenience of drilled lugs for easy strap change. 

And secondly, the professionals would also opt for the Redwood on account of its robust caliber, the Miyota 82S0 (3Hz/42 hours of power reserve) which appears to be the non-Seiko equivalent of the NH38A movement. Not the most advanced ensemble of cogs and wheels but one which makes it possible for you to acquire a tough-as-nails diver for the meager sum of $319 USD. Redwood created the Tactical range to pay homage to the first military-specific diver of the 1950s, the Blancpain, which was created for the French Combat Divers whose mission included underwater intelligence, sabotage, demolition and covert attacks in enemy seaports (quoting from the brand’s website.) As such, its primary raison d’être is to be legible and subtle, which the Tactical V3 does very well, both during the day and at night thanks to ridiculous applications of green-glowing SuperLuminova on the hands, printed hour markers, and all markings on the bezel insert. 

This gem of utilitarian horology measures 40mm in diameter, 48mm lug-to-lug, 12.20mm thick and has a 20mm lug width. 

Design 

Returning to the introductory spiel on homages and copies, what I found fascinating with the Redwood Tactical V3, and which prompted me to ask the brand to fly a unit to France, is the perfect balance with which the brand leaned into the homage whilst respecting its own individual creativity and uniqueness. Clearly, the Tactical V3 was inspired by the 1950s Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, and the brand says so on its website. But unlike many other brands which have created their “own version of” the Fifty, Redwood actually made it its own. What does that mean? Looking at the bezel, dial, and case, it borrows from the Blancpain in that Redwood positioned certain design elements in the same place as the Swiss brand did. For example, the hour markers at the cardinal points are indicated with Arabic numerals; the 15, 30, and 45 minutes on the bezel are also indicated with numerals. And both also have a metal ring separating the crystal from the bezel. 

What Redwood did, however, was to modernize everything and to size the hour markers, hands, and case to create a new coherent set, just like the Blancpain had a coherent set. On the Tactical V3, the numerals at the cardinal points are printed in a larger and more modern typeface, which is thinner and more rounded, claiming a larger real estate on the dial. These numerals are matched with baton markers which are slightly wider and a fully graduated minute track delineated by a white circle. The pencil-style hands are also larger and longer, finished with a matte white paint, whilst the seconds hand is red and complemented by a small lumed lollypop-style element. Everything feels tightly knitted together visually and super coherent. And like it was on the original Fifty Fathoms, the brand name/logo is small and below the pinion we find the indications “Automatic” and “200m/660ft” printed in very small, reminiscent of actual military watches which put the emphasis on function over form. 

All of what Redwood created on the dial is matched by the design of the bezel and of the case, the latter forming the perfect support for everything above. As mentioned, the bezel re-utilizes the layout of the Blancpain, with large numerals highlighting the quarter-hours and with an inverted triangle at the twelve instead of a diamond. Again, the numerals are printed in a more modern and rounded typeface, though here are more similar to what we see on the Fifty Fathoms on account of the physical constraints imposed by the dimensions of the bezel insert. Though the baton markers are also wider and thicker like the ones found on the dial. As far as I can tell, the case of the Redwood is very similar to that of the Blancpain, with slab-sided flanks, long lugs which come with a distinct curve to them where they meet the case, and a small crown measuring 6.2mm in diameter and 2.9mm in thickness.  

It’s thin so that it never digs into the wrist. A small detail which I love. 

The Heart of the Matter

We watch enthusiasts do get riled up whenever we talk about homages and I think we do because some of us—many of us—wish we could either buy the original watch or have the required self-confidence to sport an homage to it. (Not a copy or replica, but an homage.) The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is how I got into horology many years ago (geez, I didn’t buy a vintage one!) because I was fascinated by its history, allegedly being the first modern dive watch ever made, as well as its bold and muscular looks. And I’m sure many of you feel the same way about it. The Fifty looked so unique that many brands have homaged and copied it over the decades, even though it is a shame that Blancpain didn’t recreate it. So I feel we should be happy that a brand like Redwood did indeed have the genius idea to issue a modern interpretation of this iconic military diver, and the boldness to do so. 

That is the boldness to create a watch which shares the same soul and aesthetics of the original Fifty Fathoms whilst being endowed with its own identity. 

Plus, it’s darn affordable as a proper military tool watch should be. And this matters a lot because I believe—and this is just my humble opinion—that a real tool watch, a utilitarian timekeeping device that was designed and manufactured to be actually used by folks to do stuff, should be attainable and affordable (not cheap,) as it is a fucking tool and not a show piece nor a luxurious item which primary value resides in its rare materials and high price instead of its purpose-driven nature. Tool watches were born from our necessity to know what time it was in order to live organized lives—as we became more and more industrialized and organized in large and dense groups of humans—instead of showcasing our wealth. We are animals and as such need tools, not fluff. That remains true even today though we don’t need watches but we prefer to use analog and mechanical timekeeping devices over digital time-telling ones. 

I mean, can you actually picture a 10th century BC hunter using a gold-plated, diamond-set arrow to hunt bison? Ridiculous, right? 

Conclusion 

So we can look at the Redwood Tactical V3 from two angles. First, as a capable and robust diver which offers incredible value for the money. For $319 USD you get a good movement, great lume, 200 meters of water resistance, an ultra legible dial, a good bezel which aligns and is a delight to operate. Second, you get a modern homage to an iconic military diver which hasn’t been in production since the 1980s—because the modern Fifty Fathoms brought back in 2003 is miles apart from the 1950s OG. Which is cool in and of itself. Redwood didn’t find contentment in making a cheap copy/paste of the old, but instead made an attainable, and resolutely modern version of it. And now looking at a second model from the Canadian brand (the first one we looked at was the Standard Issue Commando GMT), it is clear that Redwood is in the business of making proper tool watches for those who actually want to do stuff with them.

The Tactical V3 exists in five versions which you can discover here. 

Thanks for reading.