Montres TUDOR SA is a Geneva-based Swiss maker of luxury wristwatches. Licensed in 1926 by the founder of Rolex SA, Hans Wilsdorf, the brand remains Rolex’s sister company and both companies are owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation. Tudor is increasingly popular, far from being a second-class brand, thanks to watches such as the Black Bay and the first female ambassador, the successful Lady Gaga, who is very loyal to the watch brand. Listed here are some Tudor Black Bay timepieces that are worth loving.
Table of Contents
1. Black Bay Fifty-Eight
With the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, a model whose dimensions evoke those of the period, Tudor pays tribute to the brand’s first diver watches. The Black Bay Fifty-Eight, fitted with a Tudor manufacturing movement, is built for slender wrists and antique enthusiasts alike. The model is named after the year 1958, when the first waterproof 200 meters (660 ft) Tudor divers’ watch, reference 7924 or “Big Crown” was launched. It offers a case of 39 mm in diameter in line with the characteristic proportions of the 1950s, among other aesthetic nods to this historic watch.
An option of a riveted steel bracelet with a polished and satin finish, leather or soft-touch band with a folding clasp, or a silk strap is available for the Black Bay Fifty-Eight. One of the signature characteristics of Tudor is the fabric strap made using the Jacquard technique, a traditional method used for a family company in St-Etienne, France, that is one hundred years old.
2. Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue”
Tudor unveiled a diver’s watch with a blue dial and bezel in 1969. The other sporty watches in the line were soon dressed in blue, quickly establishing a lasting “Tudor Blue” aesthetic hallmark. This livery was adopted by the French navy during the 1970s for its Tudor divers’ watches and became part of the collective imagination. In this custom, with its navy blue dial and bezel insert, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” follows. This is a color that also appears on the “soft touch” strap supplied with this design and made of a flannel-like synthetic, tactile material.
3. Black Bay Chronograph
The Black Bay Chrono S&G model, like other Black Bay models, features a dial inspired by the watches produced by Tudor divers in the 1950s. It also adopts the characteristic “snowflake” angular hands. In this model, the large winding crown is adopted, typical of Tudor divers’ first-generation watches.
The brand has always produced watches closely linked to the world of motorsports since the introduction of Tudor’s first chronograph in 1970, the Oysterdate. TUDOR has constantly been improving its professional divers’ watches since 1954. The Black Bay Chrono S&G (Steel & Gold) hybrid chronograph combines the aquatic heritage of the brand, represented by the Black Bay family, with the queen of the racetrack, the chronograph, resulting in a sporty-chic watch with a distinctive nostalgic touch.
4. Black Bay 32/36/41
The stunning Black Bay line is the product of a delicate mixture of conventional esthetics and contemporary watches. Far from simply being an identical re-release of a classic. Each watch puts together over 60 years of the Tudor divers’ watchmaking history while being firmly rooted at present subtly.
The Black Bay 32, 36, and 41 feature a prominent winding crown as a nod to the famous 1958 reference to 7924, aka the Big Crown, while in the 1970s, the French Navy borrowed its distinct angular hands, known as “Snowflakes,” from the Tudor Watches.
The Black Bay line comes with either a black or a blue dial to choose from. The blue dial captures the light in a spectrum of vivid electric blue to a navy. It is so deep it is almost black, meticulously lacquered for a touch of elegance. These shades offer excellent contrast and clarity, while in all conditions, luminescent hour markers help ensure legibility. The steel and gold version of this watch provides a choice between a champagne-colored lacquered black or satin-brushed sunray dial.
5. Black Bay GMT
The famous Black Bay Tour Tudor is provided with a GMT function. It sets local time without losing sight of the time in two other time zones. The Black Bay GMT is fitted with the Manufacture Calibre MT5652 with a distinctive burgundy and blue bezel. Black Bay GMT features a 24-hour bi-directional rotatable bezel: the bourguignon is labeled with twelve days and blue nighttime times. A red “Snowflake” side, which revolves around the dial within 24 hours, shows additional time zones.
Tudor has developed the Manufacture Calibre MT5652 specifically for the Black Bay GMT model. Adding a new feature to the Tudor Manufacture Calibre series. The 41-mm satin-brushed steel case in the Black Bay GMT is waterproof up to 200 meters (660 ft). The light markings against the black dial ensure that they are readable at night and in any circumstances. Its dial is listed by GMT at 6 a.m.
6. Black Bay P01
The P01, Black Bay is a watch based on a mythical prefabricated prototype built in the late 1960s and planned for the U.S. Navy.
A patent in 1968 was applied to the hinged end-link device on the original prototype. It protects the vertices for protecting the watch maintenance. The Black Bay P01 is borrowed from this mechanism to provide the bi-directional rotating bezel with a stop system via a handheld end-link at 12 p.m. Black Bay P01 is 200 meters waterproof and has hours, minutes, seconds, and date features. It has a domed, black-matted dial with luminescent markers of painted hours. The case is completely satin-brushed for a matt finish. In line with the utilitarian aesthetics of the prototype influenced by it.
