Style Edit: Tudor’s Black Bay collection adds luxurious new models to the famous range of diver classics including stainless steel, gold and bronze options

Nov 25 , 2024

The radial brushed dial, snowflake hands and lollipop-style seconds hand recall Black Bays from the past, while the Calibre MT5602-U and Calibre MT5400 movements are very much modern-day

Tudor’s Black Bay has had a big impact. After its launch in 2012, it quickly became one of the most coveted collections on the market, one that comes in an impressive range of iterations – meaning there’s something to suit every taste. If you’re looking for the perfect present for more or less anyone this festive season, there’s sure to be a Black Bay that fits the bill, but in particular, there are three particular versions of this classic watch that may appeal to that special someone.

The Tudor Black Bay 41mm. Photo: Handout

The headliner among the new watches in the collection is an update of that 2012 original – but also a profound distillation of all the expertise Tudor has developed over its many decades of making diver’s watches. It echoes the first Black Bay with its 41mm case in stainless steel, albeit with a somewhat slimmed-down profile this time, and a unidirectional bezel in burgundy.

The radial brushed dial and snowflake hands are inspired by Tudor’s diving heritage, while the lollipop-style seconds hand recalls watches from the 60s. The timepiece is powered by the in-house Calibre MT5602-U featuring hours, minutes and seconds, and a weekend-proof power reserve of 70 hours.

For the lover of luxury in your life, consider the Black Bay 58 18K, one of the newest models in the collection, which now comes in a sumptuous 18k yellow gold, 39mm case, complemented by a solid gold bracelet. It’s the first solid gold Tudor dive watch, and the full spectrum gilding continues on the dial, which comes in a golden green colour, with yellow gold hour markers and hands. In another first for Black Bay watches, it features an open caseback, which reveals manufacture Calibre MT5400, again offering a 70-hour power reserve.

The Tudor Black Bay 58 18K. Photo: Handout

Bronze is a characterful watchmaking material, a “living” metal that acquires a unique patina as it ages with the wearer. For the third of these special festive models – the Black Bay 58 Bronze – Tudor makes the entire 39mm case and bracelet from an aluminium bronze alloy that is often used in shipbuilding because of its impressive resistance to corrosion.

The Tudor Black Bay 58 Bronze. Photo: Handout

Also based on the Manufacture Calibre MT5400, the watch comes with a brown-bronze dial and bezel, while the bracelet can easily be swapped out for a brown-bronze jacquard fabric strap.