Just a year after Rolex launched the first of its Submariner divers’ watches, sister-brand Tudor debuted its Oyster Prince Submariner reference 7922 in 1954 – and so the long and rich lineage of the Tudor dive watch was born. Today, the Tudor Black Bay carries on with the responsibility of extending this most impressive history – a task it performs without compromise.
As the collection that spanned over 40 years came to an end with the 1995 Tudor Prince Date Submariner 79190, Tudor’s incredibly successful dive watch was reborn with the launch of the Black Bay in 2012. Whereas the technical specifications and design elements focused on underwater performance have remained, the real key to the success of all Tudor dive watches is their outstanding applicability in everyday use.
Their design has always been – and continues to be – full of unique details, and yet always managed to be easy on the eyes. Superb proportions and a carefully judged interplay between various textures, colors and shapes define their immediately appealing aesthetic. Today, the trend of vintage-inspired modern watches is stronger than ever, but few manufacturers are comparably capable of accurately identifying the strongpoints of their past creations and applying those to a new watch with contemporary appeal.
Today, the Black Bay serves as the continuation of a remarkable legacy in watchmaking. The ‘Big Crown’ – as it is affectionately called by Tudor enthusiasts – was introduced in 1958 with reference 7924 and the recent return of this characteristic component some four decades later has been widely celebrated. Upon its introduction, the Big Crown signified a shift from the previous 100 meter water resistance to double that, and in line with that notable advancement, today’s Tudor Black Bay also sports the same highly engineered protection against water intrusion. Further emphasized by the lack of crown guard extensions and decorated with the Tudor rose, the winding crown on every Black Bay watch stands as yet another reminder for Tudor’s attention to detail.
The stainless steel case of the Tudor Black Bay measures 41mm in diameter – the Black Bay Fifty-Eight collection offers a more compact alternative with a case diameter of 39mm.
The black, one-way rotating bezel frames a domed sapphire crystal that adds extra depth and a touch of playfulness to the Black Bay, and is beautifully complemented by the gently domed dial underneath.
First featured in 1969, the lovingly dubbed snowflake hand is now present in a novel shape: first implemented to aid error-proof reading, today it stands in harmony with the similarly shaped seconds hand and the variably shaped hour markers. At a glance, the Black Bay is easy to read the time from, while the clever use of basic geometric shapes and high contrast make for an ageless dial aesthetic.
All the way until 2016, the Tudor Black Bay collection and its preceding models had been powered by movements supplied by external specialist movement manufacturers. the first time in the collection’s history, 2016 saw the introduction of a Tudor Manufacture Calibre to the Black Bay line. Today, the 41mm diameter Black Bay is powered by the Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5602, a self-winding movement with an extended 70-hour power reserve
As a testament to the superb engineering and performance of Tudor’s manufacture calibers, these timepieces boast COSC chronometer certification: each movement is individually and rigorously tested by the independent testing facilities of COSC, certifying the timekeeping accuracy of each and every Tudor manufacture movement.
The Black Bay collection features various color and bracelet options, with each individual specification making for a distinctly different and personalized wearing experience. The Petite Geneve Petrovic team would be delighted to assist in finding the perfect Tudor Black Bay timepiece for you.
