By Jovan Krstevski
In my humble opinion, the Black Bay collection is receiving quite a conservative approach with the release of the new Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight on a rather experimental 39 mm case dimension. Instead of playing with new colors though, the brand managed to preserve the true nature of the Black Bay line. This seems like a calculated move and a good one. Moreover, it is good to note that Tudor hasn’t abandoned Black Bay’s typical 41 mm case outside of the zero bezel offerings introduced just 2 years ago. Being conservative in nature, we are looking at a watch featuring vintage looks on a case dimension unexplored for gentlemen’s watch.
Knowing Tudor’s predictable releases, the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight has been the talk of the town regarding possible changes. While the 41 mm case looks good on any sports watch releases, some wearers tend to have issues when it comes to comfort especially the lug-to-lug length and the increased thickness brought about by Tudor’s movements. Nevertheless, it is good to note that the new watch is now thinner at 11.9 mm while still boasting its original 200 m water resistance. Furthermore, the COSC Calibre MT5402 yields an incredible 70 hours of power reserve.
The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight is a classic model but moderately changed by design so that its vintage appeal is balanced by modern touches. Generally, it appears closer to the Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner 7924 released in 1958 particularly that old model’s 37 mm case size and the Brevet crown. One can safely say it was a pioneering Tudor “Big Crown” diver’s watch. In my opinion, the smaller size of the new watch is just perfect for playing with various straps, a lot of choices are available these days.
Finally, the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight is a welcome addition. The new case size looks small of course especially for a diver’s watch but it is an innovation coming from Tudor so only time will tell if this would really stick. Perfect new buyers would come in droves but I guess the savvy ones would probably wait. The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight is aesthetically a great watch and keeps the traditional Tudor persona while being original. It is priced for $3,250 USD on a strap and $3,575 USD on a bracelet. For more info, visit Tudor online.
