BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Finally, the moment that the watch fraternity had eagerly been waiting for has arrived. After some social media teasing, Tudor has now taken the wraps off the highly anticipated Black Bay Fifty-Eight Blue. Inspired by a Tudor reference for. 1958, this new watch features a Navy-blue dial, a matching blue aluminum bezel and the much loved compact 39mm sizing of the current Black Bay Fifty-Eight.
Launched back in 2018, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight became a runaway success for Tudor and a lot of it had to do with its great compact size. Thankfully, the new Black Bay 58 does get any changes in this regard. So, you still get a stainless-steel case that is 39mm wide, 11mm tall and 47mm lug to lug making it a well-proportioned watch that can sit comfortably on a wide variety of wrists. The finishing also remains the same with high quality brushing through the and polished bevels that flow along the sides of the case. At 3 is a screw-down crown that would ensure that the watch remains water-resistant to 200 meters and sitting on top is a unidirectional bezel that has received a few noteworthy updates. First, the aluminum insert this time around is blue, and second, the markings have been rendered in silver instead of gold on the previous variant.
Like the bezel, the dial on the Black Bay Fifty-Eight blue gets the blue treatment. The ‘Navy blue’ color as Tudor is calling it is a refreshing departure from the deep black of the previous version. It looks modern and combined along with the silver details, certainly makes the watch look a little more subdued and less in your face as compared to the black/gilt combination of the existing version. It is also worth noting that this isn’t the same shade of blue that can be found on the Pelagos. Change of color aside nothing else has changed on the dial front and it remains highly legible and utilitarian as before. The hour index still comprises of applied circles, rectangles, and a large triangle at 12, and the minute track is still printed, but in silver like the rest of the text on the dial. You also get the distinctive handset that comprises a snowflake style hour and seconds hand along with a simple baton-style minute hand. The handset along with the markers has been deeply filled with luminous paint to ensure great visibility in all conditions.
Driving the new Black Bay FiftyEight Blue is Tudor’s in-house MT5402 Caliber. This is the same movement that beats inside the 2018 Black Bay Fifty-Eight. It is a COSC certified engine that operates at a frequency of 4Hz and offers a healthy power reserve of around 3 days when fully wound. The movement like the previous version has been hidden behind a closed case back.
The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Blue certainly adds more variety to the Fifty-Eight collection and should please people who always wanted to get their hands on one but didn’t really like excessive gilt highlights on the previous version. The watch would be available to purchase on a nato or a blue leather strap for EUR 3,200, and EUR 3,500 on the bracelet.
Visit Tudor here.
