Tudor Black Bay: A Connoisseur's Guide To The Modern Collection

The iconic Submariner aesthetic isn’t a Rolex exclusive. The Ref. 7922 by Tudor released in 1954 as the Oyster Prince Submariner, marked the genesis of a storied line-up of watches that would define the evolution of the Submariner watch, imbued with a hint of tool-ish appeal, neo-vintage entice and sometimes funky appeal. The diversity of specification variation and the overall aesthetic range of the modern Tudor Submariners which found a revived opus as the Black Bay collection, narrate the evolutionary tale of an iconic 20th century horological inception. It is to the credit of the Black Bay that Tudor has permeated the collector communities with its expansive command over a price segment that includes offerings from significantly heavier hitters.

The Foundations
Having been around since 1926, Tudor is the brand in a horological dynasty and has long lived in the shadow Rolex. While part of it transpires from Tudor’s historical derivation from Rolex, but to me they are the sensible working man’s choice of a good-quality timepiece. In 1946, when Hans Wilsdorf properly identified the brand as “Montres Tudor S.A.,” they were specialists in timepieces catering to both men and women. Tudor timepieces of the age relied on third-party ebauches installed in Rolex Oyster cases. They were exactly as they are today: high-quality, yet affordable. From the founding till the period of the quartz crisis, Tudor produced numerous interesting pieces with some featuring in-house calibers as well, such as the Advisor alarm watch. When the quartz crisis struck in early 70s, Rolex deterred from investing towards the sister brand and Tudor became almost redundant, up until its renaissance in 2007.

For the better part of its age, Tudor has been somewhat eclipsed in prestige and general perception when compared to Rolex. While Rolex focuses on the niche in terms of its product placement and promotion, Tudor although with a slightly unclear catalog delineation than the Crown targets a youthful and energetic audience with its campaigns that dismiss sophistication. Tudor however is a watch laboratory by design and that makes it an exciting brand to follow. They have been living up to their motto #borntodare and have pioneered an impressive catalog of innovations, particularly within its Black Bay collection, in terms of timepiece design, ergonomics as well as mechanics. They were the first to deliver an automatic chronograph, a titanium diver, a lefty tool watch and the patented extension system in the clasp. Rolex on the other hand, they take the best and leave the rest.

The Black Bay: Modern Incarnation of a Vintage Watch
The Oyster Prince Tudor Ref. 7922 Submariner from 1954 marked a rebirth in 2012 when Tudor introduced the Black Bay Ref. 79220R with the burgundy bezel. This watch tags the foundation of an impressive collection which created for Tudor, an appetite among wider audiences. What followed was a consistent mish-mash of elements from the previous era Tudor Submariners all executed with aesthetics that have become emblematic with the Black Bay design. Big crown models, the game-changer Black Bay GMT or the Chrono, all build up on the original Black Bay DNA and hugely carve a nostalgic mark by expressing the subtle evolution from the Ref. 7922 Submariner.

The modern-era Black Bay collection is an aesthetic and innovative emblem offering a diverse selection of style, size, complication and utilitarian variations. The Black Bay collection can be curated into three functional families: The Black Bay divers, the Black Bay complications and the Black Bay classics. Each family depicts a definitive lineage tracing all the way back to the original Tudor Sub. Dive watches equipped with rotating bezels and iconic snowflake hands coexist with sophisticated chronographs and GMT models. The collection is rounded out by classic time-only pieces, offering a dressier aesthetic.

Here’s a deeper look into each Tudor Black Bay variant in the modern collection:

Black Bay Dive Watches
The dive aesthetic is the core emblem of the modern Tudor portfolio and an honest throwback to the legendary Tudor Subs of the past era. The category extends across different collections in Tudor’s modern portfolio and we find the best examples of Tudors tool-watch manufacturing finesses within these line-ups:
-Black Bay
-Black Bay 54
-Black Bay 58
-Black Bay Bronze

The timepieces listed within these line-ups suffice the modern expectations of contemporary tool watches and are paired with offsprings of the Tudor in-house caliber MT5621 originally conceived in the North Flag watch from 2016. While the Black Bay, the Black Bay 54 and the Black Bay Bronze line-ups exclusively cater to the dive watch class, the Black Bay 58 line-up presents two 39mm iterations of the iconic Black Bay GMT. Across the line-ups we find timepieces in a variety of size, material, spec and aesthetic configurations as well as in a range of band options such as leather straps, metal bracelets and fabric straps. The Black Bay is a contemporary interpretation of Tudor's storied dive watch heritage. Its design elements, particularly the bracelets are a direct evolution of those found on Tudor timepieces from the 50s and 60s, distinguished by their visible rivet heads and stepped construction. The NATO-style fabric straps are produced for Tudor by Julien Faure which uses 19th-century shuttle looms to weave the fabric.

The Black Bay line-up features 41mm watches available in ceramic, steel and two-tone variations. Bezel and dial colors also vary from blue, black and champagne and the collection features a mix of date and no-date options. Two 37mm models form the Black Bay 54 line-up and both are no-date variants in steel. Only the strap choices differ. Things get a bit exciting with the Black Bay 58 line-up where all-gold variants co-exist alongside bronze watches. The line-up however still remains dominated by steel variants but this time in assorted hues for the dials and bezels. The case diameter of 39mm is retained across the line-up. Quite notable is the Black Bay 58 925 manufactured in solid silver, a true rarity in watchmaking terms. Wrapping up the dive watch collection is the Black Bay Bronze line-up. Proportions peak in the two variants available within the series in 43mm bronze cases.

Black Bay Complications

Material innovation, movement evolution and complication increments define this segment of the Black Bay collection. Although not typically dive watches, as evident from their aesthetics and ergonomics, the Black Bay complications still borrow on the cues of the basic Tudor Black Bay dive watch aesthetics and retain the snowflake hands, domed crystals and 200 meters of water resistance. The line-up reinterprets the classic dive watch with added complications and in atypical dive watch styles. These occur within the following collections at Tudor:
-Black Bay GMT
-Black Bay 58
-Black Bay Pro
-Black Bay Chrono
-Black Bay P01

The Black Bay Chrono poses as the summit of the complications department within Tudor and is closely followed by the Black Bay GMT. While the chronograph is a 2019 addition to the Black Bay family, the iconic GMT has been there since 2018. The sturdy dive watch form, integral to Tudor’s heritage, is revised as a more utilitarian tool with addition of the chronograph and GMT functionalities. Recording elapsed time or tracking it across three different time zones is what you get from the collection.

The Black Bay Chrono offers a multitude of aesthetic variations including the panda and reverse panda dial options, steel and gold variants, choices of straps ranging from leather, fabric, monotone and dual tone metal bracelets to bund style leather straps. The pink dial panda aesthetic Ref. M79360N-0019 is the latest addition to the Black Bay Chrono line-up and the most vivid timepiece across the expansive portfolio of Tudor’s modern catalog. It was announced as a collaborative timepiece with David Beckham's soccer club Inter Miami. The Black Bay Chrono collection maintains consistency in proportions with the 41mm diameter cases. Notable to mention is the fact that for developing the mechanics of the Black Bay Chrono, Tudor preferred outside expertise rather than turning to its parent brand Rolex. Breitling’s B01 self-winding movement was used as the base to produce the manufacture caliber MT5813.

The travel-friendly GMT variations occur within the exclusive Black Bay GMT as well as the Black Bay 58 line-ups. While the former offers contemporary proportions with 41mm case diameter consistent across the series, the latter retains a more classical form with timepieces manufactured in 39mm cases. Across the Black Bay GMT line-up, we get a mix of Pepsi style (burgundy and blue) as well as the Coke style (black and burgundy) bezels. The Black Bay 58 however features a steel bracelet as well as a rubber style variation of the black and burgundy Coke style only bezel.

A rather atypical dive watch aesthetic imbued Black Bay P01, a naval equipment slash field watch packed into one, quirks up the line-up. Introduced in 2019, the Black Bay P01 is definitively an attention grabber and conversation starter to its credit, although many would frown upon its somewhat bulbous form. This timepiece measuring 42mm features a complication that allows locking of its 12-hour bezel. We love Tudor’s crisp dive bezels and if you still find them sloppy and wish for extra sturdiness, then the claw mechanism of the Black Bay P01 that locks the bezel in place at 12 o'clock is a military-grade solution to overcome the problem that simply doesn’t exist. Wrapping up the complications series at Tudor is the Black Bay Pro, Tudor’s accessible alternative to the Rolex Explorer ll. The legacy dive watch aesthetic of Tudor gets a field-watch makeover in this 39mm timepiece available in three different strap options. The timepiece offers a GMT complication paired however with a 24-hour graduated fixed bezel in satin-brushed steel. Equipped with a new manufacture caliber MT5652, the timepiece offers a renewed aesthetic for Tudor’s heritage dive watches.

Black Bay Classics

With a straightforward dressier aesthetic, thanks to the smooth and stationary bezels, the Black Bay classics depart from the iconic dive watch charm by reducing the functional element of a rotating bezel and reducing the original Black Bay to its pure elements. Akin to dive bezel-less Black Bays, the series offers minimalistic architecture evoking a dressier everyday sports watch appeal with refined elegance. Understated yet sophisticated, the collection feels many fold dressier than any other Black Bay series, yet by retaining the iconic Black Bay traits such as snowflake hands and oversized lumed hour markers, appears sportier when compared to dressier offerings from the parent brand Rolex. The timepieces are available in four sizes for a more unisex appeal and all models are available on a five-link bracelet. The models bear COSC certified chronometer grade self-wind manufacture movements from Tudor. The series is available in the following iterations defined by their case diameters:
-Black Bay 31
-Black Bay 36
-Black Bay 39
-Black Bay 41

As a more classical aside from the Black Bay series’ tool-watch appeal, the time-only three-hand Black Bay 31/36/39/41 models are available in a multitude of material choices ranging from 316L steel to steel and gold two-tone as well as diamond set dial and bezel variants. The collection however lacks an all-gold timepiece which would be a perfect fit within the Black Bay’s dressier line-up.

Less Imitation, More Innovation
To my understanding, the Black Bay collection is perfect in all watchmaking regards and actually exists as a rarity in the industry in terms of being at the right place at the right time. When the time was ripe for a good vintage-inspired dive watch, Tudor succeeded in bringing out the Black Bay. Also, with the reserved sizing, Tudor stuck gold. With the Black Bay, they understood that smaller sizes were the way to go and the Black Bay 58 and Black Bay 54 line-ups proved to be absolute goldmines in terms of perfecting the time of release which coincided with an elevated market demand for smaller case sizes. The Tudor Black Bay has become the default recommendation to any horological query. The collection has propelled Tudor to great renown within collector communities. Its rare assortment of ideal proportions, vintage-inspired aesthetics and overall value, place the Black Bay at a higher echelon as an example of watchmaking perfection. Every facet of the collection makes it an exemplar of great regard.