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An Essential Introduction To The Iconic Tudor Black Bay
An Essential Introduction To The Iconic Tudor Black Bay
Mar, 2023
4 min read
Five things to know about Tudor’s game-changing dive watch collection.
Few modern sports watches arrive as fully formed as the Tudor Black Bay. Endowed with retro-inspired character, high-performance features, and effortless versatility, the watch is an ideal wrist companion whether on dive expeditions or at cocktail soirees. Introduced in 2012, the Black Bay of today is a Tudor icon and a firm favourite among watch enthusiasts who appreciate its sportive sophistication. From the Black Bay’s origins to its remarkable evolution, here are five important things to know about Tudor’s legendary dive watch collection.
1. The Black Bay has true dive watch legacy
In 1954, Tudor introduced its first-ever dive watch, the Oyster Prince Submariner. A sibling to Rolex’s Submariner that was launched a year earlier, the original Oyster Prince Submariner was built for underwater exploration, and equipped with features such as a highly legible display and waterproofness to 100m.
Decades later in 2012, when Tudor premiered the Black Bay collection, the brand was determined to adhere to the Oyster Prince Submariner’s ethos of reliability and performance. Right off the bat, the first Black Bay Ref. 79220R exhibited uncompromising hardiness and waterproofness. At the same time, the watch garnered instant acclaim and popularity with its throwback aesthetic, setting the blueprint for generations of Black Bay watches to come.
The first Tudor Black Bay Ref. 79220R was an instant hit when it was launched in 2012
The Tudor Black Bay is known for several distinctive features. They include its ‘Snowflake’ hands; highly legible hour markers comprising batons, dots, and an inverted triangle at 12 o’clock; large screw-down crown; and domed sapphire crystal case.
To arrive at the Black Bay’s indelible appearance, Tudor’s designers painstakingly combined design elements from various vintage Tudor models from the 1960s. The Snowflake hands, for instance, first appeared on a vintage dive watch from 1969. The large crown, on the other hand, were inspired by those found on Oyster Prince Submariner models from the 1950s.
As seen on the Black Bay Pro, design features like the ‘Snowflake’ hand, combination of different shapes of the hour markers, and domed sapphire crystal are inspired by vintage Tudor dive watches
The Black Bay Ceramic undergoes rigorous precision and reliability tests at Switzerland’s Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) to achieve its Master Chronometer certification
3. Tudor’s most exciting innovations are found in the Black Bay collection
The Black Bay’s sporting credentials are never in doubt. That said, Tudor doesn’t rest on its laurels. It constantly imbues the collection with technical innovations that improve the watches’ performance.
In 2016, Tudor started to fit several models (Black Bay Bronze and the Black Bay Dark) with its first in-house movement: the COSC-certified MT5601 Calibre with 70-hour power reserve. Today, many Black Bay models are also fitted with Tudor’s expanding assortment of in-house movements. At the same time, the Black Bay collection has been enriched with technical offerings such as the Black Bay GMT, which is equipped with two-time zone functionality; and the Black Bay Ceramic that comes with METAS certification that guarantees precision of 0/+5 seconds daily accuracy, waterproofness to 200m, and magnetic resistance to 15,000 Gauss. Most importantly, Tudor now backs up its promise of reliability by offering a five-year guarantee on all its products – including Black Bay models - sold after 1 January 2020.
4. The Black Bay doesn’t shy away from experimentation
Tudor is known to push the envelope on material and design experimentation. Case in point: the brand’s bold use of modern materials like bronze and ceramic in several Black Bay models; as well as materials that are unusual for the Black Bay collection, like 925 silver and 18k yellow gold that featured on the cases of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 and Black Bay Fifty-Eight 18K, respectively. Even within the paradigm of dive watches, Tudor seeks to keep things interesting. The Black Bay P01, for instance, channels inspiration from a 1960s prototype made for the US military. Unlike conventional Black Bay models, the watch features an unusual, hinged end-link system that serves as a locking system for the bidirectional rotating bezel.
The Black Bay P01 with hinged bezel locking mechanism is one of the most unusual models in the collection
5. It is no longer just a collection of dive watches
Although the Black Bay’s lineage is rooted in dive watches, the collection has evolved to include a range of functionalities and styles that extend beyond the world of underwater exploration.
In addition to the popular Black Bay dive models, Tudor enthusiasts are treated to varied offerings such as the Black Bay Pro, a land adventure-inspired watch with a GMT feature; the Black Bay S&G range of office-appropriate dress watches in bi-metal steel and gold; the Black Bay Chrono assortment of dynamic chronographs; and more. Yet, despite the collection’s impressively expanded repertoire, each of these watches are anchored by a distinctive design vocabulary and performance-driven features that make every model a Black Bay thoroughbred.
The Black Bay GMT S&G elevates two-time zone functionality with luxury, courtesy of its bi-metal steel and gold case.
