Tudor Black Bay 54 automatic black dial steel bracelet 37 mm

The essence of the Black Bay

The Black Bay line features dials inspired by those of TUDOR dive watches produced in the 1950s. It also borrows TUDOR's characteristically angular hands, nicknamed "Snowflake" in collector's circles, which appeared in the brand's catalog in 1969. Its unprotected crown as well as the through bar holes on its lugs are finally typical elements of the first generations of TUDOR diving watches.

The Black Bay line is the result of subtle combinations of historical aesthetic codes and contemporary watchmaking. As opposed to a work of identical reissue of a classic, it offers a condensation of more than sixty years of TUDOR diving watches, while being resolutely anchored in the present. The feel is neo vintage, but the manufacturing techniques, the level of reliability, sturdiness, and the quality of the finishes are in line with today's highest demands.

Dive into the past

The spirit of Black Bay is rooted in the brand's history. The Black Bay line has always featured iconic elements of past TUDOR dive watches, but the Black Bay 54 is perhaps the closest model to a specific historical piece created to date. The Oyster Prince Submariner reference 7922, one of the first modern dive watches, is a tremendous source of inspiration as it is known to have been evaluated and adopted by the French and American Marines as well as widely used by professional diving pioneers. Early versions of the 7922 featured a "small crown" but not yet the red triangle at 12 o'clock that would later become one of the brand's signatures. These details gave it a clean and sober aesthetic. The Black Bay 54 is faithful to its model and uses many of its distinctive details. The minute hand for example, in addition to its adjusted proportions, is beveled at its base, as on the 1954 model. The seconds hand is as close to the original as one can get. The profile of the bezel ring is also faithful to that of the reference 7922, as are the markings on its aluminum insert. That said, the Black Bay 54 also features some decidedly modern touches, such as a satin-sunray dial and a "T fit" clasp for a perfect fit and, of course, the Manufacture Calibre MT5400, a concentrate of high-performance watchmaking technology.

A Manufacture Caliber

The Manufacture Caliber MT5400, which powers the Black Bay 54 model, displays the hours, minutes and seconds functions. It features the finishes typical of TUDOR's Manufacture Calibers: its one-piece tungsten rotor is openworked and satin-finished with sandblasted details, while its bridges and plate alternate between sandblasted, polished and laser-cut surfaces.

Its construction is designed for sturdiness and precision thanks to its variable inertia balance maintained by a solid double-anchored through-bridge. Coupled with a non-magnetic silicon balance spring, this system allows the Caliber MT5400 to operate within a tolerance interval of 6 seconds (-2 / +4) on the fully assembled watch rate.

Another notable feature is that the power reserve of the Manufacture Calibre MT5400 is said to be "weekend proof," or about 70 hours, allowing the wearer to put the watch down on Friday night and pick it up on Monday morning without having to wind it. Even if you need to take the weekend off, your watch doesn't.

Equipped with the "T fit" clasp

The Black Bay 54 is matched with a fully satin-finished three-mesh steel bracelet with a clasp equipped with the TUDOR "T fit" quick length adjustment system. Easy to use, tool-free and with five positions, this convenient device allows the wearer to make instant fine adjustments within an 8-millimeter window of total strap length. The clasp features a ceramic ball bearing to ensure a smooth and reliable closure, while providing a pleasant feel.