Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT automatic watch black and burgundy bezel black dial three-mesh steel bracelet 39 mm

The Story

The highly acclaimed Tudor Black Bay 58 makes a comeback at Watches and Wonders 2024 with an elegant rejuvenation in a GMT version. The Fifty-Eight collection refers to the year of production of the first Tudor diver's watch, the Submariner ref. 7924, in 1958.

The idea behind this new model is to evoke the heyday of the jet-set, which crossed time zones with style and elegance. The 39 mm case is retained, but a bi-directional bezel is added, adorned with warm hues reminiscent of the golden age of commercial flights, such as burgundy, black and pretty gold accents.

An iconic look

The Black Bay remains one of TUDOR's most recognized and recognizable lines. The Black Bay 58 GMT features a 39 mm diameter case with a slimmer profile than a Black Bay GMT with a 41 mm diameter. The bi-directional rotating bezel is easy to handle, and its insert features delicately curved numerals aligned with the curvature of the ring. However, the aesthetic details don't stop at the dimensions of the case and bezel. The seconds hand, with its round pastille of luminous material, recalls the design of the brand's early diver's watches, while the satin black dial is delicately brushed, giving it a slight sheen under direct light.

The dial also features the characteristically angular TUDOR hands, nicknamed “Snowflake” in collectors' circles and first appearing in the brand's catalog in 1969. Ergonomics have also evolved: the redesigned crown recalls the curves of the crowns on the brand's historic technical watches, plated to the caseband, so that its tube is not visible.

The strap

This watch is dressed in a three-link “rivet-style” bracelet, an aesthetic reference to the rivet bracelets used by TUDOR in the 1950s and 1960s. Their distinctive feature was that the heads of the rivets used to attach the links were visible on the edge of the bracelet. These bracelets also featured a “staircase leak”, where each link, starting from the clasp, was slightly wider than the previous one. Both these aesthetic details are found on the new version presented this year, which combines a modern construction with solid links and laser-finished, rivet-like pinheads. This bracelet is also equipped with the TUDOR “T-fit” clasp, an ingenious system for quick length adjustment. Easy to use, requiring no tools and offering five positions, this practical device enables the wearer to make instant fine adjustments within an 8-mm adjustment window of the bracelet's overall length. The clasp features a ceramic ball system guaranteeing reliable closure, while providing a clean, pleasant feel to the manipulation.

Motor side

This model features the Manufacture MT5450-U caliber, offering hours, minutes, seconds and GMT functions. This movement has the appearance of the Manufacture TUDOR calibers, with characteristic sunray laser finishing, and bears the Master Chronometer designation on its bridges, highlighting its exceptional performance. Its openworked rotor is made of one-piece tungsten and features radial laser decorations combined with sandblasted details. Its bridges and mainplate feature alternating sandblasted and polished surfaces and laser-made decorations.

This caliber is designed to ensure sturdiness and precision thanks to its variable inertia balance maintained by a sturdy double-anchored through-bridge. Its movement is chronometer-certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), with performances that exceed the standards of this independent institution. Indeed, while the COSC tolerates an average daily rate variation of -4 to +6 seconds on a movement alone, and TUDOR applies a tolerance of -2 to +4 seconds variation on the rate of the fully assembled watch, METAS requires a Master Chronometer-certified watch to operate within a tolerance interval of 5 seconds (0/+5). The Manufacture Calibre MT5450-U is not only certified more precise, but also resistant to magnetic fields up to 15,000 gauss.

Another notable feature, the power reserve of Manufacture Calibre MT5450-U is said to be “weekend proof”, certified at 65 hours by METAS, allowing the wearer to put the watch down on Friday evening and pick it up again on Monday morning without having to wind it.