The Tudor Black Bay 58 925 is a crazy dive watch. While Rolex won’t build homage Submariners, Tudor embraces its heritage of vintage Submariner dive watches in all but name. Launched in 2021, the Black Bay 58 925 brings precious metal silver back to the mainstream of watchmaking for the first time in over 80 years, and it offers a better fit than larger Black Bay divers.

Tim Mosso takes an in-depth look at Tudor’s most unusual and compelling sports watch in this comprehensive buyer’s guide for watch collectors.

1958 represented the apex of the early amateur diving crazy, and Swiss watchmakers arrived in force to feed the dive market. With no crown guards, no date, and external hardware shared with Rolex, the Tudor divers of this period represented excellent value, and vintage Tudors from this period are highly collectible. Tudor recognized this fact in 2012 with the original Heritage Black Bay.

ETA powered just like historic Tudors, the original Black Bay struck a chord and quickly re-established Tudor as a serious consideration for watch collectors seeking luxury at value prices.

The 2013 United States market re-launch of the Tudor brand furthered the company’s prominence and helped to cement the modern Tudor brand as a specialist in vintage designs that can be worn with abandon not possible on a fragile vintage watch.

Tudor Black Bay 58

At 39mm, the Black Bay 58 of 2018 marked a return to something approaching the size of genuine Rolex and Tudor dive watches of the 1950s. Although the first Tudor Sub, the 7922, debuted in 1954, it was the later “big crown” Tudor 7924 that inspired today’s Black Bay 58. For 2021, the Black Bay 58 925 added two unexpected evolutions: taupe color and sterling silver.

Taupe, a shade straddles the boundary between grey and brown, had little history in watch design, and it imparts a unique face to the Black Bay 58 925. Silver, once a corrosion-resistant option for watchmakers, faded into obscurity with the arrival of stainless steel alloys in the 1920s and 1930s.

While not unheard of – Cartier, U-Boat, Ochs und Junior and others have dabbled in it – silver’s use for a watch case made headlines given Tudor’s mass production volume and market reach.

Internally, the Tudor Black Bay 58 925 uses a Tudor-Kenissi MT5400. Although thinner and smaller in diameter than the larger MT5600 series, this smaller movement has all of the same features.

A power reserve of 70 hours is enabled by automatic winding. COSC Swiss chronometer certification is provided with every example. Stop seconds (hacking) permits easy setting. A silicon hairspring reinforces the Black Bay 58 against magnetic hazards.

A full balance bridge and free sprung balance provide elevated shock protection.

As a dive watch, this Black Bay 58 includes a screw-down crown, 60-click unidirectional dive bezel, and a 200-meter water resistance rating.

The Tudor Black Bay 58 925 costs $4,860 with either a leather or textile NATO strap, and both examples feature strap-specific sterling silver pin buckles. The Tudor new watch warranty on this model is five years.

For more information, please visit www.tudorwatch.com/en/watches/black-bay-58/m79010sg-0001

Quick facts: Tudor Black Bay 54 Ref. M79000N-0001
Indications: hours, minutes, seconds, 60-minute unidirectional bezel
Case: stainless steel case with polished and satin finish, screw-in crown
Dimensions: 37mm diameter
Water resistance: 200 meters (660 ft)
Movement: manufacture Calibre MT5400 (COSC), automatic winding with bidirectional rotor system
Power reserve: 70 hours (approx.)
Bracelet: Brown leather strap with 925 silver buckle or three-link stainless steel bracelet with polished and satin finish with Tudor “T-fit” clasp
Notable: Five-year Guarantee
Price: $4,860

* Tim Mosso is the media director and watch specialist at The 1916 Company. You can check out their very comprehensive YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@the1916company.

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