TUDOR has launched a bronze version of its famous Black Bay Fifty-Eight model, featuring for the first time a bronze bracelet fitted with a new clasp with rapid adjustment system. Boasting a nautical inspired “brown-bronze” colour palette, this extra-ordinary timepiece is available exclusively in around fifty TUDOR boutiques throughout the world. This new model is equipped with the in-house self-winding calibre MT5400.

The new Black Bay Fifty-Eight model comes with a 39 mm bronze case. Its material choice is an aesthetic nod to the bronzes on old ships and other deep-sea diving equipment. Its proportions are based on the first TUDOR divers’ watches dating from the second half of the 1950s, particularly the famous 7924 reference or “Big Crown”, the first TUDOR watch to be waterproof to 200 metres (660 ft), presented in 1958.

The case of Black Bay Bronze has an entirely satin-brushed finish that guarantees the homogeneous development of this patina.

The combination of a domed dial in matt “brown-bronze”, shaded concentrically from the exterior towards the centre, and a bezel presenting the same gold accents found on the hands and hour markers, completes the face of this model.

The Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze model marks the first time that the brand has produced a bracelet entirely from bronze. Its satin-brushed links adopting the style of TUDOR bracelets of the 1950s and ’60s, with rivets, are coordinated with the case and will develop a patina at the same pace.

A new bronze clasp, also satin-brushed, with a redesigned cover and TUDOR “T-fit” rapid adjustment system for the length, completes the total bronze look. Easy to use, requiring no tools and offering 5 positions, this practical system allows wearers of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze to carry out a fine, instant adjustment on an adjustment window along the entire length of the 8 mm bracelet.

Inspired the brand’s naval heritage, TUDOR presents a free complimentary strap with its Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze model. This “brown-bronze” woven jacquard strap carries the signature central yellow thread. Woven in France on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure Company in the St-Etienne region, this fabric strap’s manufacturing quality and comfort on the wrist are unique.

The Manufacture Calibre MT5400 has the finish typical of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres: Its rotor in tungsten monobloc is openwork and satin-brushed with sand-blasted details, and its bridges and mainplate have alternate sand-blasted, polished surfaces and laser decorations.

Equipped with a variable inertia balance and a non-magnetic silicon hairspring, the Manufacture Calibre MT5400 is certified as a chronometer by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with its performance going beyond the standards set by this independent institute. In fact, where COSC allows an average variation in the daily running of a watch of between -4 and +6 seconds in relation to absolute time in a single movement, TUDOR insists on between -2 and +4 seconds’ variation in its running when it is completely assembled.

Like other models in the Black Bay line, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze model features a dial inspired by the TUDOR divers’ watches produced during the 1950s. It adopts the characteristic angular hands known to collectors as “Snowflake” that appeared in the brand’s 1969 catalogue. Finally, its unprotected crown and the holes of the bars that pass through the horns are inspired by that of the first generations of TUDOR divers’ watches.

Technical details

Model: Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze Boutique Edition
Reference 79012M

Case
Bronze case, 39 mm in diameter, 11.9 mm thick, 48 mm from lug to lug, satin-brushed finish
Bronze coloured PVD-treated steel case back
Unidirectional rotating bezel in bronze with 60-minute graduated matt “brown-bronze” anodised aluminium disc
Screw-down, bronze winding crown, engraved with the TUDOR rose
Domed sapphire crystal
Waterproof to 200 m (660 ft)

Dial
“Brown-bronze”, domed

Movement
Manufacture Calibre MT5400
Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system
Swiss Chronometer officially certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute)
Power reserve: Approximately 70 hours
Variable inertia balance, micro-adjustment screw
Non-magnetic silicon balance spring
Frequency: 28,800 beats/hour (4Hz)
Total diameter: 30.3 mm
Thickness: 5 mm
Jewels: 27 jewels

Functions
Centre hour, minute and seconds hands
Stop-seconds function for precise time setting

Bracelet
Riveted bronze bracelet, satin-brushed finish
Complimentary “brown-bronze” fabric strap with band and bronze buckle, included in the box

The famous Black Bay Bronze model, winner of the “Petite Aiguille” prize at the 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and a symbol of TUDOR’s naval heritage, is now available in a new slate-grey model with shaded dial.

Following the introduction of the first bronze model, a Black Bay with a chocolate brown dial, TUDOR continues to explore this rare bronze material with its characteristic patina. A new colour scheme based on slate grey now embellishes the dial and bezel of this imposing divers’ watch, whose aesthetics change over time and whose naval inspiration can be found in every detail. The impressive Black Bay Bronze also offers high technical performance thanks to its Manufacture Calibre MT5601.

The central feature of the Black Bay Bronze model is its 43-millimetre bronze case, an aesthetic reference to the brass used in old ships and other diving equipment. This “living” metal, a high-performance aluminium-copper alloy used particularly in naval engineering for submerged parts that need to be highly resistant to corrosion, will produce a subtle, unique patina on every watch case, based on the wearer’s habits. In addition to a highly functional appearance, in line with the world to which it pays tribute, the Black Bay Bronze presents entirely satin brushed finishes that guarantee homogeneous development of the patina.

The combination of a slate-grey dial, shaded from the exterior to the centre, and a bezel coupled with gold accents found on the hands and hour markers completes the model’s aesthetics.

The Manufacture Calibre MT5601 that drives the Black Bay Bronze model measures 33.8 millimetres, the widest diameter of all TUDOR’s calibres. It displays the hours, minutes and seconds functions, and its appearance and finishes are typical of TUDOR Manufacture calibres. Its openwork rotor is satin-brushed with sand-blasted details, and its bridges and plate have alternating polished sand-blasted surfaces and laser decorations.

Its build has been designed to ensure robustness, longevity and reliability, as has its variable inertia balance, which is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with a two-point fixation. Thanks to these qualities, together with its non-magnetic silicon balance spring, the caliber is certified as a chronometer by the Ofcial Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). The movement delivers a 70-hour power reserve.

In an aesthetic tribute to the brand’s naval heritage, TUDOR has identified the historic uses of its watches and reinterpreted them in its latest models. For example, the French Navy had TUDOR watches delivered without bracelets and then fitted them with their own straps, handmade or otherwise. One of them, found on a period divers’ watch kept in the brand’s archives, is made of elastic recovered from French rescue parachutes. This ultra-functional relic, recognisable by its gold-coloured thread, is the reference behind the slate-grey woven jacquard strap available for the Black Bay Bronze. A second option is an aged black leather strap whose straight cut accentuates the rustic effect.

Like other models in the Black Bay line, the Black Bay Bronze model features a dial inspired by the TUDOR divers’ watches produced in the 1950’s. It also adopts the characteristic angular hands known to collectors as “snowflake” that appeared in the brand’s 1969 catalogue. Finally, the unprotected winding crown, like the holes drilled across the horns, are typical features of the first generations of TUDOR divers’ watches.

The Black Bay line is the result of the subtle blend of traditional aesthetics and contemporary watchmaking. Far from simply being an identical re-release of a classic, it brings together over 60 years of TUDOR divers’ watches and yet remains firmly anchored in the present. Whilst it is neo-vintage in conception, its manufacturing techniques, reliability, robustness and the quality of its finish are consistent with today’s most rigorous requirements.

Technical details

Reference 79250BA

Case
43 mm bronze case with satin finish
Bronze-coloured PVD-treated steel case back
Unidirectional rotatable bezel in bronze with 60-minute graduated disc in matt slate-grey anodized aluminium
Bronze screw-down winding crown, with an engraved TUDOR rose
Domed sapphire crystal
Waterproof to 200 m (660 f)

Dial
Slate-grey, domed

Movement
Manufacture Calibre MT5601 (COSC)
Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system
Swiss Chronometer officially certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing
Institute)
Variable inertia balance, micro-adjustment by screw
Non-magnetic silicon balance spring
Frequency: 28,800 beats/hour (4Hz)
Total Diameter: 33.8 mm
Thickness: 6.5 mm
Jewels: 25 jewels
Power reserve: Approximately 70 hours

Functions
Central hour, minute and second hands
Stop seconds for precise time setting

Bracelet
Rounded black nubuck leather or slate-grey fabric strap with bronze buckle

Swiss price (VAT incl.)
CHF 3,850.–