With the Black Bay 58, it would appear that Tudor can do no wrong. The first iteration in black livery was one of the biggest hits in the brand’s considerable back catalogue, a success that might have been slightly surpassed by 2020’s Black Bay 58 Navy Blue. Quite possibly the best release of 2020, a year that needed as much good news as it could get, the ’58 Blue was a smash hit by any standards and actually saw the brands firmly in the waiting list club for its coveted vintage inspired diver. And now those perfect proportions have been given a precious metal makeover with new models in solid silver and solid gold. And of course, they look mint!

Tudor’s Sterling Job

Silver has been in use for watches since the dawn of time, or at least portable time. Pocket watches were often cased in silver and early wrist watches from the first half of the twentieth century were also made in silver. In fact, it was quite common to see trench watches from the first world war made from silver and I’ve seen quite a few Rolex examples over the years. The practice is not common at all now though, but Tudor has yet surprised us all by making a watch in sterling 925 silver.

The name 925 refers to the standard for sterling silver, where to qualify as sterling an alloy must have at least 925 thousandths of pure silver, or 92.5%. Much like the recipe for Coca Cola or the centre of a Cadbury’s Cream Egg, the exact recipe of the alloy will forever be a secret.

The Black Bay 58 925 shares the case proportions of previous 58s but is an entirely new beast. Completely satin finished in its entirety, the watch also has an open display caseback. Again, this is a first for Tudor. To enable an unencumbered view of its Manufacture movement, Tudor has developed a new calibre, MT5400 which is midsize but mounted on a full-size plate, so as to fit inside the 39mm case but allow the case back to give the view of a full movement. This is very cool indeed. The movement is the usual high quality that one would expect from the brand. The movement is COSC rated and boasts the house-speciality of 70 hours power reserve. But the COSC standard, with a tolerance of -4 to +6 seconds, isn’t good enough for Tudor. They test in-house to ensure that each movement performs at -2 to +4 seconds.

The dial and bezel colours are also new with the 925. Taupe is the colour of the day, with its emulsion of grey and brown, it sits well within the silver context and is also the theme for the woven strap. The woven straps have become a familiar sight on Tudor watches, since the brand was relaunched back in 2010 with the Heritage Chrono. To the casual observer, they might appear to look like a nylon nato-style strap, but closer inspection reveals that these straps are anything but. They’re made by a 150-year-old French family run business, Julian Faure, and are beautifully woven by using old looms in the traditional Jacquard weaving method. And for those who prefer a more elegant look on the wrist, there is also a brown leather strap on deployment clasp.

Tudor Goes For Gold

Tudor’s second precious offering is a Black Bay 58 in 18k yellow gold. This is a watch I’ve always wanted to see. Whilst now it’s not unusual to see sports watches in gold, if you stop and think about it, it’s utterly oxymoronic; a tool watch in a precious metal. But it’s always popular and a road down which Tudor has never ventured until now. I heard a rumour years ago, of a one-off gold Tudor Submariner that was delivered to Comex, but have never had any luck qualifying this tale. The ’58 18k is, like the 925, fully satin finished and also has the sapphire display case back and the new calibre MT5400 Manufacture movement.

The dial on the 18k is what Tudor refers to as “golden green”, which is also the hue for the bezel. In my mind, it’s a lovely shade of green that together with the mellow matte gold of the case is very tastefully done. The watch dial and hands is the familiar combination of applied hour markers in regulation round and baton form, coupled with Tudor’s trademark snowflake hands. The metal work here is also in matte 18k gold.

This is a new price point for Tudor and many will ask the question, is the brand leaving behind its purpose of providing the very best watches at an accessible price point. My feeling is that, in terms of context and other 18k gold dive watches, the watch is, if not accessible, certainly very good value for money for what it is; a premium sports watch in solid gold.

The 18k comes with both fabric and leather straps. The former is in green with a gold stripe down its centre, which with the matte case gives the watch a sporty vibe that would work in pretty much any situation. The leather strap is in a rich dark brown alligator strap with deployment.

Tech Specs

Movements:
Black Bay 925 and 18K: Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5400 with 70-hour power reserve

Case and Dial:
Black Bay 925: 39mm 925 silver with display case back. Taupe dial with applied hour markers and snowflake hands.
Black Bay 18k: 39mm satin-finished 18k yellow gold with display case back. Green dial with applied hour markers and snowflake hands.

Strap:
Black Bay 925: A choice of two straps, taupe fabric with silver stripe or brown grain leather
Black Bay 18K: Two straps are included, green fabric with gold stripe and dark brown alligator

Prices:
Black Bay 925: £3,230; Black Bay 18K: £12,610