{"id":126964,"date":"2021-08-19T17:00:32","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T09:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revolutionwatch.com\/?p=126964"},"modified":"2024-04-17T07:38:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T23:38:52","slug":"silver-resurgence-the-black-bay-fifty-eight-925","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revolutionwatch.com\/silver-resurgence-the-black-bay-fifty-eight-925\/","title":{"rendered":"Silver Resurgence : The Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925"},"content":{"rendered":"
I vaguely recall as a child that my grandparents, an aging couple living in a small, two-bedroom apartment outside of Bromley, had a cutlery set. It was a wedding gift I believe, as was customary at the time, and I don\u2019t think I ever saw it in use. But what I definitely remember being aware of was the presence of silver in and around that particular generation. It was a material with status, respect, dignity, and it seems to have all but disappeared\u2014that is, until now.<\/p>\n

And that begs the question\u2014well, two really: what\u2019s so good about silver, and why did we stop using it? First, what\u2019s so good about it is that it is the most reflective metal in the world. That may sound counterintuitive, because for the most part we imagine silver to be a dull, tarnished metal\u2014but that\u2019s not quite what\u2019s meant by reflective.<\/p>\n

Take steel, for example. Shine a pure white light at it and some will be absorbed and some will be reflected, returned back to your eyes for you to see. As much as 40 percent of that light will have gone, leaving the dim grey that we\u2019re all familiar with. Silver, however, will return 95percent of that light, giving it more of a whitish, ethereal glow.
\n<\/div>

\"\"

The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 is made in sterling 925 silver.<\/p><\/div>

\"\"

The Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 features a unique taupe colouration for the dial and bezel.<\/p><\/div>

\"\"

The watch is powered by a new calibre, the MT5400, visible through the open display caseback.<\/p><\/div>

That is at least when it\u2019s clean. The problem with silver is that it tarnishes. This is the big difference between it and other precious metals like gold and platinum, which do not corrode and stay as bright and beautiful as they were new. Perhaps you have memories of polishing the school\u2019s silver trophies during detention.<\/p>\n

Tarnishing can be desirable in some watches. Take bronze, for example, a metal favoured by sea-faring vessels for its ability to resist corrosion. If you were to ever see a ship\u2019s propellor made of the stuff, you might disagree, because on the surface it appears that the bronze has indeed corroded. But that\u2019s the magic of it: it forms a protective layer that prevents what\u2019s underneath from deteriorating.<\/p>\n

Turns out, this protective surface layer that grows and evolves over time can be rather aesthetically pleasing. A bronze watch, brand new, shiny and clean, changes every single day, and that evolution of the patterned protective layer becomes a distinct and attractive part of its appeal.<\/p>\n

For silver, however, that really goes against what the material is all about, what makes it special. No point being the brightest metal in the world if it\u2019s covered in a dark layer of tarnish! And silver really can end up looking grimy. It\u2019s not quite the same as the organic, interesting bronze\u2014it just looks, well, dirty. And nobody wants a dirty watch.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s reasonable, then, that watches haven\u2019t been made of silver, really, since the introduction of stainless steel. More or less the same hue, doesn\u2019t tarnish, more resilient to knocks\u2014the brightness of silver can\u2019t quite hold a candle to all those practical benefits. Unless a plucky company under the Rolex umbrella with the resources to develop new and exciting alloys comes up with something else\u2026<\/div>

\"\"

Tudor\u2019s trendy Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 has the potential to usher in the resurgence of silver in watchmaking. <\/p><\/div>

Well, funny you should say that because that\u2019s exactly what Tudor\u2019s done for the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 . If you don\u2019t know, 925 is an alloy that is 92.5 percent silver, with the remainder consisting of copper, nickel or zinc\u2014and it\u2019s those extra ingredients that give 925 its unappealing tarnish. But what if those metals were swapped out for something else, alloying with silver to create a new kind that doesn\u2019t tarnish? Say, aluminium?<\/p>\n

If Tudor really has developed an alloy of silver that resists tarnishing, that keeps its brightness\u2014and it is bright, the Latin argentum that gives silver its chemical symbol Ag literally translating as \u201cshiny\u201d\u2014then we could be seeing a resurgence of this once great precious metal in watchmaking. Given the price of gold and\u2014heaven forbid\u2014platinum, it bridges the gap between its workaday steel cousin and the lofty premium models.
\n<\/div>