BLUE AND WONDERS
Tudor’s new creation, worthy successor to a long tradition of dive watches from which it borrows certain features, imposes its somewhat vintage style and strong personality infused with a touch of blue.
In 1954, Tudor followed the route which Rolex had paved a few years before and joined in the waterproofness quest by unveiling a watch able to deal with immersions down to depths of 100 m, then 200 m in 1958. These pieces gave birth to a long line of renowned dive watches including some which were adopted by the French National Navy and the US Navy. Almost 70 years later, the Geneva-based brand rolls out its Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue”, a model whose style and color are inspired by its elder siblings and whose name is directly linked to the ’58 model.
Although current Black Bay pieces measure 41 mm diameter, this steel-crafted newcomer tends more so to dimensions of the 50s with its 39 mm size which suits any wrist perfectly well. The case is topped with a rotating bezel which is crowned with a matt blue aluminum ring matching the cambered dial. The dial hosts the famous snowflake hands in the centre which tick over the hours and seconds and a baton-style one for the minutes. Everything is coated with white luminescent material, including the geometric markers.
Essential time data comes to life driven by the manufacture MT5402 caliber, an automatic movement with rotor which beats at a standard frequency of 4 Hz and offers a power reserve of 70 hours.
The Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” is worn on a steel link bracelet, on a soft-touch textile strap or on a navy blue woven NATO with gray central strip.
Price: CHF3,200 (soft-touch or NATO) – CHF3,500 (steel bracelet)
By Sharmila Bertin