TUDOR’s award-winning Swiss history dates back to 1926, when it was registered as a brand by Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf. Tudor offered an alternative and unique aesthetic from Rolex that came at a more affordable price. This value did not diminish Tudor’s build quality and robustness with signature models like the Black Bay or Pelagos, which have been the dive watches of choice by land and aquatic adventurers alike, professionals and navies.
Tudor’s latest offering, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue,” gets its title from the year 1958 in which the first Tudor divers’ watch waterproof to 200 meters was introduced. Nicknamed the “Big Crown,” the Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” takes stylistic cues from this historic model with its 39mm diameter case in 316L stainless steel. Perfect for slimmer wrists, or people who appreciate a more vintage compact aesthetic, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” continues the storied Tudor tradition of dive watchmaking.
Unique features of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” include its namesake navy blue grained matt domed dial grained with applied hour-markers. Neo-vintage ‘snowflake hands’ grace this dial, a hallmark of Tudor dive watches since 1969 with Grade A Swiss Super-LumiNova luminescent materials. The quality strap options are varied and come with distinctive options for the wearer: a classic “riveted steel” bracelet with a polished satin finish, a blue “soft touch” bracelet with folding clasp and safety catch, and a “blue jacquard fabric” strap woven in France on 19th-century looms with silver band and buckle.
Contained within the Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” is a significant MT5402 Calibre movement with silicon hair-spring and COSC-certification. The rotor comes in a tungsten monobloc and is openwork or partially exposed and visible. It is satin-brushed with sand-blasted details, while the bridges and mainplate are alternate sand-blasted, polished surfaces and laser decorations. Designed for longevity and accurateness, it is chronometer-certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) with its specifications even outperforming the standards set by this institute.
Such is the reliability of the watch’s ability to tell time that Tudor applies a tolerance of between -2 and +4 seconds’ variation in its daily rate instead of the average COSC -4 and +6 second variation. A final noteworthy touch of the MT5402 Calibre is its “weekend-proof” power reserve, lasting up to 70-hours off the wrist. In essence, this allows the wearer to take the watch off on a Friday evening and then put it back on once more on Monday without having to reset the watch or manually wind it.
Tudor now offers a five-year guarantee on all its products sold after January 1, 2020. This guarantee is transferable, and does not require that the watch be registered or maintenance-checked. In addition, all Tudor products purchased between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019 will benefit from an additional 18-month extension (3.5 year) to this guarantee. Tudor recommends serving your timepiece every 10 years (depending upon the model and usage of the watch).
