Tudor unveils the Black Bay 58 GMT
Six years after the launch of the Black Bay 58 and the Black Bay GMT, Tudor unveils the Black Bay 58 GMT. Discover the rest of our 2024 Watches & Wonders Coverage.
It felt like yesterday. At what hindsight would label the second last Baselworld, Tudor introduced two watches that were immediate hits amongst long-time enthusiasts and those new to the brand. In the intervening time from 2018 to now, the Black Bay 58 collection has grown to include numerous variations: Black Bay 58 Blue, Black Bay 58 925 in sterling silver with a taupe dial, Boutique Exclusive Black Bay 58 Bronze with matte “brown-bronze” dial and the Black Bay 58 18K with green dial.
BLACK BAY 58 GMT
The Black Bay 58 GMT, the star of Tudor’s Watches and Wonders 2024, is a watch that answers the prayers of countless enthusiasts worldwide. It’s a unique addition to the Black Bay collection, blending the sleek proportions of the Black Bay 58 with the dual-time functionality of the Black Bay GMT. Despite its compact size of 39mm in diameter by 47.8mm lug-to-lug and 12.8mm tall, it manages to accommodate a date window and GMT functionality, standing 0.9mm taller than the original. The most striking visual difference is the black/burgundy aluminium bezel insert with gilt accents and the redesigned screw-down winding crown, a nod to historical technical watches, set flush to the middle case, making the tube invisible.
Under the subtly domed sapphire crystal, the matt black, softly radially brushed dial forms the backdrop for warm-hued gilt-applied hour markers and “Snowflake” hands – a hallmark of Tudor diver’s watches introduced in 1969. Hands and hour indices boast Grade A Swiss Super-LumiNova luminescent material, allowing enhanced visibility in low light. Conveniently, the Black Bay 58 GMT is available with either the rivet-style bracelet or a rubber strap, both with the ingenious Tudor “T-Fit” clasp – a nifty system for rapid clasp adjustments in five positions without the need for additional tools.
NEO-VINTAGE MEETS CONTEMPORARY WATCHMAKING
Like other watches in the collection, the Black Bay 58 GMT combines neo-vintage aesthetics with contemporary engineering. The Black Bay collection essentially bridges Tudor’s historical references and the robustness, reliability, quality of finishes, and boldness that characterise Tudor’s modern watchmaking. Far from being a reissue, the Black Bay collection represents the culmination of 70 years of experience in making dive watches. This is evident not only in construction but also in the internal mechanisms powering Tudor watches.
METAS CERTIFICATION
Following in the footsteps of the Black Bay Ceramic and the Black Bay 41 Burgundy, the Black Bay 58 GMT boasts the METAS Certified GMT Manufacture Calibre MT5450-U – certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with a silicon hairspring and a 65-hour power reserve. METAS Certification is stringent testing criteria that require the qualifying watch to meet the following requirements: Swiss-made, Certification by COSC, Precision at two temperatures, in six positions and at two levels of power reserve: 100% and 33%, Smooth functioning when exposed to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss and precision following exposure, Waterproof to 200 m (660 ft), and power-reserve of 65-hours.
