Tudor’s Fan Favorite Watches Get a Makeover
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Fresh off the horological presses in Geneva this morning is a timepiece that many Tudor aficionados—and the greater watch world in general—has been calling for for a few years now: A smaller, thinner GMT. While the brand introduced the Black Bay GMT to much acclaim back in 2018, its thick, 41mm-wide case wasn’t ideal for those for smaller wrists. And while the Black Bay Pro did deliver a GMT-equipped model in a 39mm case in 2022, its thick case turned some people off. Many of us nerds felt like a slightly smaller and thinner Black Bay 58 GMT or Pelagos GMT would be an excellent addition to the brand’s catalog and here it finally is.
The new Black Bay 58 GMT looks a good deal like the slightly older Black Bay GMT, but with some key differences: Housed in a 39mm case more in line with the mid-1950s models that inspired the collection’s naming convention, it features a burgundy and black aluminum “Coke” bezel insert with a gilt 24-hour scale, plus a domed black dial with gilt elements on the hour indices and signature Snowflake hands. (Funnily enough, the rumor mill leading up to Watches & Wonders prognosticated it was Rolex that would release a “Coke” GMT.) Offering a GMT in a 39mm case necessitated the development of a new movement, the GMT Manufacture Calibre MT5450-U, which is COSC- and METAS-certified and features a 65-hour power reserve.
The Black Bay 58 GMT is a welcome new model for those of us with smaller wrists who crave a hard-wearing, GMT-equipped tool watch. With 200m of water resistance, a movement calibrated to a standard of 0/+5 seconds per day, 15,000 gauss of magnetic resistance, and a “weekend-proof” power reserve, it’s certainly not a watch that you’ll need to baby. It’s offered on a 3-link stainless steel “rivet-style” bracelet or a black rubber strap, both of which feature the brand’s beloved, automatically-adjusting “T-fit” clasp. Listing for $4,400-$4,600 but offering local hour jumping—meaning you can quickly adjust to a new local time—you get the same functionality as a Rolex GMT-Master II, but for roughly a third of the price.
So who is the Black Bay 58 GMT for? As we said, Tudor already has a hard-wearing GMT in the form of the Black Bay GMT at 41mm, and the Black Bay Pro at 39mm. But the new Black Bay 58 GMT, with its more manageable case thickness of 12.8mm, is significantly thinner than the Pro (14.6mm tall), yet still offers the fan-favorite bi-direcitonal 24-hour bezel, which allows for easy tracking of three time zones. And while there will inevitably be those who don’t love the “gilt” look of the “Coke” bezel and dial, the important thing here is the new, more ergonomic case. Now that it’s part of the Tudor catalog, we can expect fresh colorways in years to come, which should make collectors everywhere happy.
Elsewhere in the brand’s new releases, there’s a fresh take on the older Black Bay 41 dive watch platform in a monochromatic colorway—black dial with rhodium-plated hands and indices, black bezel with silver accents—plus the option of the newer five-link steel bracelet, the three-link rivet-style bracelet, or black rubber. Inside is the COSC- and METAS-certified Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5602-U, which offers 70 hours of power reserve. For someone who desires a larger Black Bay—something more in line with the Rolex Submariner—this is an excellent dive watch option.
And if the smaller, 39mm Black Bay 58 is your jam, feast your eyes on this baby: A solid 18K yellow gold version with a “golden green” dial and matching gold markers, available this year on a matching, 18K gold rivet-style bracelet with “T-fit.” Its movement, COSC-certified Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5400 with 70 hours of power reserve, is visible via a sapphire caseback—the first time a transparent caseback has featured on a Tudor watch. Water resistant to 200m, this is a perfectly capable tool watch in the mold of Rolex’s solid-gold takes on the Submariner—though at $32,100, it represents the higher reaches of Tudor’s typically more down-to-Earth catalog.
Originally Appeared on GQ
