The weekend watch we want: Tudor Black Bay Bronze
Winding back the hands of time, Tudor's latest timepiece takes its inspiration from watches of the past
Hold your breath – for the newest addition to Rolex subsidiary Tudor’s range is taking heritage horology to new depths.
In a beautifully-burnished bronze, the Black Bay borrows and imitates features and functions from Tudor’s past watches. A real celebration of timepieces of the past, the brand say that the new 43 mm divers watch and is ‘inspired by the brand’s history’ – and inspired is the right word.
The general lines and design of the case, as well as the dial and domed crystal, are inherited from the very first Tudor diving watches – and call to mind the underwater pioneers and adventurous spirit of early explorers. The prominent winding crown adds a focal point and – being lifted from the famous 7924 model of 1958, which was affectionately known amongst watch aficionados as Big Crown – it is yet another celebratory square on this patchwork watch.
Characteristically angular hands, known as snowflake hands, hark back to the watches Tudor supplied to the French National Navy in the 1970s, and both the drilled holes on the side of the lugs and the particularly pronounced chamfering are also lifted from Tudor’s models of the past.
Who could resist a deep, burnished bronze – and even more so when you realise that the use of the colour is intended to reference the use of the precious metal in historic ships and antique diving equipment.
Even the strap itself, which looks a little unassuming, takes inspiration from one of Tudor’s most unique and memorable periods. When the watchmaker used to send its Oyster Prince Submariner timepieces to the French Navy, they were without straps. As such, the military then shouldered the responsibility of buying, crafting or improvising straps of their own.
One such strap, made from elastic recovered from a French rescue parachute, and with a central yellow thread, became an icon of its time, and has now influenced the design of the Black Bay Bronze’s jacquard strap. This isn’t just a watch – it is a little piece of history for your wrist.
But not everything is lifted from the history books. The combination of a chocolate-brown dial and bezel with gold and beige accents is a first for the brand, as is their pioneering variation on the MT5601 movement – Tudor’s first mechanical movement to have been developed, manufactured and assembled in-house last year.
These quirks and kinks that compliment a classic are commendable – and show a real pioneering spirit from Tudor. This is clearly a brand excited for the challenges of the future, whilst honouring the adventures of the past. And it would look as at home diving in the ocean as it would hacking through the Amazon rainforest. This is a watch that screams one rule: don’t be boring.
With an optional aged leather strap, a power reserve of approximately 70 hours and waterproofness to 200 metres, you have no excuses. Get it on, and get out there.
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