The Stylish Fixed-Bezel Tudor Black Bay 31/36/39/41 Collection Gets A Strong Update

In 2012, Tudor unveiled its Black Bay dive watch. Borrowing design elements from earlier Tudor dive watches of the late 1950s and 1970s, the Black Bay has been a runaway success for the brand. In a departure from the Black Bay’s rugged tool watch looks, Tudor presents a refreshed collection for its three-hand, fixed-bezel Black Bay models in four case sizes with more sophisticated finishings, stylish sunray dials, five-link steel bracelets with a rapid adjustment system and, last but not least, in-house COSC-certified movements.

Available in 31, 36, 39 and 41mm case sizes, the new fixed-bezel Black Bay collection flaunts a curvier, more sophisticated case profile. With its polished and domed flanks, the softer silhouette is accompanied by a five-link stainless steel bracelet. The big selling point here is the bracelet’s Tudor T-fit rapid adjustment system. Requiring no tools and offering five positions, the system lets you carry out instant adjustments of up to 8mm on the clasp. Like the case, the Jubilee-style bracelet is finished with vertical brushed outer links and polished interior links for a sporty yet sophisticated touch. The large crown, a feature that was borrowed from Tudor’s 1958 (ref. 7924) Big Crown Submariner, has also been replaced with a new curved screw-down crown with the Tudor rose in relief.

However, the fixed polished bezel with no markings and the reduced 100m water-resistance situate this model as a robust and versatile sports watch, distancing it from the dive watch capacities of other 200m water-resistant Black Bay models.

With all this pampering, seeing that the iconic Snowflake hands of the Black Bay have been preserved is reassuring. Introduced on Tudor’s dive watches in 1969, the characteristic shape of the hands confirms its lineage. Now flaunting contemporary dial colours – blue, anthracite or champagne – with an attractive sunray finish, the Snowflake hands and applied indices are treated with Grade A Super-LumiNova. However, following the new design language of the brand, the minute hand is now longer and the seconds hand has now a lollipop shape, instead of a Snowflake style.

Along with the four case sizes and three dial colours, Tudor makes the new collection as versatile as possible with optional diamond hour markers, diamond-set bezels, and a two-tone steel and yellow gold Rolesor-style bracelet combined with a yellow gold bezel and crown.

Tudor equips these new models with three different-sized manufacture automatic movements with non-magnetic silicon balance springs and COSC chronometry certification. The large and medium-sized movements (MT56 and MT54) deliver a robust 70-hour power reserve; the smaller MT52 calibre has an autonomy of 50 hours. Beating at a frequency of 28,800vph, the movement is also equipped with a stop-seconds function.

Price

Prices vary according to size and material. The Black Bay 31 in steel retails for CHF 3,550; the Black Bay 36 for CHF 3,650; the Black Bay 39 for CHF 3,750, and the Black Bay 41 for CHF 3,850 – All prices include VAT. For more information and prices in your region, including the more expensive steel and gold models with diamonds, please consult tudorwatch.com.