Tudor’s new diving watch builds on a rich history

Tudor black bay 58 blue strap — (Image credit: tudorwatch.com)

Tudor’s history of producing diving watches can be traced back to the Fifties with the release of the reference 7922, one of the first watches to be created specifically for diving. It was immediately recognised as a tool with long-term potential and Tudor’s robust sports watches became the instrument of choice for the French navy’s combat swimmers.

Divers sporting Tudor timepieces, 1986. Joel BRUN ECPAD Defense — Divers sporting Tudor timepieces, 1986. *Joel BRUN ECPAD Defense*

The Black Bay Fifty-Eight builds on this history. The navy blue – marking the first all-blue Black Bay – is the same shade which has appeared in the brand’s designs since the Sixties. ‘The general features of this model reference the famous 7924 model, the first Tudor watch waterproof to 200m introduced in 1958 – hence the name,’ a brand spokesperson tells us. ‘This new model is a great example of the Tudor design philosophy, taking inspiration from various classical models and reinterpreting them as a modern timepiece rather than recreating the vintage watches identically.’

At 39mm, the proportions of the watch stay faithful to the slender measurements more common in the Fifties, when a watch was designed to slip unobtrusively under a shirt cuff, striking a balance between elegance and – crucially for a divers watch – legibility. Other design tweaks are more contemporary; alongside a steel bracelet and the fabric strap first introduced in 2010 comes a new ‘soft-touch’ strap, made from a synthetic flannel replica.

INFORMATION

tudorwatch.com

Hannah Silver is a writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in journalism, spanning national newspapers and independent magazines. Currently Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles for print and digital, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury since joining in 2019.