Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” (Price, Pictures and Specifications)
Ever faithful to its long tradition of blue sports watches, Tudor now offers a “Navy Blue” version of its flagship model, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight.
The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” gets its name from its colour, of course, but also from the year 1958, in which the first Tudor divers’ watch waterproof to 200 metres (660 ft), reference 7924 or “Big Crown”, was presented. Among other aesthetic nods to this historic watch, this model offers a 39 mm diameter case in in keeping with the characteristic proportions of the 1950s. Ideal for slim wrists, people who like more compact watches and vintage enthusiasts, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” also carries on with the long Tudor tradition of blue sports watches.
Key Points:
1. 39 millimetre case in 316L stainless steel
2. Navy Blue matt domed dial, grained with applied hour-markers
3. "Snowflake" hands, a hallmark of Tudor divers' watches, since 1969, with grade A, Swiss Super-LumiNova luminescent material
4. Manufacture Calibre MT5402, COSC-certified with silicon balance spring and 70-hour power reserve
5. Three straps/bracelet options: blue Jacquard fabric with silver band, blue “soft touch”, and “riveted” steel
6. Five-year transferable guarantee, with no registration or periodic maintenance checks required
Tudor Blue
In 1969, Tudor introduced a divers’ watch with a blue dial and bezel. The other sports watches in the collection were soon attired in blue, immediately creating a lasting aesthetic hallmark known as “Tudor Blue”. Adopted by the French navy for its Tudor divers’ watches during the 1970s, this livery became part of the collective imagination. The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” follows in this tradition with its navy-blue dial and bezel insert. This is a colour that also appears on the “soft touch” strap offered with this model and made from a synthetic, tactile material resembling flannel.
10 Years Of The Tudor Fabric Strap
Navy blue is also the dominant colour of the fabric strap offered with this model. The fabric strap is one of the hallmarks of Tudor, which, in 2010, became one of the very first watchmaking brands to offer it with its products. Woven in France on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the St-Etienne region, its manufacturing quality and comfort on the wrist are unique. In 2020, Tudor and Julien Faure, a 150-year old family company, celebrate 10 years of a partnership that started just before the launch of the Heritage Chrono in 2010, the first model of the brand to be fitted with a fabric strap created by the artisan. A fine anniversary for an enduring collaboration built on outstanding expertise.
The Tudor Calibre MT5402
The Manufacture Calibre MT5402, which equips the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight "Navy Blue", displays hour, minute and second functions. It has the finish typical of Tudor Manufacture calibres. Its rotor in tungsten monobloc is openwork and satin-brushed with sand-blasted details, and its bridges and mainplate have alternate sand-blasted, polished surfaces and laser decorations.
Its build has been designed to ensure robustness, longevity, reliability and precision, as has its variable inertia balance, which is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with a two-point fixation. Together with its non-magnetic silicon hairspring, the Manufacture Calibre MT5402 is chronometer-certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with its performance going beyond the standards set by this independent institute. In fact, where COSC allows for an average variation in the daily running rate of a watch movement of between -4 and +6 seconds in relation to absolute time, Tudor applies a tolerance of between -2 and +4 seconds’ variation in its daily rate on the watch fully assembled.
Another notable feature is that the power reserve of the Manufacture MT5402 Calibre is "weekend-proof"; that is to say about 70 hours, which enables the wearer to take the watch off on a Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to wind and reset it.
The Essence Of Black Bay
Like other models in the Black Bay range, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” adopts Tudor's characteristic angular hands known as “Snowflake” that appeared in the brand’s 1969 catalogue. The result of a subtle blend of traditional aesthetics and contemporary watchmaking, the Black Bay line is far from offering identical rereleases of classics. Resolutely anchored in the present, it brings together close to seven decades of Tudor divers' watches. Whilst it is neo-vintage in style, its manufacturing techniques and its robustness, reliability, durability and precision as well as the quality of its finishing are above current industry standards.
The Tudor Divers’ Watch
The history of the Tudor divers’ watch dates back to 1954 with the launch of reference 7922. Waterproof up to 100 metres (330 ft), it is the firstborn in a long line of "divers". Affordable, robust, reliable and precise, it is representative of the philosophy of a tool-watch of the brand. The seven decades following the introduction of reference 7922 have witnessed the constant improvement of the Tudor divers' watch, gaining wide acclaim from professionals in the field, including some of the largest navies in the world, in the process.
The Tudor Guarantee
Since its creation by Hans Wilsdorf in 1926, and in line with his vision of the ideal product, Tudor has always strived to make the most robust, durable, reliable and precise watch possible. Bolstered by this experience, and confident in the superior quality of its watches, Tudor is now offering a five-year guarantee on all its products sold after January 1st, 2020. This guarantee does not require the watch to be registered, or any maintenance checks, and is transferable. In addition, all Tudor products bought between July 1st, 2018 and December 31st, 2019 will benefit from an 18-month extension to their guarantee, that is to say, a total of three and a half years. Tudor also recommends that its watches be serviced approximately every 10 years depending on the model and real-life usage.
Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue”
Technical specifications:
· Reference: 79030B
· Case: 39 mm 316L steel case with polished and satin finish
· Bezel: Unidirectional rotatable bezel in 316L steel with 60-minute graduated disc in matt blue anodised aluminium and silver gilded markings and numerals
· Winding Crown: 316L steel screw-down winding crown, with the TUDOR rose in relief, with circular satin-brushed 316L steel winding crown tube
· Dial: Blue, domed
· Crystal: Domed sapphire crystal
· Waterproofness: Waterproof to 200 m (660 ft)
· Bracelet: Riveted 316L steel bracelet with polished and satin-brushed finish, or blue "soft touch" with folding clasp and safety catch, or blue fabric strap with silver band and buckle
· Calibre: Manufacture Calibre MT5402, Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system
· Power Reserve: Approximately 70 hours
· Precision: Swiss chronometer officially certified by COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute)
· Functions: Centre hour, minute and seconds hands; Stop-seconds for precise time setting
· Oscillator: Variable inertia balance, micro-adjustment by screw; Non-magnetic silicon balance spring; Frequency: 28 800 beats/hour (4 Hz)
· Total Diameter: 26 mm
· Thickness: 4.99 mm
· Jewels: 27 jewels
The price for the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” Ref. 79030B is CHF 3,500 / EUR 3,460 for the one with rivet bracelet and CHF 3,200 / EUR 3,160 for the versions with straps.
