Feature: The Top 5 Best Tudor Black Bays Ever Made

March, 2012, Baselworld. Ten years ago. Two words were paired together in an unlikely combo that would shake up an entire industry. Now, the Tudor Black Bay has reached the end of its first decade, and to celebrate, we’re taking a look down memory lane at what we think are the five best Tudor Black Bays ever made.

Tudor Black Bay P01 M70150-0001

We’re used to seeing new iterations of the Black Bay every year—you can pretty much set your Black Bay to them—but no one expected what we got in 2019. At 42mm and shrouded with claw-like bezel protectors, the P01—with the P standing for prototype—blew everyone’s socks off.

Not only was it controversial in looks, but in its very existence. Supposedly based on a Navy prototype from 1967 of which only four examples were built and never used, with two of the four left in hibernation in Tudor’s archives all this time, the P01 is as shrouded in mystery as its surprise appearance back in 2019.

Where it gets even more bizarre is that a very similar Rolex watch also surfaced recently—with Rolex flatly denying its existence. So either these watches are secret prototypes and Rolex continues to keep a half-century old secret whilst Tudor is a blabbermouth, or something fishier than a well-used dive watch is going on.

Either way, the P01 became the talk of the town, designed to be the ultimate in special forces diving equipment. Not only is it built like the battleship its owners would be based on, it also features a bizarre offset crown for extra knock-resistance and two up-and-over bezel protectors, one of which snaps back and forth to lock the unusual twelve-hour bezel—and not dive bezel—in place. From a watchmaker that iterates rather than renovates, this is one heck of a crazy iteration.

Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 M79010SG-0002

Speaking of iteration, 2021 was no different for the Black Bay, spurring several new colour variants including an unexpected but nonetheless interesting taupe for the bezel and dial of the smaller Black Bay 58. Not such a big deal, you might be thinking, picking a colour from a swatch. Well, you’ve never had to pick a paint colour for your walls with your partner, have you?

But the big surprise wasn’t that Tudor had gone all drab with its colour choice—rather the material the rest of the watch was made from. Never mind hardy steel or bright gold—although a gold version was also released—the Black Bay 58 925 was made from silver.

The big question on everyone’s lips at the time was, “Why?” It was a fair question, because whilst silver is basically the same colour as steel, it’s neither as hard nor tarnish resistant. Silver was used prior to steel before steel had been mastered, silver being softer and easier to form. But it goes all black and nasty, requires a lot of maintenance and dents really easily. So why did Tudor choose it?

We’ve seen watches that tarnish on purpose before, even with Tudor, with the use of bronze, but here Tudor chose silver not for its potential dullness, but for its brightness. Silver reflects a lot more light back than steel, making it white and brighter, an effect that really notices in person and is, at this point, incredibly unique. And as for the tarnishing? Tudor says it has used a few secret ingredients in the silver alloy to keep it sparkling.

Tudor Black Bay GMT M79830RB-0001

Do you remember all the hoo-haa about the Rolex GMT-Master Pepsi in ceramic? The will-they, won’t-they tease of bi-colour bezels in non-Pepsi shades, the eventual release of the Pepsi ceramic but in white gold, and now the impossibility of ever hoping of getting one?

It seems like that went on for decades, and really it’s still going on today thanks to the enormous demand that slow burn built. Those hoping to relive the glory days of Rolex’s most beloved non-monochrome watch are, for the most part, going to be left unsatisfied.

Not if Tudor could help it, because in 2018, the Black Bay GMT was announced, and not only did it give everyone an affordable, available, red and blue fix—it also did something else rather surprising. Instead of spangly ceramic and polished centre links, the Tudor Black Bay GMT went back in time to the heyday of the GMT-Master, when it was worn by PanAm pilots breaking new air across the Atlantic.

Brushed steel, an anodised aluminium bezel and riveted bracelet completed a look that was the polar opposite to the Rolex, harking back to what made the watch great instead of mimicking what that watch had inevitably become. It was both fresh and familiar, exciting and comforting—and of course it was an instant hit. Now, if only there was a 58 version …

Tudor Black Bay Chrono M79360N-0002

Speaking of historic throwbacks to modern luxury watches, how about the 2017 Black Bay Chrono? No? Nothing? Okay, so it wasn’t exactly perfect, being a little too thick and perhaps a tad too bland, but it was still a great watch and, like the GMT, a more than satisfying alternative to the Rolex Daytona for those who couldn’t afford one or be bothered to wait for one.

Nevertheless, Tudor heard the griping and, a few years later, revisited the watch to try and make things right, turning what was a great but fairly indistinguishable watch into a great watch, period. A little slimmer, a little more contrast with the black bezel and inverted sub-dials, some extra flashes of red and BAM—an instant classic.

What was surprising and refreshing about this particular watch was that Tudor listened to the community, heard what it was saying and actually did something about it. Never mind sticking to its guns and telling us what to like, it made what we said we wanted, and the difficulty in buying one now only goes to show what a good move that was. Now, if only there was a 58 version …

Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight M79030N

But by far and away the best Tudor Black Bay is the 58. My 58. It may be the obvious choice and that may make me as imaginative as a, erm, something, but nevertheless it stands true. This is the watch that recovered my regret in selling my Rolex Submariner all those years ago, one I can no longer afford to buy back. This is the watch that gave me quality, history and mechanical competence for a price that didn’t make me go green around the gills. This is the watch that reminded me that enjoying watches didn’t have to be an exercise in excess.

I find myself wearing it every day. It’s small, it’s comfortable, it’s not flashy and I don’t mind if I donk it against something. It doesn’t keep me awake at night thinking about residuals and I don’t have to take out a second mortgage to insure it. I wear it on the canvas strap, I wear it in the garden, I wear it on a dog walk. I don’t wear it in bed though. That would be ridiculous.

You could call it boring. You could call it the default choice for people with no personality of their own. Whether that’s true or not, the Black Bay 58 has been the first watch I’ve owned in a long time that gives me an experience that feels as close to what I imagine owning a Rolex in the 1960s would’ve felt like. Fanciful, perhaps, but it has an honest logic to it that transcends posturing and feels fresh. At least, to me.

And the best thing about it? When someone asks if it’s a Rolex—and the follow-up question, is it real—I get to tell them, no, it’s not, and talk to them about the history of watches instead. They might not appreciate that, but I certainly do.

So there you have it, ten years of what has become a cornerstone of watch collecting and a piece that occupies a very welcome space in my collection. Who would’ve thought all those years ago that this throwback watch from a recovering Rolex sub-brand could turn out to be such a gamechanger, rethinking not only price, but also design, materials and the way watch brands interact with the community. Happy ten years, Tudor Black Bay!

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