TUDOR BLACK BAY BRONZE 79250BA-002

The Tudor Black Bay Bronze watch from Switzerland based brand Tudor is a fantastic addition to the Tudor Heritage Collection of watches, and a Tudor diver’s watch that will not only make the dive watch aficionados drool, but will undoubtedly make the likes of Rolex or even Zenith take note. The Tudor Heritage Collection Black Bay Bronze, with its patina-oozing bronze case, fantastic movement, dive inspired dial and bezel and inspired the use of blue steel and leather strap is more than just a great way to tell the time.

The Tudor Black Bay Bronze watch is, of course, a great way to tell the time, and there are many that will enjoy the details of the leather strap, the growing patina as the bronze case ages, the quality of the movement, the legibility of the blue steel components or the clarity of the dial and bezel. But what the Tudor Heritage Collection Black Bay Bronze watch will be remembered for is how well all these elements work together, in a design that will appeal to divers watch buyers anywhere from France, Austria, Denmark or Germany all the way to the U.S.

This is precisely why the Rolex brand, Zenith, and the others will be taking careful notes. Since the release by Tudor Watch Switzerland of the original Tudor heritage-based Black Bay Bronze diver’s watch back in 2016, Tudor has expanded the choices available for the Black Bay Bronze, including detail movement changes, the availability of non-leather as well as leather as a strap material, its use of steel and blue, and different dial and bezel colors, while keeping the same bronze case material that’s just waiting for more age patina and that will surely be the envy of many wearer’s friends.

Anyone familiar with Switzerland based watchmaking brand Tudor will also know that as time goes by, the Tudor Heritage Collection Black Bay Bronze diver’s watch will also see a number of further detail improvements from time to time. With this in mind, connoisseurs of  Tudor watch will already have noticed that Tudor has already released two landmark versions of the Tudor Heritage Collection Black Bay Bronze diver’s watch, the Tudor Black Bay Bronze Blue and the Tudor Black Bay Bronze Slate Grey, in addition to the Black Bay Bronze Blue for Bucherer, and a piece unique for the Only Watch event.

The Tudor Black Bay automatic in Bronze case form from Tudor Watch Switzerland was launched in 2016, establishing themselves not only as a leading brand for bronze watches as opposed to stainless steel as case material (with models such as the Tudor Black Flag), reflecting the growing popularity of bronze watches for men and the appeal of its patina when aged, but as a watch brand that was prepared, by force of will, to make some fantastic watch additions to the Tudor Heritage Collection.  

With the bronze case of the Tudor Heritage Collection Black Bay measuring some 43mm, and an in-house designed MT5601 caliber (caliber to some) movement, this was a watch for men, a watch of imposing technical prowess and a great aesthetic, certainly on a par with Rolex, Zenith and the others. Ignoring the aged patina possibilities of the bronze case, the self-winding automatic mechanical movement featuring a bidirectional rotor system was special too,  not least for its silicon balance spring. In a color reminiscent of the French National Navy, the Tudor Heritage Collection Black Bay Blue watch’s blue dial and bezel offered a perfect example of legibility, the color combination seen more regularly on stainless steel models working exceptionally well against the bronze case. This was true whether the bronze case / blue dial was matched with a leather nor non-leather strap. Tudor watch Switzerland raised the stakes for Rolex, the Zenith brand and the others a further notch with the release in 2019 of the Tudor Watch Black Bay in slate grey dial and bezel, still with the bronze case and excellent in-house designed MT5601 caliber self-winding automatic mechanical Tudor movement with bidirectional rotor system and silicon balance spring common to all the black bays, but in a color-way that stunned watchers of all the black bay watches.

As an alternative to the leather strap, the Tudor Black Bay Bronze Slate Grey was also offered with classic brand Tudor heritage-inspired divers watch fabric strap, with bronze buckle obviously. While the blue dial and bezel combination of some of the black bays will appeal to many, the slate grey dial and bezel combination will have similar if not greater appeal to some, especially considering the legibility it offers for the hours, minutes and seconds hands, sufficient to ensure that telling the time on this version is as clear, if not clearer, than telling the time on any of the other black bays.

In recent years there has been a sea change as regards bronze, noteworthy not just for its patina when aged but as a subtle alternative to stainless steel as a case material. The adoption of bronze rather than stainless steel by brand Tudor for their Tudor Heritage Collection Black Bay Bronze models, including the Black Bay Bronze Blue and Black Bay Bronze Slate Grey offers a great palette for further color combinations, whether that be a blue dial/bezel combination or a slate grey dial/bezel, which both work with a leather or a fabric strap. Many watch buyers will only need to take one look at the current crop of Black Bay watches to ditch that idea of a Rolex or Zenith. For some, it will be the distinctive patina of the bronze case that will attract them, others will see the quality of the excellent in-house designed MT5601 caliber self-winding automatic mechanical Tudor movement with bidirectional rotor system and silicon balance spring, some will be impressed by the option of a fabric strap rather than just leather, while others will simply be impressed by how easy it is to tell the time with this collection of watches, no matter whether the dial and bezel are in blue or grey. With the Tudor Black Bay automatic in bronze case form, the Tudor Watch Switzerland brand has taken a giant leap forward. With the ease of online shopping today and international payments using PayPal, many will be tempted to click “add to cart” and make a speedy payment. They will not be disappointed.