Revisiting the Tudor Black Bay Dark

News • 27 Oct 2019

Revisiting the Tudor Black Bay Dark


Seeing as the Tudor x 2019 Rugby World Cup Pop-Up is kicking off tomorrow (running until the 3rd of November, details below), we thought we’d revisit the Black Bay Dark – Tudor’s first steel PVD-treated Black Bay.

The 41 mm steel case, bezel and bracelet of the Black Bay Dark are PVD-treated (Physical Vapour Deposition), giving the watch a sleek aesthetic. Directly derived from the thin film technology originally developed by NASA for its various space programmes, PVD enables an inorganic material to be bonded with a metal.

The characteristic elements of the Black Bay Dark have been drawn from Tudor’s history. It inherits various design elements, as well as the domed dial and crystal from the first Tudor diving watches. It features the particularly prominent winding crown from the famous 7924 reference of 1958, known as the Big Crown.

Whilst the other Tudor Black Bay watches more closely resemble their historical inspirations, the Black Bay Dark is unapologetically modern with its monochromatic high-contrast colour scheme. The only use of colour is reserved for the red triangle found on the black PVD-treated steel bezel aluminium insert and the words “200 m : 660 ft” found on the lower half of the dial.

The domed sapphire crystal and the Tudor rose engraved on the PVD-treated steel screw-down winding crown subtly allude to the Black Bay Dark’s ancestors. And then there’s the “snowflake” hands, which are particularly impactful alongside matt black dial.

It’s been 50 years since the iconic snowflake hands made their debut in 1969. Fitted on two diving watches, respectively bearing references 7016 and 7021. ⁠In the 1990’s, as this design was somewhat reminiscent of the shape of a partial snowflake, watch enthusiasts started referring to all Tudor diving watches showing this configuration as “Snowflake” Submariners.⁠⠀

First introduced in 1969 and used until the mid-eighties for diving watches exclusively, the “snowflake” configuration re-entered the Tudor collection at Baselworld 2012 with the combined launch of the popular Black Bay and Pelagos models.

The Black Bay Dark comes on either a black aged leather strap, an anthracite fabric strap or a matching steel bracelet with matt black PVD-treated folding clasp and safety catch.

Inside the Black Bay Dark ticks the COSC-certified Manufacture Calibre MT5602. A self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system, 70 hours power reserve and waterproof to 200 m (660 ft).

Tudor x 2019 Rugby World Cup Pop-Up at VivoCity

From the 28th October until the 3rd November, Tudor presents an immersive 2019 Rugby World Cup thematic Pop-up at VivoCity, in collaboration with The Hour Glass. Discover a range of Tudor watches in person at this week-long experiential pop-up.

Put your hand-eye coordination skills to the test at the Hand-Off Challenge and practice your passing skills at the Boost Your Accuracy station. There’s also a 180° GIF Booth to capture a memento with family and friends.

Tags: all blacks black bay tudor


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