Tudor Black Bay Steel

Tudor released the very first Black Bay model in 2011. Thanks to its classic diving watch design and red bezel, this timepiece became an immediate sensation among the industry press and fans alike. The entire collection is an homage to the legendary Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner 7924, a diving watch from 1958.

As you may have guessed, the 41-mm Black Bay Steel is made almost completely out of stainless steel, including its bezel inlay. Tudor equipped models produced before 2015 with calibers from Swiss movement manufacturer ETA. That year, they transitioned to in-house calibers. Each caliber name begins with the prefix "MT" for "Manufacture Tudor." The Black Bay Steel with the chronometer-certified caliber MT5612 debuted in 2017. This movement provides this timepiece with a date display at 3 o'clock.

The Black Bay Steel ref. 79730 features a stainless steel case that is water-resistant to 200 m (20 bar, 656 ft). Its stainless steel bezel has a black 60-minute scale. An iconic Tudor rose adorns the screw-down crown, and the case tube is made of black anodized aluminum. Sapphire crystal protects the watch's matte black dial.

An inverted triangle marks 12 o'clock, with the other hours represented by dot and bar indices. White SuperLuminova fills each hand and index, enabling the wearer to tell the time, even under poor lighting conditions.

The Black Bay Steel is available on three different band options: stainless steel, leather, and textile. The ref. 79730-0006 boasts a beautiful stainless steel bracelet with imitation rivets. Tudor modeled this bracelet after the Oyster Prince Submariner 7924's rivet-style bracelet, which is held together by actual rivets that are visible from the side. The modern version looks nearly identical; however, the rivets here are purely decorative since its links actually screw together.

Prices for a Black Bay Steel are as follows: The version with a stainless steel bracelet demands around 3,400 USD new. Pre-owned pieces are much more affordable at roughly 2,500 USD. The variant on a black leather strap (ref. 79730-0005) costs about 2,800 USD in mint condition, while used watches remain an uncommon sight on Chrono24. Finally, you can purchase a never-worn Black Bay Steel on a khaki-colored textile strap for some 2,900 USD. Both the leather and khaki editions have a list price of 3,330 euros (approx. 3,600 USD).

Tudor introduced the MT5612 in 2015. The movement debuted inside a Tudor Pelagos. It has a 70-hour power reserve, meaning you can set it aside over the weekend, and it will still be running on Monday. There are central hands for the hours, minutes, and seconds, as well as a date display at 3 o'clock. Its balance ticks at a frequency of 28,800 alternations per hour (A/h), while a silicon mainspring lends this movement its anti-magnetic properties. Finally, Tudor has had this movement certified as a chronometer by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).