One of the hits of Baselworld 2016, the Tudor Black Bay Dark was an instant classic with a gorgeous finish which provides a sense of immunity to wear.
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In 2012, when Tudor unveiled the Black Bay dive watch, collectors really sat up and took notice. This large, no-crown-guard divers watch was more than a Heritage piece…it was the opportunity for collectors to own a Big Crown Tudor. And more than that, this Big Crown watch could be worn on the beach, in the pool and for just about any other modern day activity that a vintage piece would never be suitable. The Black Bay had arrived and it was the beginning of a new chapter for Tudor.
In 2012, Tudor released the Heritage Black Bay based on vintage Tudor Submariners (Image: millenarywatches.com)
We recently wrote about how the first generation, also dubbed the Mk1 Tudor Black Bay, of these watches are slowly gathering value and interest from the collectors community, and you can read all about it here.
Whereas the Tudor Black Bay is generally built with vintage-inspired design cues, and is appreciated for it, the watch we have today, the Tudor Black Bay Dark, adds a new dimension of stealth to a modern classic.
The Tudor Black Bay Dark (Image: Tudor)
Not to be confused with the Black Bay Black which denotes the version of the standard Black Bay with a black bezel, the Black Bay Dark was launched in 2016 with a full black PVD-treated exterior with only a tiny bit of red colour on the depth-rating and 12 o’clock triangle of the rotating bezel.
Apart from being the first fully blacked-out Black Bay watch, it was also the very first Black Bay to be released with an in-house movement, the COSC chronometer certified caliber MT5602 with an impressive 70-hour power reserve.
The manufacture caliber MT5602 (Image: Tudor)
The finish on the watch is gorgeous, and instantly provides a sense of immunity to wear. This also makes the watch look and feel tough.
It should be remembered that all-black watches aren’t merely fashion statements. The genuinely practical application involves the removal of reflections brought by the sunlight bouncing off a steel case. Non-reflective black cases eliminate this altogether. That they also look ridiculously cool, with their own stealthy charm, is the unforeseen consequence that has fed the genre to reach its current, crazed state.
Through our partnership with pre-owned specialist Watchfinder & Co., we will regularly bring you a selection of timepieces, and in each instance we will identify and offer the exact models that we think are the most collectable and the best value. Learn more about our partnership here, and don’t forget to browse our full selection of pre-owned timepieces here.
