How the Black Bay helped Tudor step out of Rolex's shadow
Following the release of the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze, Nick Foulkes asks how a relatively affordable watch became so covetable… Nick Foulkes When the history of the watch industry during the teens of our century comes to be written, at least one chapter will be devoted to the rebirth of Rolex's sibling brand, Tudor.
Hans Wilsdorf, the far-sighted founder of Rolex, had the Tudor brand registered in 1926, but the marque only took off in the years after the Second World War, when Wilsdorf decided to democratise the self-winding, Oyster-cased construction of the famous Rolex and sell to the blue-collar worker. "Jarred beyond belief" read the strapline of an advertisement showing builders fixing rivets into the frame of a skyscraper. "Punished without mercy!" was the slogan of an advert that depicted a Tudor being worn by a flat-capped pneumatic drill operator. During the early 1970s, the brand even offered a sort of poor man's Paul Newman: a two-subdial chrono called the Tudor Oysterdate "Montecarlo" with an even funkier dial design than its crown-wearing sibling.
But by the end of the last century the Tudor lustre was dimming and the brand was only really available in the Far East, where it ticked over (if you'll excuse the pun) at a time before the PRC started flexing its shopping muscles. Elsewhere the brand was largely forgotten and until about 2009 the only Tudors I saw were in auction catalogues, but then – anticipating the retro-mania of the heritage watch boom – Tudor released the Heritage Chrono, which borrowed styling cues from its early 1970s models and applied them to robust watches with near-Rolex levels of build quality but using bought-in movements. It was a hit.
Then in 2012 came the highly successful Tudor Heritage Black Bay: a steel diving watch with red bezel, high-vis, square-ended "snowflake" hands, black dial, gilt lettering and the Tudor rose motif. The watch recalled the early Tudor diving watches, which appeared in 1954 right after the Rolex Submariner and Blancpain 50 Fathoms. But the Black Bay was not a slavish copy of any particular model from its past (the snowflake hands did not make their first appearance until 1969). A few geeks – sorry, purists – delighted in pointing out what they saw as historical inconsistencies. The rest of us just couldn't wait to get one on the wrist – it was drop-dead gorgeous and, for a watch of this quality and style, affordable (under £3,000 on a bracelet and even less on a butch leather strap). The brand had stepped out of the shadow of the crown.
Almost overnight the internet was full of vintage Tudor experts ready to dilate on the use of mil-spec dive watches in the armed forces of Argentina, Canada, France, South Africa, Israel and the US. And, to use another pun, there is plenty of opportunity for deep diving into serial numbers, production dates, calibre changes and strap rub. There's an entire subculture devoted to French Navy spec "MN" (Marine Nationale) Tudors, with collectors willing to trade their internal organs for examples with discharge papers – when retired from active service these pieces were sold by the French government along with documentation confirming their entry into civilian life.
The Black Bay has since developed into a brand within a brand, ransacking its own past for design inspiration on the one hand and embracing new materials (this spring saw the arrival of the Black Bay Ceramic) on the other. It has also uprated its calibres: the Manufacture MT5400 and MT5402 are sturdy, 70-hour power reserve tractors that claim higher than COSC levels of precision. This year Tudor released its first watch with METAS certification, prompting comparisons with Omega.
The genius of the Black Bay is that it conjures seemingly infinite variety from one model. One of the biggest steps came in 2018 with the launch of Black Bay Fifty-Eight. As the name suggests, this iteration brings it closer in feel to its midcentury antecedents and the introduction of riveted bracelets enhances the period feel.
But it avoids descending into pastiche, because in looking backwards Tudor is moving ever forwards, as demonstrated by this year's Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze (available exclusively at Tudor boutiques). Bronze is more than just a chic – and, let's face it, affordable – alternative to gold: it offers "character" inasmuch as it assumes a unique patina depending on the habits and habitat of each individual wearer. Moreover, it is the first Tudor to feature a bracelet entirely made from bronze. And with the sort of attention to detail one has come to expect from Tudor, its satin-brushed riveted links have been developed to patinate at the same pace as the case.
For nearly a decade the Black Bay and its numerous declensions has powered Tudor to the upper tiers of desirability. We are not quite talking "Patek 5711 five times retail", but anecdotally I know people with collections containing everything from Richard Milles to Paul Newmans who go to considerable effort to get the latest Tudor. Nor is it just a fashion thing; I have served on the jury of the Grand Prix of watchmaking for a number of years and I have lost count of the trophies that Tudor has won. It all neatly demonstrates that if designed with care, attention to detail and respect for the customer, a watch can be both affordable and covetable.
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