ADVERTISEMENT
What We Know
Today, Tudor rolled out a full slate of releases, and alongside the watches, a couple of new bracelets are also worth a closer look.
First, the Black Bay 58 GMT gets a new bracelet option: a five-link polished and satin-finished bracelet. The Black Bay 58 GMT, curiously with only one colorway available since its launch a few years back, offers the GMT complication within the more conservative sizing of the Black Bay 58, with a 39mm diameter and a 12.8mm thickness. Paired with gilt-style accents on the indices, hands, and printing, along with a black-and-red aluminum bezel insert, the Black Bay 58 GMT certainly has a more rugged vintage look, making the combination with a cleaner, more dressy five-link bracelet an interesting one.
The bracelet had already made its way to other Black Bay models, such as the Black Bay 58 Burgundy and the Black Bay Monochrome, though to the best of my knowledge, this is the only Black Bay with a GMT complication that offers this five-link combination (no options for either the classic, thicker Black Bay GMT or the Black Bay Pro). Like the other strap variants, this bracelet comes with Tudor's T-Fit clasp, which offers tool-free micro-adjustment in five positions. The Black Bay GMT with a five-link bracelet is priced at 7,950 AUD, a small upcharge over the three-link option.
The other update we haven't talked about, and that's quite interesting in my book, is the introduction of a full ceramic bracelet for the Black Bay Ceramic. The model has always been paired with a strap since its inception, and this marks the brand's first-ever ceramic bracelet. With the chunky 41mm-wide, 13.5mm-thick case, the strap always felt a little like an afterthought, with quite prominent gaps in the lugs that almost exaggerated how large the watch was in person. So I think a lot of folks are going to find this one quite a bit interesting. Keeping with the black-on-black theme of the Black Bay Ceramic, the fully matte-black ceramic bracelet features a three-link design with oversized screws at each link. Interestingly, there is no traditional Tudor clasp here, but rather a butterfly-style deployant, which means no micro-adjustment option. The new Black Bay Ceramic with a full ceramic bracelet is priced at 10,860 AUD.
What We Think
It's all about bracelets for this story, and though the addition of a five-link bracelet for the Black Bay 58 GMT might seem like a nothingburger, the introduction of the full ceramic Black Bay bracelet is certainly an interesting development. It makes a lot of sense to finally add this option for those who want to really lean into ceramic and appreciate a watch that's scratch-proof all around. The strap variant of the Black Bay Ceramic never fit properly on my wrist due to the exaggerated slab sides and cavernous lug space, so I'm dying to see this in person to see just how much it completely changes the look and feel of the watch.
Pricing & Availability
Price: 7,950 AUD (Black Bay 58 GMT on 5-link); 10,860 AUD (Black Bay Ceramic on bracelet)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
Top Discussions
Introducing Swatch Marks 15 Years Of The Swatch Art Peace Hotel With A Commemorative Collection
Auctions Ten Watches I Actually Care About This Fall Auction Season
Business News Is Rolex About To Open A Café?