Hands-on: Tudor Black Bay Bronze with Slate Grey Dial
Baselworld 2019 brings us a new Tudor Black Bay Bronze, this time with a slate grey fumé dial.
Today, we had the opportunity to take in Tudor’s annual press release at Baselworld 2019. It’s an event that flows quickly with a narrated introduction to all the new releases followed by a more than adequate hands-on period with the watches. We’ll cover all the new pieces in upcoming articles, but thought we’d kick things off with what will likely become one of the more popular releases: the newest Tudor Black Bay Bronze.
The Third Tudor Black Bay Bronze
If you’re keeping tabs, this is the third incarnation of the Tudor Black Bay Bronze. Thus far, we’ve had a brown dial and bezel (2016) and a dark blue version with corresponding bezel (2017). The watch comes in at 43mm in diameter and features the brand’s no-date MT5601 in-house automatic movement. The watches are chronometer certified and have 200M of water resistance. Bezel wise, anodized aluminum does the job.
A Slate Grey Dial
For 2019, we have the newest Tudor Black Bay Bronze in a hue that the brand has called “slate grey”. In fact, if you look closely, the dial has a gradient. And if you’re a fan of H.Moser or certain vintage dials, you’d classify it as fumé. The dial contains bronze, lume-filled applied markers and follows the theme of very early Submariners or typical Explorers with a 3/6/9 dial.
Snowflake is a Tudor Hallmark
With the Tudor Back Bay Bronze, Tudor made it clear – a number of times – that the “snowflake” shape of its hour hands is the brand’s most recognizable style trait and we see it here again. So, for those of you hoping for the return of the “Mercedes” hands or for the few of us who love the “lollipop”, it seems that we’ll be left waiting. But, the Snowflake hands look good here despite the brand’s continuing decision to utilize round hour markers in lieu of some thematically consistent squared indices.
Under 4,000 Euros and Chronometer Certified
In what will please vintage enthusiasts and frequent strap changers – despite an odd 23mm lug width, the Tudor Back Bay Bronze has drilled-through lugs. Strap-wise, the watch is available on either a black leather strap or a striped nylon strap. No matter which strap is chosen, pricing is 3,770 Euros and the watches will be available in April.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard not to like the Tudor Back Bay Bronze – there’s a familiar Sub-like look backed up a brand within the Rolex family. Plus, we have a dial color that’s truly non-controversial. Bronze is a case material that many of us thought would fade away when it was first released to the market, but it now seems here to stay as a typical alternative to steel or titanium for sports watches. Plus, with an in-house movement and a chronometer, it’s likely yet another winner for Tudor.
For further information on the Tudor Black Bay Bronze, visit the official Tudor site.
