ON THE WRIST: Tudor Black Bay Fifty Eight Bronze
MONDAY DECEMBER 19, 2022
Only available in Tudor Boutiques does give this one some novelty but what really got me is the choice of material used, bronze (minus the case back). Since the sneaker flipping culture infected the watch hobby, this Black Bay was once reserved for existing customers and if you are not one, multiple visits with begging might get you one.
That is no longer the case and given that this Black Bay has been out for more than a year, should we still be bothered?
PRO
Dimensions
Execution
Value
CON
Smell
Text at 6 O'Clock
SPECIFICATION
39 mm Diameter
11.9 mm Thickness
200m Water Resistance
70 hours Power Reserve
48 mm Lug to Lug
A$ 6,300
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VIDEO: Tudor Black-Bay 58 Bronze
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Cool points should be given to Tudor and other watch companies for utilising an uncommon material instead of the same old steel. A brown dial is an uncommon sight, this matt one that graduates from a light shade from the middle to a darker shade on its outermost is mesmerising.
The Bronze is the only one in the range to get 3, 6 and 9 Arabic numerals in the Black Bay range which further adds to the novelty. That including the applied hour markers alongside the hands are apparently laced with gold although not stated on Tudor’s website. They lume evenly as they should and so does the pearl that sits on above 12 o’ clock.
Bezel is made of aluminium which has 60 clicks and can be addictive as it gives out a quality feel and sound. As usual, it only turns in one direction because this is supposed to be a diver’s watch. Legibility is excellent with a good amount of dial real estate and a clear sapphire crystal. Its large crown makes setting time easy and does not dig into metacarpals. Movement is smooth to wind, rotor is quiet while desk diving. On top of all that, the 58 Bronze keeps time well within 3 seconds.
Weight is of course felt the first time the Fifty Eight Bronze was strapped to my wrist fortunately, not overly so. This 39 mm watch sits well where the bracelet provides great balance with little to no fatigue on my 14.5 cm wrist. I am prone to allergies and this blend of bronze does make my skin tingle a little. Not at any point I feel like taking it off and tossing it away nevertheless if I think about it, some itch can be felt.
The bracelet’s rivets get too much hate, I guess when writing a review there must be something to hate on so nothing really to be bothered here. One feature over a steel BB58 is the T-fit clasp where an 8 millimetre adjustment can be done without a tool which is a nice addition. What looks like ceramic has been used where there is most contact on its double locking clasp so, well done Tudor.
What’s truly annoying is the screw size on its bracelet is smaller than every other watch that I own so I would need to go to a store to get any Black Bay Fifty-Eight resized. Also a quick change bracelet system should have been implemented since a strap has been included as a package.
Those aside, this smells. I smell it within minutes after taking it out of its box and I smell it when it is on my wrist. Distracting yes, I am hoping this does not evolve into something to hate. My real gripe is with the bottom text of the whole 58 range as they look crowded with a typeface that’s disproportionally wide.
Having ask several individuals for their thoughts on bronze watches and their reaction weren’t positive as they prefer to not have a watch made of this material. On the contrary, I find the industry to have become seriously boring given the market only wanting sports steel watches hence this bronze Tudor really got my attention.
This is the most fun I’ve had with a watch in the last decade and in my quest to wanting manufacturers to continue to make cool things, I voted with my money.