Tudor Boutique Edition
Tudor presents a bronze version of its famous Black Bay Fifty-Eight model, featuring a bronze bracelet fitted with a new clasp with a rapid adjustment system for the first time.
A CASE THAT "CHANGES"
The characteristic elements of the new Black Bay Fifty-Eight model are a 39 mm bronze case, an aesthetic nod to the bronzes on old ships and other deep-sea diving equipment, but also the characteristic proportions of the first Tudor divers' watches dating from the second half of the 1950s, particularly the famous 7924 reference or "Big Crown," the first Tudor watch to be waterproof to 200 meters (660 ft), presented in 1958.
The choice of a "living" metal - in this case, a high-performance aluminum bronze alloy used particularly in naval engineering for submerged parts required to demonstrate a high level of resistance to corrosion such as propellers - ensures the development of a subtle and unique patina on the case of every watch to match its user's habits. In addition to a highly functional appearance, in line with the naval world to which it pays tribute, the Black Bay Bronze presents entirely satin-brushed finishes that guarantee the homogeneous development of this patina.
The combination of a domed dial in matt "brown-bronze," shaded concentrically from the exterior towards the center, and a bezel presenting the same gold accents found on the hands and hour markers completes the face of this model. The overall visual effect is of a rich, patinated object that might have battled the waves of the seven seas for years on its owner's wrist and which is "made" for them and their lifestyle.
THE ORIGINS OF TUDOR BRONZE
Bronze is an alloy with properties that differ from those of stainless steel, and as such, the craftsmanship required to produce a watch case is as unique as it is spectacular. Once the aluminum bronze alloy has been produced, the bronze used by Tudor is made into bars, which are cut into slugs, small cylinders of material a few centimeters in length. The slugs are then heated to a high temperature before being stamped individually while hot using a friction screw press, applying a pressure of many tonnes. With this single operation, as soon as it emerges from the furnace, this cylinder of raw material instantly adopts the rough form of the watch middle case.
From this point, no fewer than forty additional steps are required to obtain a bronze case that is ready to be cased up. Successive machining processes create the final shape and craft the functional parts of the case, such as the threading or drilling, the finishes, or the steps required to give the surfaces their final appearance, produced by machine or hand. It is further complicated by the fact that bronze is a material whose appearance evolves rapidly according to its environment, so all these manufacturing operations, as well as the assembly and final tests of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze model, are carried out with meticulous care. All handling must be carried out using gloves and according to a specific workflow, particularly for waterproofness tests, between which each watch is entirely dried to preserve its new, non-patinated appearance.
NEW BRONZE BRACELET
While Tudor has been exploring bronze in its collection for several years, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze model marks the first time the brand has produced a bracelet entirely from bronze.
Its satin-brushed links adopting the style of Tudor bracelets of the 1950s and '60s, with rivets, are coordinated with the case and will develop a patina at the same pace. A new bronze clasp, also satin-brushed, with a redesigned cover and Tudor "T-fit" rapid adjustment system for the length, completes the total bronze look. Easy to use, requiring no tools, and offering five positions, this practical system allows wearers of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze to carry out a fine, instant adjustment on an adjustment window along the entire length of the 8mm bracelet.
COMPLIMENTARY FABRIC STRAP
Tudor presents a free additional strap with its Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze model in the spirit of an aesthetic tribute to the brand's naval heritage. The brand has identified the historical uses of its watches and reinterpreted them in its latest models. For several decades the French Navy had Tudor watches delivered without bracelets and then fitted with their own straps, handmade or otherwise. One of them, found on a period diving watch and conserved in the brand archives, is made of elastic recovered from a French rescue parachute. This ultra- functional relic is recognizable by its central yellow thread that the "bronze-brown" woven jacquard strap alludes to.
The fabric strap is one of the hallmarks of Tudor, which, in 2010, became one of the first watchmaking brands to offer it with its products. Woven in France on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the St-Etienne region, its manufacturing quality and comfort on the wrist are unique. In 2020, Tudor and Julien Faure, a 150-year old family company, celebrated ten years of a partnership that existed before the Heritage Chrono the first model to be equipped with a fabric strap created by the craftsman was launched in 2010.
Technical Specifications:
The case, in bronze, measures 39mm x 48mm x 11.9mm. Satin-brushed finish. Bronze colored PVD-treated steel caseback. It has a domed sapphire crystal and it is water resistant to 200 meters. Unidirectional rotating bezel in bronze with 60-minute graduated matte "bronze-brown" anodized aluminum disc.
Movement is the Swiss automatic Tudor in-house caliber MT5400 with 27 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserveof 70 hours. It features a tungsten rotor, a variable inertia balance, a micro-adjustment screw and a non-magnetic silicon balance spring. The bridges and mainplate have alternate sand-blasted, polished surfaces and laser decorations. It is a Swiss Chronometer officially certified by the COSC.
Bronze-brown domed dial with SuperLuminova Snowflake hands and applied hour markers and Arabic numerals.
It comes on a riveted bronze bracelet, satin-brushed finish. It comes with an additional "bronze-brown" fabric strap with band and bronze buckle.
MSRP is $4,525.
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