Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 39mm 79030N - Baselworld 2018 (Specs & Price)
The retro revival is in full swing and the late 1950s are a recurring source of inspiration. Even Vacheron Constantin played the vintage card with a whole new collection –?the FIFTYSIX?– designed to capture the mood of the fifties and appeal to a hipper client base. Tudor's latest Black Bay model shrinks in size to 39mm to emulate the brand's first dive watches and is kitted out with a new in-house movement.Diving into the pastThe Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 79030N revisits Tudor's rugged dive companions produced during the 1950s, which were resistant to depths of 200 metres and would become renowned for their angular snowflake' hour hand, the red triangle on the rotating bezel and the large winding crown. Ad - Scroll to continue with article One particular model,?reference 7924, which was dubbed the Big Crown, was the source of inspiration behind the new Fifty-Eight watch and many of its features are faithfully recreated starting with the 39mm diameter case. The black and gold colour scheme of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight is another detail vintage fanatics will appreciate, picking up directly on a 1958 Oyster Prince model. In fact, the hour markers, hands and minute track feature a golden finish as do the numerals on the black anodised?aluminium bezel.Tudor Calibre MT5402Having stepped out from under the wing of its powerful sibling , Tudor consolidated its independence with its first in-house movement back in 2015 and today introduces a second, smaller-sized family of movements. Measuring 26mm in diameter, the hours, minutes and seconds are governed by the new calibre MT5402 with its beefy 70-hour power reserve.Equipped with a variable inertia balance fixed by a sturdy bridge and a non-magnetic silicon balance spring (Tudor has access to the patent), the new movement is COSC-certified. The movement features well-executed finishes; the openworked rotor is satin brushed and the bridges and main plate have alternating sandblasted surfaces and laser decorations.Revival riveted braceletJust like the folding bracelets of Tudor divers of the 1950s and 1960s, with visible rivet heads to attach the links, the new Black Bay Fifty-Eight comes on a three-link stainless steel bracelet with polished and satin-brushed finishes and the nostalgic rivets. The watch is also available with a brown leather strap or a cool black fabric strap with a gold-coloured band in the centre. The model on a steel bracelet will retail for CHF 3,400, while the leather and fabric models are priced at CHF 3,100. More details on www.tudor.com