Longines recalls 19020s luxury style in its latest interpretation of DolceVita
Paying attention to heritage materials and vintage aesthetics, Tudor makes the new Black Bay Fifty Eight 925 and 2021 Black Bay Chrono as easy to love as our favourite whisky cocktail
THE ESSENCE OF BLACK BAY further enriched the new Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 draws its suffix from the satin-finished 925 silver case that provides an otherworldly incandescence you don’t usually expect to see on a diver’s watch. Given the relative malleability of the precious metal as compared to steel, Tudor innovated a secret alloy that leaves the appearance and texture of the case authentic while bestowing enduring qualities to retain the legacy of Tudor’s raison d’être as a rigorous tool watch.
The silver case of the Black Bay FiftyEight 925 is further accentuated by its grey-tone dial and bezel. Dubbed “taupe” by the Wilsdorf brand, the new colourway is reminiscent of the “tropical” or sun-bleached surfaces of vintage diving watches. Once you
factor in the “Big Crown” and its 39mm (near vintage proportions), the vintage appeal of the timepiece becomes irresistible.
The 925 also exposes the Manufacture MT5400 Calibre for the first time via sapphire caseback. Keeping the typical industrial finish of Tudor’s Manufacture Calibres, its rotor in tungsten monobloc is openworked and satin-brushed with sandblasted details, while its bridges and main plate have alternate sand-blasted, polished surfaces with laser decorations.
BLACK BAY CHRONO RELAUNCHED
Marking 50 years of its chronographs, Tudor relaunched its iconic Black Bay Chrono. A reworked case and two dial options with contrasting sub-counters in the purest tradition of the sports chronograph, the 2021 Black Bay Chrono invites comparison to its famed, much older brother, the vintage Ref. 6263 Daytonas.
Remaining faithful to the Black Bay aesthetic, the Black Bay Chrono model retains the signature “Snowflake” hands, in a version honed to ensure optimum readability on its domed dial. In matte black and white opaline respectively, the dial includes two hollowed sub-counters in contrasting colours for optimum legibility. Furthermore, Tudor has managed to raise the dial towards the sapphire glass via an “ingenious cut of the lower part of the sapphire crystal and a repositioned movement”, thus allowing the manufacture to make a thinner chronograph unlike its inaugural edition released in 2017. Reduced from 14.9mm to 14.4mm, the relaunched chronograph remains powered by the MT5813, based on Breitling’s Calibre 01 and modified to Tudor’s own specifications.