Baselworld 2019: First Look at the Tudor Black Bay Bronze Slate Gray

Does anyone else remember a few short years ago when bronze watches were just starting to gather some steam and become more popular? It could be argued that they really popped as a product group when Tudor introduced the original Black Bay Bronze with a brown dial and Bezel at Baselworld 2016. Here we are, three years later, and I think it’s safe to say that those who were calling bronze watches a mere fad at the time will have to eat their proverbial hats. They’re simply not going anywhere, and Tudor, at Baselworld 2019, is back with a new incarnation of their big bronze patina machine, in a new color.

Tudor Black Bay Bronze

Case Material: Bronze with PVD coated steel caseback
Dial: Slate grey
Dimensions: 43mm
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 200 meters
Crown: Screw down
Movement: Manufacture Calibre MT5601 (COSC)
Strap/bracelet: Rounded black nubuck leather with bronze buckle
Price: $4,050
Expected release: n/a

This Black Bay Bronze stays true to the formula for this watch (in addition to the original brown version, Tudor also made a limited edition for jeweler Bucherer in blue, and a piece unique in green with a left hand crown for the 2017 Only Watch charity auction). The new version sports a slate grey dial and matching bezel, which contrasts nicely with the bronze tone, and will likely become even more interesting once that patina starts to develop. It’s a hefty 43mm in diameter with the traditional Black Bay case shape, which is to say, it looks like a classic diver in the Rolex family, but blown up a few millimeters with all the warmth and pseudo-golden hues of bronze.

The fun of a bronze watch is seeing how the patina develops over time, and if that’s something you’re curious about, this Black Bay was probably already on your radar. Depending on the type of climate you live in, how you use the watch, and your own body chemistry (i.e., how much you sweat) no two bronze watches will look the same a few years out after getting some regular wear. I happen to prefer the slate grey look to the brown dial, which just seemed to look like a big bronze blob to me. This feels sportier and sleeker, and the gradient nature of the dial is accentuated somehow in grey, which is just more visually interesting. Tudor