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If you’ve been paying attention to Tudor over the last few years, you know that a key component of their release strategy has been to drop unexpected dial colors into catalog staples at seemingly random intervals throughout the year. We’ve seen this play out with the Black Bay Chronograph multiple times, with pink and blue editions released unexpectedly and quickly allocated to collectors. Today, Tudor is trying something similar with the Black Bay 54, their most compact version of the Black Bay dive watch.
The new Black Bay 54 “Lagoon Blue” is more than just a dial variant, as it represents the first expansion of the Black Bay 54 line since it was introduced two years ago with a straightforward black dial. The first follow up after a hit watch is always an interesting bit of trivia for those of us who consider ourselves watch nerds. This release echos the blue dialed version of the Black Bay 58, which was perhaps even more of a sensation than the original when it saw a surprise release in the early days of the pandemic. Until this ywar’s Watches & Wonders, when a red 58 was launched, those two references somewhat surprisingly made up the entire Black Bay 58 collection.
Time will tell if Tudor is quicker to produce new variants of the 54, but this version exists as a nice counterpoint to the debut. The “Lagoon Blue” dial has a light, almost turquoise-like tone, along with the familiar Snowflake handset and lume filled hour markers. The dial has what Tudor describes as a “sand-textured” finish that would be a change of pace from the glossier, sunray dials the brand has favored lately.
The other quirk of this watch that will be obvious at even a cursory glance is the addition of a mirro polished bezel. The Black Bay bezels have typically been made of aluminum on past references, save for the Black Bay Steel and Black Bay Ceramic models. It certainly makes for a very different impression, but is an appropriate match, I think, for the five-link bracelet (with T-Fit clasp), which makes its debut here on a Black Bay 54 (cue the chorus of collectors wondering if this five-link will fit on their OG BB 54, which should begin right about now…).
Powering the watch is the MT5400, which is COSC certified but not, unfortunately, METAS certified. Tudor has been gradually rolling out METAS certified movements across the collection for a few years now, so it’s a bit disappointing and perhaps a bit surprising they haven’t landed in the 54 just yet. Other specs match the original Black Bay 54, including the 37mm case and 200 meters of water resistance.
The new Black Bay 54 “Lagoon Blue” is available now from Tudor. The retail price is $4,350. Tudor
