Still the BEST DIVE WATCH for £3500??

#ninefortyfour #tudor #blackbay - So this is the Tudor black bay 58, one of the most talked about watches of modern times! Its a 39mm vintage inspired time only dive watch, offering 200m of water resistance, 70hrs of power reserve and an excellent in-house movement
The watch is now coming up for 6 years old, so the questions simple! Is this still the ultimate vintage inspired dive watch for under £4000? And is it still worth considering over the ultra vintage black bay 54? Let’s talk about it!
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///WRITTEN REVIEW///
- Size -
So the 58 comes in with a bezel diameter of 38.8mm, and a case diameter of 39, It has a thickness of 11.8mm, made up of a 1.3mm case back, 6mm flat midcase, 3mm bezel and 1.5mm crystal
The lug to lug dimension comes in at 47.5mm and has a 20mm spacing between the lugs. The weight on the steel bracelet comes in at 134 grams
This overall dimension set is pretty much perfect, especially if you have a wrist of 7inches or less! The balance, weight and the overall way this sits on wrist is simply phenomenal! Compared to the larger 41mm black bays, this is just in another league for me personally!
- Design -
The case design is mid century Tudor/rolex, meaning flat case sides, no crown guards and delightedly beveled lugs. Made from 316L steel the sides of the case and bevels are all of high polish with the lug tops stain brushed
The overall quality of the case construction has been incredibly well executed! One point to note is that the ends of the lugs taper to a point! This is actually quite sharp when you run your finger over it,
That being said it can’t be felt when the watch is on your wrist!
- Movement -
Powering the black bay 58 is the Tudor MT5402, a scaled down version of the movement used in the 41mm black bay range, designed specifically for this watch. Fair play to Tudor for doing this. Manufacturing new movements isn’t easy or cheap, but the pay off has been more than worth it!
People far and wide were calling for a more compact, thinner black bay! Tudor listened and did what what’s required to make it happen! The MT5402 is thinner, measuring 6.5mm. It has the same 70hr power reserve as its bigger brother along with a silicon hairspring for protection against magnetism
We also get the same 28,800 vibrations per hour, 27 jewels and COSC certification. Tudor rates the watch as being able to run no worse than -2 to +4 seconds per day, beating the COSC’s -4 to +6!
It certainly isn’t high horology, finishing is pretty much no existent! But it is touch and ridiculously accurate for the price! When it comes to time keeping Tudor are never going to out do Rolex on paper… but seriously, in the real world the difference is negligible!
I’ve been lucky enough to wear a variety of Tudor models for extended periods of time and I’m always shocked at how well they perform!
- Wearability -
So wearability! I’m going to be slightly biased as this is my personal watch, which I’ve owned for just over two years! On my six and a half inch wrist its simply perfection! The 47mm lug to lug, 11.7mm thickness and 39mm diameter are just that, perfect!
For me its the bench mark of fit that I compare all other watches too when I consider adding something else to my collection! Things like the female articulating end link, amount of bracelet taper and the size of the clasp only add to the wearing experience!
Vintage styling isn’t for everyone, but in-terms of wearability this is seriously hard to beat for any who has a wrist between 5.5 and 7 inches. The closest Rolex would be the 40mm yacht master in my opinion!
- Verdict -
So what’s the verdict! And how does it compare to the recent Black Bay 54! Well it comes down to this. Is the 37mm diameter of the 54 too small for you? And do you already own a 58?
If you don’t own either, and you can make 37mm work, id personal say get the 54! That watch IS the perfect homage to early Tudor and Rolex watches! It features all the modern Tudor tech and a near spot historical dimension set to the very first submariners!
Plus it has the T-fit adjustment and no gilt/gold bezel markings! If I didn’t own a 58 the 54 is the one id probably buy! I say probably as it would take me some time to get used to the smaller diameter!
But I do own a 58! And I’m not going to swap it! 39mm is spot on for my wrist, and although T-fit is excellent and I do prefer the silver bezel markings, they don’t amount to enough to justify the upgrade! If 37mm is too small for you then the 58 is without doubt the one to go for!
Its a modern watch icon!
Links:
Rolex Yacht Master 40mm Review: • A LUXURIOUS Dive (spor...

[@michaelriera6277]

The 58 is so well made and perfectly proportioned for a sports watch. It borrows from classic Tudors and Rolex without being a slave to an exact copy . It really is it’s own thing. The gilt bezel gives the 58 a warm feel, the red triangle offers a pop of color paying homage to the Rolex Big Crown, the chunky coin edge crown is so satisfying to wind with a refined matching coin edge bezel and I love the snow flake seconds hand. It’s different from the more traditional lollipop style. By the way, 39 mm is on the smaller side for a modern sized sports watch. I think anything smaller is playing vintage territory.

[@Kalmar917]

This is my opinion for this very cool subject: I have a family heirloom Rolex 6538 but will never wear it in the wild. As a matter of fact it is in a safe in a vault. I bought 5-digit sub back in 05-06 and still love it to this day and will always be in my rotation, but I also wanted to wear something vintage but there was nothing out there until the first Blackbay back in I guess 2010s some time. In hopes it would feel like the 6538, I found it was not and did not wear like it. 2018 comes around and the BB58 arrives. The BB58 wears almost exactly the same as a Rolex 6538. The BB58 is 39mm x 11.9mm in height x 47mm lug to lug and a lug width of 20mm. The crown is 6-6.5mm. The Rolex 6538 is 38mm x 15.2mm in height due to the doomed x 47mm lug to lug and a lug width of 20mm. The crown is I believe 8mm last I checked. I tried the BB54 and it was an awesome watch! Love the fit and feel but also did not fit like a 6538 at all which makes sense because it is a nod to an older vintage but even then it is it’s own thing as the vintage it is based off from 1954 it is based off is larger lug to lug and thickness. So the BB54 does not wear like a vintage but it wears very different in a good way. For me I wanted something like the 6538 and the BB58 is my preferred. Specifically, the Gilt dial. Lastly the lume on the BB54 is not as good as the BB58. I think depending on which vintage you like most would determine which you prefer. Another option is simply owning both the BB58 and 54. For me I am waiting for 2028. I have a feeling they will make some refinements with the original BB58. They will make changes with the gnarling on the bezel and crown and may shrink it down to 38mm. Now that is a watch worth waiting for in my opinion. But no one would be wrong to own that nice BB54.

[@ninefortyfour]

Thank you for both your comments! Great to hear real world thoughts and the compression v's the older Rolex's! You make great points! Looking forward to see how Tudor update the 58 line too!

[@Kalmar917]

@@ninefortyfour I know there have been rumblings about an image in a magazine but I highly doubt that is the new BB58 and is more likely just a rendering of a full in. Both Tudor and Rolex have done this in the past. I will by the next rendition if they keep it at 38-39mm, with bezel change, crown gnarling upgrade and T-Fit clasp. Imagine the newer Burgundy 41mm in the BB58 dimensions and same gilded touches. We will see though.

[@ryanroe7]

After 3 years of ownership of my BB58 the only design change I would prefer would be to replace the 3-6-9 rectangles with uniform triangles from the 12. Think that would balance the patterns better, especially with the snowflake.

[@shiot]

I believe it’s the traditional design of a dive watch that makes it easier to read the time at night.

[@alexandrudragoi9065]

Small typo in the title but great video! I first bought the BB41mm with the same black bezel, but I sold it after 2 weeks, the thickness was just too much for me and then I purchased the BB58, best decision ever, the way it feels on the wrist and the overall proportions are great.

[@ninefortyfour]

Thanks for the heads up pal! will correct! Yeah, totally agree... the 58 is almost perfect size wise! So much more wearable than the 41's

[@Kalmar917]

I 100% agree. It is still the best dive watch hands down. They are updating it now and depending on what they do we may say the new 58 is the best dive watch around. Not just under 3500 but best dive watch.

[@briane1116]

Hot Take: I prefer the BB58 clap to the T-Fit for my 7 1/4” wrist. I get a terrific fit with seven links at 12, four at 6, and the micro at the furthest-in position. The t-fit clasp is too long and I either need to wear it loose and all-the-way-in, or tight with the clasp adjusted to its furthest point out. Ironic since that was supposed to remedy that exact situation. Guess I just got lucky with this. I still have a few T-Fit Tudors but I always go back to my Fifty-Eight

[@shiot]

This is a stupidly great diver but it is best only in its price range. The situation will change when they add T-fit clasp for all the models as well as METAS certification, but we need to be aware that the price will definitely increase accordingly. I predict the price to be raised by 20%. Right now a new BB is similar in price to a used Seamaster but I believe after the upper mentioned changes a used Seamaster will be a better value.

[@gavinwhite9743]

Tired of the hype this Rolex homage brand gets. Cheaper, chunkier copy of a vintage Rolex. As a brand, it shouts you didn't get the job you had hoped for. As a beater watch, it maybe has a role to play. Without the clear link to Rolex, it would be consigned to a well made Pagini.