Almost 100 years ago, Tudor was founded by Hans Wilsdorf as a sister company to his already hugely successful watch brand, Rolex. Where Rolex focused on high-class watches for the sophisticated urban gentleman, Tudor took a different tack: Creating the highest quality “tool watches” for professional divers and military servicemen. It wasn’t long before Tudor had a hit, with their original Submariner series—which are the inspiration for the rebooted Black Bay lineup.
Inspired by big brother Rolex’s Pepsi bezel GMT Master Watch, Tudor released a more affordable version of the iconic timepiece back in 2018 in the form of the Black Bay GMT watch. This pleased the masses. At 41mm in diameter however, Tudor’s Pepsi GMT is rather large and, coupled with a thickness measuring in at 15mm, is an absolute brick of a watch even for larger wrist sizes.
Enter the Tudor Black Bay Pro — a paired down, 39mm GMT watch built on the stellar feedback from the coveted 39mm Black Bay Fifty-Eight. The diameter is on point, but alas, that is where the similarities end. While the BB58 clocks in at a paltry 11.9mm thick, the BB Pro measures in at around 14.6mm thick, a slab reminiscent of the Black Bay GMT that precedes it.
Thickness aside, the contrast between its black dial face and riveted steel body is accentuated by the much-anticipated 39 millimeter case, and you can complete the look with matching straps in either riveted steel, a hybrid black rubber and leather, or a black fabric strap with a yellow band that matches the watch’s hands and numerals.
- Price: $4,000
- Case Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: Tudor Calibre MT5652 (COSC)
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water Resistance: 200 Meters
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