The Swiss watchmaker Tudor and I share a special connection: not only with the brand itself, but especially with the Black Bay line. The Black Bay 58 was my first ‘proper’ watch, and from the very first moment I put it on, it became the watch I wore the most.
Since Tudor brought the Black Bay line back over a decade ago, the collection has seen many additions and updates. I’ve been lucky enough to try and spend some time with most of them, especially the more compact Black Bay 54 after its release. So when I saw earlier this summer that Tudor was introducing another smaller model, this time with a light blue dial, I knew I had to get it on my wrist too.
The Tudor Black Bay 54 ‘Lagoon Blue‘ follows the 37mm version introduced in 2023, but here the dial feels fresher and more contemporary. It’s not just the colour, but also the sand-textured finish on the dial that plays beautifully with the polished steel bezel, making it feel more luxurious and less like a tool-diver watch.
As with any Black Bay, you get everything you’d expect from a diver’s watch. This one comes in a 37mm case, with a screw-down crown, 200 meters of water resistance, and a COSC-certified automatic movement offering a 70-hour power reserve.
On my wrist (18–18.5 cm in diameter – more on that below), it fits just right. I love my Black Bay 58, don’t get me wrong, but the 54 feels just a little tiny better. And then there’s the jubilee-style bracelet. On my own Black Bay 58 and the original Black Bay 54, I prefer the classic bracelet as it balances the overall look of the watch, but with the lagoon blue dial, this bracelet hits perfectly.
Overall, it’s a solid tool watch with a sporty look, but the combination of dial, bezel, and bracelet makes it look great on the wrist even when dressed up.
Could this be your one-and-only everyday watch? Or is it more of a summer piece? I’ll leave this up to you. For me, it shines especially in summer, whether on vacation or walking the city by the sea. But when it comes to picking an everyday watch, I’d still stick with the original Black Bay 54, or the 58 that I already own.
Recently, I saw an Instagram caption that said ‘styling Tudor Black Bay.’ The thing is, you don’t style a watch… you wear a watch. And there should be a reason why. Some might pick it up as an accessory at first, but the moment it’s on the wrist, the perspective changes. Ask around…
Don’t get carried away by captions, influencers’ suggestions, and their temporary dummy watches, or PR fluff… None of that matters once the watch is actually on your wrist. That’s where you’ll know if it’s right for you or not.
Becoming a watch nerd?
- Tudor – established in 1926 by Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, with a need for more sturdy and reliable watches, yet still at an affordable price point. Early models incorporated the Rolex Oyster case, often with third-party movements to keep the cost down. Right after and during the following years, the Swiss watchmaker built a reputation for tool watches, specifically for divers and the military. Since the late 2000s, and then especially with the introduction of the Black Bay and Heritage line, Tudor established itself as a distinguished watchmaker with in-house movements and a bold design identity and became one of the more interesting names in modern watchmaking.
- Black Bay – one of the lines that put Tudor back on the map. Launched in 2012, it draws from the brand’s dive-watch heritage, iconic snowflake hands, and vintage-inspired bezels, giving it the tool-watch vibe. Over the years, it’s grown into different variations, from classic divers to chronographs and GMTs, nowadays many powered by Tudor’s own in-house movements. It’s the collection that shows the brand heritage and how the brand blends vintage cues with modern watchmaking.
- Bezel – the part of the watch case that surrounds the watch glass, serving as a protective guard and as an aesthetic frame. Rotating dive watch bezels help to track a diver’s bottom time – the total time spent underwater – a reminder to prevent divers from exceeding their diving time with limited oxygen.
- COSC-certified – “Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres” – the watch must be able to stay within a 2-second range of variation each day throughout its power reserve
- Diver – diving or dive watch – is a watch designed for underwater diving to record elapsed time that features, as a minimum, a water resistance greater than 100m (typically around 200 to 300m). Another important feature is a bezel, which must have uni-directional rotation. If the bezel is bi-directional, any knock could rotate and the diver can lose the tracking.
- Dial – also known as the face, is a big part of a watch’s personality and the portion of the watch that displays the time, or any other indicators, such as date, day, moon phase, etc.
- Dummy watch – a watch meant purely to showcase its design, not its functionality. You would usually see these in shop windows or now in showroom displays. It comes without any movement (it’s empty inside the case), and, as a design rule, it shows the time 10:10 to balance the overall look of the dial. Lately, also seen on the wrists of influencers, primarily to just elevate their content.
- Movement – can be automatic/self-winding, manual winding or quartz and is what keeps the watch going.
- Power reserve – how long the watch can show you the time when it’s not on your wrist.
- Water resistance – refers to a watch’s ability to withstand exposure to water without damage. It is measured in meters (m), atmospheres (ATM), or bars, indicating the depth or pressure the watch can endure. However, these measurements are theoretical and don’t always equate to actual diving depths. 30m (3 ATM): Splash-proof, suitable for everyday use but not for swimming. 50m (5 ATM): Safe for showering or light swimming. 100m (10 ATM): Suitable for swimming and snorkelling. 200m+ (20 ATM or more): Ideal for professional diving or water sports.
