Is Now The Best Time To Buy A Used Tudor Black Bay 58?
The Tudor Black Bay 58 (formerly “Fifty-Eight”) was a smash hit when it debuted in 2018. At Watches and Wonders this year, the winning formula received an update. For that reason, now is as good a time as any to consider picking up one of the previous versions on the used market.
Tudor’s Black Bay 58 is an instrumental watch in the brand’s modern success. Upon its 2018 release, it garnered wide acclaim. Tudor had managed to capture a zeitgeist, reducing the successful Black Bay dive watch to a more compact and classic 39mm case diameter and a much more manageable 11.9mm thickness. The brand did this without compromising the core specifications of the caliber, which still provided a 70-hour power reserve and chronometer accuracy.
Image: Analog/Shift
The Tudor Black Bay 58
Some, however, weren’t super keen on the combination of tan/beige lume and gold-tone accents. For these critics, the watch was leaning a little too heavily into the vintage look. Clearly, many enthusiasts in the market were craving something with a more modern, fresh palette. Then, in 2020, came the blue-dial version with crisp, white markers. This watch was an absolute success for Tudor, sparking widespread wait lists (which was relatively unheard of for the brand) and bloated secondary-market prices.
The Tudor Black Bay 58 in blue presented an enchanting mix of modern specifications, good overall value, and the right balance of nods to vintage design and a timeless colorway. Many introductory and hands-on articles exploring this new color option saw dozens of comments. YouTube creators jumped on the watch’s popularity and rushed to publish videos about it. Overall, the blue Tudor Black Bay 58 seemed to also represent a snapshot in time, amid COVID, when enthusiasts seemed to be particularly focused on the hobby. It seemed there was a proper social-media frenzy surrounding Tudor’s latest smash hit.
My experience with Tudor
It was in this context that I put my name down for a Tudor Black Bay 58 in blue. I had tried on one at a store in Sydney and instantly appreciated the case size and relative thinness. I also appreciated the color since it harked back to the legendary Tudor Submariners used by the Marine Nationale. Like others, I hadn’t been a fan of the beige lume and artificial aging we saw in the black-dial version.
We have seen numerous Tudor Black Bay 58 models since 2020, including ones in 925 silver and bronze. However, as Tudor innovated and released new models, such as the smaller Tudor Black Bay 54 and the updated 41mm Black Bay, the 58 line started to take a backseat. Some even posited that it would slowly disappear. However, Tudor seemed to put this theory to rest by introducing a GMT in the Black Bay 58 case.
The Tudor Black Bay 58 “Mark 2”
At Watches and Wonders this year, we finally saw a revitalized Black Bay 58. Besides the burgundy color, there are a multitude of small ergonomic changes that should have a significant impact on the ownership experience. These include an updated clasp with micro-adjustment, the option to have it on Tudor’s five-row bracelet, a smaller but more knurled crown, and a grippier bezel. One of the other major changes is the adoption of a METAS-certified caliber inside the new Black Bay 58. This represents improvements in accuracy and antimagnetism at the cost of five hours of power reserve (down to 65 from 70).
Overall, the impressions of this new and updated Black Bay 58 seem rather positive. However, the watch now costs CHF 4,150 on the three-row bracelet and CHF 4,250 on the five-row bracelet. This is in contrast to the asking price of CHF 3,400 on the three-row bracelet when the original debuted. Granted, we must consider inflation since 2018 and how much one is willing to pay for the enhancements within the new generation. Thankfully, Black Bay 58s cost much less on the secondary market. Many examples are available on Chrono24, for example, for CHF 2,000–2,500.
Should you buy one on the used market?
Tudor’s recent changes to the Black Bay 58 will no doubt filter down to any other colorways or variants in the months or years to come. This means that now might be the best possible moment to pick up one of the originals. Why? Because it seems that prices on the used market are flat and represent great value for money when it comes to a solid sports watch from a recognized brand.
Not only do I feel the Black Bay 58 is a fantastic watch, but we have also seen discontinued Tudor models gradually increase in price before. Let’s look at the first generation of the 41mm Black Bay, also known as the “Smiley” for the curved text on the dial. These watches have become somewhat of a collector’s item since they were discontinued as part of Tudor’s upgrades to the Black Bay lineup. The same could be said for Tudor’s North Flag, which is seeing a bit of an enthusiast comeback as a quirky representation of Tudor’s efforts to be bold with its designs.
Concluding thoughts
Could these previous examples from Tudor be a sign that the Black Bay 58 “Mark 1” represents a good buy on the used market? I think so. But the other reason I am confident in recommending the Black Bay 58 is that, as a long-term owner, I know it’s just a great watch. Whether it increases in value or not is a bit beside the point. If you appreciate the design, now seems to be the right moment to consider picking up a used Black Bay 58.
