Hands-On With Tudor’s New Black Bay 58 and 68

When we first handled Tudor’s new Black Bay 58 Burgundy and Black Bay 68 back in April at Watches & Wonders Geneva, the immediate impression was that both were more than simple line extensions. Yes, one was a familiar 39mm diver in a new colorway, and the other was a brand-new 43mm addition — but together, they felt like the clearest statement yet of how Tudor is evolving the Black Bay design language.

The New Tudor Black Bay 58 (left) and Black Bay 68 (right)

That evolution is easy to see in the current spread: the historically scaled Black Bay 54 at 37mm; the refreshed third-generation Black Bay at 41mm; and, new for 2025, a fully reworked Black Bay 58 at 39mm and the all-new Black Bay 68 at 43mm. The BB54 and the 41mm core diver were our first look at the “new-gen” Black Bay design language (more on that in a bit). The 58 and 68 carry that forward, each with its own proportions and style, but unified by how a modern Black Bay should look, feel, and perform.

Having now spent time with these review units, months after Watches and Wonders, I’ve been able to see how those first impressions hold up—and where the watches have revealed more about themselves over time.

Black Bay 68 — The New Largest Size

Tudor Black Bay 68 on 6.75-inch wrist

At 43mm, the BB68 is the biggest Black Bay diver to date. On paper it’s a leap from 41mm; on the wrist it’s more measured, thanks to a 13.6mm thickness and lugs that curve to distribute weight evenly. Inside is Tudor’s MT5601-U movement, a METAS-certified calibre with a silicon balance spring and a larger architecture that fills the case well.

The bevels on those lugs are especially sharp, creating crisp contrast between polished and brushed surfaces. Dial options are a sun-brushed blue or a silver that gives the Black Bay silhouette a look you’ll never see on a Rolex Submariner—and it works. (I have the blue review unit; I personally prefer the silver for how it reframes the design.)

The first thing you notice in use is the bezel. Its sharply peaked knurling offers immediate, positive grip. The crown mirrors that geometry, with coarse ridges you can grab even with gloves. Because the thickness stays sensible while the diameter grows, the watch can feel slimmer than its dimensions suggest—especially on 7-inch-plus wrists, where the footprint reads as broad rather than tall. On wrists under 7 inches, it’s still wearable but carries the clear presence of a large diver.

Speaking of sizing, the Black Bay 68 comes with a micro-adjustable T-Fit clasp, pictured below. This watch is only available on the 3-link Oyster-style bracelet. Water resistance is rated to 200 meters. U.S. retail is $4,850.

Tudor T-Fit Clasp, open and closed

As for the name: the “68” is a nod to the late-’60s debut of Tudor’s Snowflake hands. Technically, that happened in 1969, but the branding symmetry with “58” is hard to ignore. Love them or not, the Snowflake hands are now inseparable from Tudor’s dive watch identity, and here they feel right at home.

Pelagos remains Tudor’s most overtly modern, capability-first line of divers; the 68 borrows some of those modern design cues, primarily size, while staying in the vintage-inspired Black Bay aesthetic.

Black Bay 58 — Same Size, New Feel

The BB58 stays at 39mm and still hits that easy-wear sweet spot. On my 6.75-inch wrist, it’s the one I’d reach for most days. What’s changed is everything you interact with. The 5-link bracelet, now an option here, adds articulation and drapes naturally around the wrist. At just 11.7mm thin (down from 11.9mm), this is a seriously comfortable diver. Inside that slim profile is Tudor’s caliber MT5400-U, also METAS-certified with a silicon balance spring.

The T-fit clasp finally brings quick, tool-less adjustment to the 58, something I wrote an entire article about before it happened. The riveted 3-link and steel-endlink rubber, also with T-fit, remain strong options depending on your use, but the 5-link pairs especially well with this case. Water resistance is rated to 200 meters. U.S. pricing is $4,400 on steel-endlink rubber, $4,625 on the riveted 3-link, and $4,725 on the 5-link.

The bezel receives a quiet but meaningful upgrade. The ridges are wider and more pronounced than the outgoing BB58’s, but the peaks remain flat—landing between the soft coin-edge feel of the original 58 and the sharp peaks of the 41 and 68. The crown goes fully to the new coarse, peaked profile—much like a modern Submariner—and the difference in winding and setting is immediate. It’s the same proportions that made the BB58 a favorite, but with a sharper, more confident tactile experience.

And for a bit of deep-cut Tudor history: this exact matte burgundy bezel / bright red sunburst dial combo appeared on a prototype Submariner 79190 from the ’90s, never released to the public but sitting in Tudor’s archives. The gilt-free dial here matches that prototype’s cleaner aesthetic.

How the 54 and 41 Pointed the Way

Image Sources: Fratello, Monochrome Watches

Before these two arrived, the Black Bay 54 and the current 41mm core diver set the stage. In 2023, they introduced the updated crown form that’s now standard, while the BB54 brought in the smoothed-edge bezel style we see echoed on the new BB58. The 41mm added the sharper bezel knurling, METAS certification, and the full suite of bracelet and clasp upgrades. Together, they sketched the boundaries; the 58 and 68 now fill in the middle ground.

Why METAS Matters

Tudor’s move to METAS Master Chronometer across its core Black Bay divers changes what “specs” mean in practice. After a movement clears COSC, the fully cased watch is tested again: accuracy capped at 0/+5 seconds per day across multiple positions and two temperatures, magnetic resistance to 15,000 gauss, water-resistance verified at 25% above the rating, and power reserve confirmed.

Image Source: Hodinkee

The important part is independence. METAS is a Swiss government agency; the labs inside Tudor’s facilities are run under METAS oversight and audit. When I spoke with a Tudor representative in Geneva, she described just how separate the work environments are—how METAS employees work in their own space, with their own processes. It’s a level of separation that makes the certification more than just a stamp on the dial. In this price range, third-party validation at that level is rare.

Choosing Within the Family

Seen together, the dive-bezel Black Bays now read like a deliberate system rather than one watch scaled up or down. The 54 is the compact, historically scaled entry point that introduced much of the newer design language. The 41mm is the blueprint for this generation. The 58 keeps the winning proportions but upgrades the way it operates and wears—it’s the one I’d choose for a 6.75-inch wrist. The 68 stretches the silhouette to its broadest, maintains sensible thickness, and feels balanced on larger wrists; it’s also where the silver dial makes its strongest case. Across the four sizes—37, 39, 41, and 43mm—proportion comes first, then personality.

Final Thoughts

Handling the 58 and 68 at Watches and Wonders, then again months later with review units, showed me how much these watches reward more than just a quick try-on. In April, they seemed like logical additions to the Black Bay line; now, to me, they represent a point where Tudor’s dive-bezel range has finally come together as a complete, consistent package.

The idea here isn’t that one is ‘better’ than another—it’s that the Black Bay line has matured. In fact, it turns thirteen this year. The line up now feels cohesive from top to bottom, which couldn't be said just a few years ago.