Tudor Black Bay 68 Review

Over the last two weeks we've reviewed the Tudor Pelagos Ultra and Pelagos FXD GMT. Prior to spending time with these two watches, I had never had hands on with timepieces from Tudor. Of course I knew Tudor very well on an intellectual level but not in the metal. After my time with the two Pelagos pieces I really started to understand why Tudor has become so beloved with collectors.

For the third watch we're going to review from Tudor, I'm going to step a bit outside of my comfort zone and look at a watch that is crafted out of stainless steel and also comes on a bracelet, two things I'm really not a fan of. Before we get into the review, let's first take a quick look at the history of Tudor. If you would like a much more in-depth history of the brand, please read our Pelagos Ultra review where we go much more in detail about the founding and history of Tudor.



Tudor was actually founded by the man behind Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf, in 1926. The goal of Wilsdorf was to have a secondary brand that would offer the same level of quality and reliability that Rolex is known for but at a much more obtainable price. Wilsdorf was so set in his goal of creating a well built and affordable alternative to Rolex that Tudor watches included such important Rolex innovations asthe "Oyster" water-proof case and "Perpetual" self-winding movements.

Tudor watches would even share cases and bracelets with Rolex watches, really illustrating how intertwined the brands were. The 1950s saw two very important releases from Tudor first being the Tudor Oyster Prince which was known for its rugged durability and reliability through tough real world tests. The Tudor Submariner was then released a few years later which took design cues and shared technology from dive watch pioneer, the Rolex Submariner.

Even with these huge successes, over time Tudor started to see a decline in market presence. In the late 1990s Tudor even ceased operations in the United States. Tudor did not sit idle though and in 2012 followed up with a global re-launch that would end up including their now most popular models, the Black Bay and Pelagos. Following the release of these two collections, Tudor soon re-entered the US market in 2013. Needless to say this re-launch was extremely successful and Tudor is now one of the leading watch manufactures in the world. Tudor also kept innovating and even started to produce their own manufacture movements which were COSC and METAS certified.





Initial Thoughts

The watch we're going to be looking at in more detail is the newest addition to the fabled Black Bay collection. While the original Black Bay was 41 mm and its follow up the Black Bay 58 was a smaller 39 mm timepiece, for the Black Bay 68 Tudor upsized the Black Bay case to 43 mm. It's no secret that I'm a fan of larger watches, so the Black Bay 68 instantly caught my attention.

When the Black Bay 68 arrived the first thing I noticed about the watch was the striking resemblance to a Rolex Submariner. Now I don't mean this as a negative since Tudor and Rolex are sister brands, but being very used to Submariners and the countless look a likes from other brands, it was interesting to see Tudor's take on the design. I actually prefer the more muted look of the Black Bay, especially the matte black ceramic bezel, to that of the more luxurious and glossy appearance of modern Submariners.

The next thing I noticed about the Black Bay 68 was the weight of the watch. Typically I only collect watches that are crafted out of lightweight materials like ceramic, carbon and titanium. The main reason for this is that I don't like to feel a watch on my wrist. Also I tend to prefer straps to bracelets for a few reasons, with one being the additional weight a bracelet adds. With all the links in place the Tudor Black Bay 68 weighed in at 174 grams on our scale. For me anything over 130 grams is starting to get a bit heavy. I do realize that I am in the minority and most people actually prefer some heft to their watches which they equate with quality.



The final thing I noticed during my initial time with the Black Bay 68 was its size. I measured the case diameter at 42 mm (42.5 mm with the bezel overhang) and the lug to lug length at 51.5 mm. These are pretty much goldilocks measurements for my 7.25 inch wrist with a 55 mm flat area. Being on a bracelet also makes the watch appear to wear a little bit larger than if it was on a strap, but overall I felt the watch was nice and proportionate.



Technical Specifications

Having gone over my initial impressions of the Black Bay 68, let's go ahead and check out the technical specifications of the watch. The Tudor Black Bay 68 is crafted out of stainless steel and like we've already mentioned has a 42 mm case diameter with a51.5 mm lug to lug length. The bezel of the Black Bay 68 does overhang the case by half a millimeter and makes the case diameter appear to be 42.5 mm when looking dead on at the dial. Tudor says the Black Bay 68 is 43 mm, so I'm guessing they are rounding up the diameter of the bezel overhang. The watch weighed in at 174 grams on our scale and at its thickest point is 13.8 mm tall. Honestly these measurements combine for a watch that looks well proportioned. If the watch was much slimmer it might look a bit like wearing a dinner plate on the wrist.



The Black Bay 68 uses a nicely domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. Underneath the crystal clear sapphire crystal is the sun-brushed TUDOR blue dial. Depending on the light the dial can appear nearly back to a deep blue. I'm not really a fan of blue dials, so that the dial is a very subtle blue is a big plus for me.

Around the outside of the dial is a minute track printed in white. Moving in are the twelve applied hour markers. Tudor uses a large triangle marker at 12 o'clock with large bar markers at 3, 6, and 9, the rest of the hour markers are round. There are three centrally mounted hands on the Black Bay 68 being the hour, minute and seconds hands. Tudor uses their famous snowflake hour hand first introduced in 1969 on the Black Bay 68, which is a great nod to brand history. The minute hand is sword style while the seconds hand has a round indicator about three-fourths of the way down and a smaller round counterbalance. All of the dial markers appear white in normal light and glow green in low light.

There is Tudor branding and the shield and rose logo at 12 o'clock with "200m : 600ft" and "Master Chronometer" at 6. Finishing off the dial is "Swiss Made" at the bottom below the minute track. Having only two lines of text is rather refreshing at the bottom of the dial when so many brands see it necessary to add much more. Even the current Rolex Submariner has four lines of text at 6 o'clock.



Moving on from the dial is the matte black ceramic bezel. The Black Bay 68 uses a uni-directional bezel that takes 60 clicks to complete a full rotation. The bezel action is incredibly smooth and produces a satisfying click with each turn. There is also zero back play with the bezel which is something even much more expensive divers have problems with. Although I do kind of prefer the feel of a 120 click bezel, a 60 click bezel actually makes more sense since it matches up with each marker on the minute track.

The bezel is nicely scalloped and should easily be able to be used with gloves on. At 12 o'clock is a triangular marker with a center lumed point that glows green to match the dial markers and hands. From 1 to 15 you have each minute marked with a small hash mark and a larger mark for 5 and 15. Each 10 minute marker gets a large Arabic numeral and each in-between five minute interval has the larger hash mark.



The top of the case of the Black Bay 68 has a brushed finish, while the sides are done in high polish as are the chamfers. Looking at the profile of the case you can see a slight curvature to follow your wrist. The curve isn't too severe and means the watch does wear a bit large and isn't for everyone's wrist size. Tudor does offer a host of sizes in the Black Bay collection to meet everyone's needs though.

The right hand side of the case features a large screw down crown without crown guards. Like the bezel the crown is also nicely scalloped. The crown is topped with the Tudor logo and is polished. The screw down crown helps with the 200 meters of water resistance the Black Bay 68 boasts. Un-screwing the crown allows you manually wind the automatic movement in the resting position. Since there is no date on the Black Bay 68, pulling the crown out to position one stops the seconds hand and allows you to set the time. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minute hand and screwing the crown back in requires no extra care to get it to catch.



The Tudor Black Bay 68 has a lug width of 22 mm and comes on a stainless steel bracelet with a traditional "Oyster" style three row bracelet. The bracelet tapers down to 16 mm at the Tudor branded deployant clasp. Tudor uses their "T-fit" clasp on the Black Bay 68. This clasp uses a flip lock style lock that has to be flipped up before opening the clasp. Once flipped up you can use the exposed lever to open the clasp. When opened the clasp can extend the bracelet by up to 7 mm by pulling down on the end of the bracelet and sliding it out. The clasp also allows finer adjustments between 0 and 7 mm to get the fit just right. Early in my collecting journey I formed a hatred towards bracelets since there were no fine adjustments on them. Living in Texas where it can be 110 degrees outside and then 70 degrees inside plays havoc on your wrist and bracelet sizing, the "T-fit" clasp allows you to easily adjust for wrist swelling and contracting.

The bracelet on the Black Bay 68 is sized using screws on one end of each sizable link pin. This is my preferred method of removing links since it seems the most secure and lowers the chance of damaging the bracelet. The top and back of each link is brushed in finish, while the sides are polished mirroring the finishing seen on the case.



Flipping the watch over shows off the solid stainless steel case back. The only markers found on the case back are about the manufacture caliber and the case and serial numbers are engraved under the lugs. Beating underneath the solid case back is the COSC and METAS certified manufacture caliber MT5601-U. This automatic movement is Swiss Made and beats away at 28,800 vph (4Hz) and has a power reserve of 70 hours. The Black Bay 68 also offers 15,000 gauss of anti-magnetism as well. Being COSC and METAS certified means the watch should have between 0 to +5 seconds per day of accuracy. On our timegrapher the Black Bay 68 had an accuracy of 0 seconds per day when averaged out over several positions, which is perfect and well within its certification.



On The Wrist

The Tudor Black Bay 68 really fits my 7.25 inch wrist with an already mentioned 55 mm flat area nicely. With the bracelet the watch covered my wrist perfectly and didn't have any hint of overhang. The bracelet while aggressively tapered still kept the watch centered on my wrist and it never favored one side over the other.



At 174 grams the Black Bay 68 seemed a bit heavy to me. Remember I'm mostly used to wearing watches well under 100 grams on straps, so a stainless steel watch on a bracelet at over twice the weight of some of my watches takes a lot to get used to. While the watch was certainly heavy to me it never caused any wrist fatigue during extended wears. Also the weight of the bracelet nicely balanced out the head of the watch which never felt top heavy.

I wore the Black Bay 68 for my everyday errands and the watch was a great companion. With the weather now in Austin flirting with 100 degrees I had ample times to try out the "T-fit" clasp and its micro-adjustments. 7 mm is way more than enough adjustment to allow the bracelet to adjust for wrist swelling. The thing I really love about Tudor's micro-adjustment system is how quick and easy it is to size the bracelet. Some micro-adjustment systems have far too many steps and don't always click into place where you want. With the "T-fit" clasp you simply just pull down and slide the bracelet to where you want it and push back up, couldn't be simpler.



I use a quick and easy test to see how legible a watch is, which is trying to tell the time at a glance while driving. With the Black Bay 68 being a dive watch, this should be an easy test to ace. While a black dial would have had more contrast than a blue dial, the dark hue of the Black Bay 68 dial didn't really hinder the watch in terms of legibility. The large white hands and hour markers made telling the time at a glance super simple and the Black Bay 68 passed my test with flying colors. Having Arabic numerals would have made deciphering the dial quicker, but that's not the design Tudor was going for. With the ample lume on the dial, making out the dial in the dark was also no chore at all.

Wearing the Black Bay 68 out to dinner and drinks also received a fair bit of attention. Since we live in an area that is full of stainless steel sports watches, a large stainless steel sports watch resembling a Submariner will get some looks. I did have a few people approach me with questions and compliments about the watch and too my surprise most knew about Tudor and the Black Bay. Nobody was aware that there was a larger Black Bay model and this was it. Most people actually thought the Black Bay 68 didn't look too large at all. For the most part everyone seemed to think the retail price of the watch was a good deal.





Value and Position in the Market

Speaking of price, the retail price of the Tudor Black Bay 68 is $4,850. For that price you are getting a large stainless steel dive watch complete with 200 meters of water resistance and a deadly accurate COSC and METAS certified manufacture movement. Besides the connection to Rolex, Tudor has now forged its own legacy and you're also getting a great story to go along with the Black Bay 68. Now as with all of our reviews is the time to compare the Black Bay 68 to four other watches that offer similar specs and features and see how the watch fairs value wise.

Naturally the first place we should start with a comparison to the Black Bay 68 would be the Rolex Submariner No Date. The Submariner has a slightly smaller case at 41 mm and is crafted out of stainless steel. The Submariner offers more water resistance at 300 meters and is powered by an in-house movement with 70 hours of power reserve. The Submariner does retail for twice as much as the Black Bay 68 at $9,500.

Next up with have the Seamaster No Date from Omega which has a 42 mm case also made out of stainless steel. The Seamaster has a bit more water resistance than the Black Bay 68 at 300 meters and has an in-house movement with only 55 hours of power reserve. The Seamaster is also a bit more expensive than the Black Bay 68 at $6,800.



Moving on is the Aquatimer Automatic from IWC which has a 42 mm case that is crafted out of stainless steel. The Aquatimer has a more unique look to it with a crown on each side of the case. While one crown controls the movement and time setting, the other operates the inner rotating bezel. The Aquatimer has the same 300 meters of water resistance as the Rolex and Omega and has an in-house movement with an incredible 120 hours of power reserve. The IWC is a good deal more expensive than the Tudor at $7,400.

Finally we have the Fifty Fathoms from Blancpain which has a 45 mm stainless steel case. The Fifty Fathoms does wear a bit smaller than its 45 mm would suggest since its lugs are so short. The Fifty Fathoms once again has 300 meters of water resistance and like the Aquatimer is powered by an in-house movement with 120 hours of power reserve. The Fifty Fathoms is the other original dive watch pioneer like the Submariner and retails for many times more than the Black Bay 68 at $20,400.



Looking at the four watches we compared to the Black Bay 68, you can now see how great of a value the watch is. Every watch mentioned has an extra 100 meters of water resistance, but in reality 200 meters is far more than any non-professional diver will ever see. Recreational diving ends at 40 meters, which is probably more than most will ever see while wearing a watch. Otherwise there really isn't much separating these four watches from the Tudor specifications wise.



Closing Thoughts

So in the end is the Tudor Black Bay 68 for me? Personally this was a lost cause from the get go with me and the Black Bay 68. I'm just far too used to lightweight non-stainless steel watches and can't force myself to wear a watch on a bracelet. Those two things are deal killers for me. I did however really like the look of the watch and the Deep Blue dial is rather handsome, especially when paired with the legacy snowflake hour hand. The matte black ceramic bezel also shows great contrast with the white markings. It's one of those situations where I really wanted to like something, but it just wasn't possible.



Tudor does offer a whole range of watches that are made out of carbon and titanium and come on a strap though… in the Pelagos, and especially the FXD models. So if it was coming down to personal preference I'd pick a Pelagos model ten out of ten times at a Tudor boutique. That's nothing against the Black Bay models, just my preferences.

So then would I recommend the Black Bay 68 to somebody looking for a larger stainless steel sports watch or diver? I really would and give the watch my full recommendation for those looking for this type of watch. While it might not be for me, I know I am in the minority not liking stainless steel watches, especially those on bracelets.

When you look at competitors, even those from sister brand Rolex, it's easy to see how great of a value the Black Bay 68 is. Sure some divers might give you a bit more water resistance, but in the end that is pointless in real world usage. The measurement of 0 seconds per day of accuracy is also as good as it gets and the watch has both COSC and METAS certifications to back it up. Now I do see why people would spend more money for branding like Rolex, Omega, IWC or Blancpain… but in all honestly Tudor is no slouch when it comes to brand history and legacy. I don't see any real reasons why somebody would pick something from the other brands when you're just comparing features and pricing.



We have now finished our third review from the batch of four Tudor watches that we received. I knew that of the four, the Black Bay 68 would gel with my personal tastes the least and I was right. While the Pelagos Ultra and Pelagos FXD GMT fit my wants like a glove, there are just some unchangeable things about the Black Bay 68 that I can't get over. Besides that, the Black Bay 68 once again proved to me how much quality Tudor puts into their watches. The fourth watch that we will review next week should also fit right into my wheelhouse as well. I can't wait to review it soon and share my thoughts on the watch with all of you.

For more information about the Black Bay 68 please visit : Tudor



Technical Specifications

Reference Number: M7943A1A0NU-0001

Retail Price: $4,850

Case Size: 42 mm (42.5 mm with Bezel Overhang)

Lug to Lug: 51.5 mm

Thickness: 13.8 mm

Weight: 174 grams

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Bezel: Matte Black Ceramic

Strap: Stainless Steel on a "T-fit" Clasp with Micro-Adjustments

Movement: Manufacture Caliber MT5601-U. Swiss Made Automatic with COSC and METAS certifications.

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds

Power Reserve: 70 Hours

Water Resistance: 200 Meters