In recent years, blue dials have proved to be a trend with staying power, but for Tudor the colour has long played an integral part in its collections. In 1969, the watchmaker created a divers’ timepiece with both a blue dial and bezel, soon to be followed by similarly hued sports watches; thus ‘Tudor Blue’ was born. Adding to its deep-sea credentials, the colour was later adopted by the French Navy for its watches in 1970s.

The handsome shade gets its latest outing in the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, a popular model that takes its cues from the historic reference 7924 (or ‘Big Crown’), the first Tudor divers’ watch waterproof to 200 metres. The watch’s slim 39mm case is typical of the timepieces of this era, while it also nods to some other iconic Tudor features, including the distinctive snowflake hands that have been a hallmark of the watchmaker’s divers’ watches since 1969.

The watch comes presented with three strap options; a steel bracelet, a soft touch strap made from a synthetic material resembling flannel, and a blue jacquard fabric option. The latter is woven in France on 19th-century looms by specialists Julian Faure, who have created Tudor’s fabric straps for the last 10 years.

The Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” is powered by the manufacture calibre MT5402. This COSC-certified movement goes above and beyond the requirements of the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute, operating within a tolerance of between -2 and +4 seconds variation in its daily rate. Furthermore, it offers a power reserve of 70 hours, ideal for long, leisurely weekends spent at sea.

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