Bucking Trend, Tudor Goes Big(ger) with Black Bay 68
Bucking the trend of downsizing watches, Tudor worked to gather excitement for its Watches & Wonders 2025 novelties with its leading model in the line-up, an upsized Black Bay model dubbed the Black Bay 68. At a glance, the watch is much the same design as most of the other models in the popular dive series, but now framed at the largest diameter yet for the time-only version at 43mm.
Sized at 43mm but called the “68,” the new watch follows the trend of other Black Bays in recent times being named after specific years of inspiration, such as the Black Bay 54 and Black Bay 58. The 68 thus takes its name from 1968, the year that, “TUDOR dreamed up what’s now become its aesthetic calling card: the emblematic Snowflake hand,” according to the brand. The design entered the brand’s catalogue the year after in 1969, though the modern Black Bay 68 marks the year prior, noting it as an important watershed moment for the watchmaker.
At launch, the model is being released in two variants, one with a “Tudor Blue” dial and the other with a silver-tone look. Besides the difference in color, the two watches opt for the same general features, inclusive of a 43mm Black Bay steel case that measures 13.6mm in thickness and is finished with satin surfaces and polished edges, and accented with a tight-fitting, screw-down crown and black aluminum bezel insert for its diving scale.
On the dial, we once again see familiar Black Bay, if not slightly more expansive than the standard 41mm flagship. In this way, an outer minute track outlines the look, with a modern snowflake-style configuration at work, sans any additional date function or other complication. The black accents on the sunray silver watch look particularly modern in their execution, while the blue variant is unique in its color to stand out in a crowd.
Water resistant up to 200m, the watches seem up to par with the other models in the collection in terms of practical usage. The movement backs this notion up, with Tudor equipping the watches with the Manufacture Calibre MT5601-U, a master chronometer certified by METAS as accurate to 0/+5 seconds per day. The automatic movement is capable of a power reserve of 70 hours, dubbed “weekend-proof” by the brand.
Available now, the blue and silver versions of the Tudor Black Bay 68 are being launched as serial production members of the brand’s catalogue, with pricing marked at $4,700.
To learn more, visit Tudor, here.
