I have smaller wrists, I like vintage design, I enjoy swimming and I’m infatuated with watches – survey says… Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight.

Should you wish to get a quick hit of those things I like and might change about this watch, please scroll to the bottom of this article to review my high-level insights.

Prior to the 58’s fanfare release, the search for a proper dive watch of a modest size that appetizes the hunger for a vintage look was limited to just a few. Oris, Rado and Omega provide options that would comply with the above criteria. However, none of these offerings drove me to lust.

Enter the BB 58. The first time I saw it, my immediate reaction was that it looked fantastic. Despite my initial hype, I made sure to temper my excitement until I confirmed the dimensions (usually a make or break factor for me). To my surprise, the case diameter listed 39mm. Not only that, Tudor did away with the slab appearance by reducing the case height to 11.9mm. Reading these measurements bolstered my admiration for what I was seeing. As the moments passed, the decision was becoming more and more academic – this is the dive watch for me.

I went down to my local Rolex Authorized Dealer and got my name on a waiting list. As the months went by, I learned from other online watch resources the wait could be lengthy. Many people were reporting they had been on their respective wait lists for quite some time and the representatives at their ADs were not optimistic about in-store availability timelines.

During my wait, I took a trip to Salzburg for some sightseeing. While there, I thought I’d pop into the local Tudor AD, just to see what they had in-store – never passing a thought they may have a 58 available to look at. However, they did. I immediately asked if I could try it on. They obliged and any doubts I may have had about whether the watch would look good on my wrist were totally squashed. The more subdued size of the piece looked exactly as I would have hoped, sitting on my wrist. In the metal, I could tell without question – this Tudor was the ticket.

The example they had in-store was the version that comes on a branded leather strap with buckle clasp, of which I am not keen. I had no intention of buying the watch on this trip anyway and knew that I just had to be patient for a little longer and the waitlist back home would pay off.

About six months later, I got the call – “A Black Bay Fifty-Eight on a steel bracelet has just arrived in the store and it’s got your name on it”. I couldn’t get there fast enough. Upon arrival, a representative at the AD had it out on the cloth, ready for me. On the riveted steel bracelet, it looked much more balanced than the leather version I tried in Salzburg. I’ve heard some complain about the faux rivets, but I quite like the look. Once the bracelet was sized for my wrist, it was incredibly comfortable. It was a no-doubter – I was taking this watch home with me.

I’ve now owned the piece for as long as I had to wait for it and my affinity for the 58 has only grown stronger – to the point where I actually have to self-impose a rotation so that my other watches get some wrist time. If you ever get the feeling you just want a one-watch collection, this could certainly be a contender. I love all my watches, but this Tudor tends to make me neglect the others from time to time.

As I’ve already said, this watch is comfortable. It feels well balanced on the wrist and its proportions make it so it’s not in the way or clunky. Looking down at it now as I write this article, it gives me the sense that it can do it all. Robust enough to live up to its tool-watch lineage and “Bondian” enough to pair with a suit.

The gilt accents on the dial and bezel lux it up just enough and not so much as to feel out of place or gawdy – again contributing to the overall balance of the watch. The matte black dial works well with the creamy lume plots and the crimson red triangle surrounding the bezel pearl dashes a little bit of vibrance on to an overall desaturated colourway. Plain and simple, it all just works. It’s fascinating to see the look of the watch change under different light.

Another element of this watch that impresses me is its versatility. Whether I’m lounging on the patio in a short-sleeved button-down, suited and booted in the office or swimming in the lake, the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight is a welcome companion. Constantly drawing my eye, I sometimes have to fight looking at its attractive design to ensure I do not make those around me feel as if I’ve grown impatient or bored with their company.

What feeling does it give when I wear it? Who does it allow me to pretend to be? “Bond… James Bond”. Even though it isn’t a Bond watch, it does mimic the timepiece tastes of Connery’s 007. The BB 58’s design DNA is drawn from the Tudor Oyster-Prince Submariner (Ref. 7924), which itself is a nod to the Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538 – Bond’s watch of choice in Dr. No. So, I suppose it does give me that sense of stylish adventure and exotic exploration synonymous with the James Bond universe. With the Black Bay Fifty-Eight on my wrist, I can be a suave double-o agent with a licence to kill – in my mind anyway.

What I Am Obsessed With:

The dimensions, the dimensions, the dimensions. The size of this watch is absolutely ideal for me. It’s both elegant and robust – a very difficult balance to strike. Tudor nailed it.
The tapered oyster bracelet. It’s extremely comfortable but it’s the look that grips me – cascading down to the clasp. I love it.
The vintage aesthetic and colouring. I’m a sucker for old looking things.
The large unguarded crown. It just adds to the vintage feel and the tactility of that engraved Tudor rose speaks to the watch’s attention to detail.
The sound the coin-edged bezel makes when you rotate it. The thick click-click-click of the unidirectional rotation instills a confidence in the 58’s construction.

What I Would Change:

As much as I love the bracelet, I would really appreciate the addition of a simple to use diver extension on the clasp. The BB 58 is a great summer watch as it is sporty, has the looks and is, of course, ready for a dunk in the water. However, without a diver extension that can be actuated on the fly, you are unable to adjust for comfort as your wrist swells in the heat. It’s really too bad Tudor didn’t see this as a worthy function to include.
I’ve made it clear I’m an unapologetic fan of the vintage aesthetic this watch delivers. However, I’m going to double down on my vintage fixation and suggest that Tudor should have gone all in with the days-of-old design. I believe if they released a virtual duplication of the vintage Tudor Oyster-Prince Submariner, but with modern innards, that would be a dream. In my opinion, the predecessor’s Mercedes and lollipop handset is better. I don’t dislike the snowflake hands like some, but I prefer the Rolex handset styling. Also, Tudor really should have revived the rose logo on the dial, instead of the shield. The shield is a nice logo, but it pales in comparison to the rose in my mind. Continuing with the dial, the faux patina is a welcome feature, but I would have liked to see Tudor be even more bold with the aggressiveness of the patina colour. The subtle creamy colour they went with is nice, but it’s a little on the safe side. I think the dial would be even more alluring if they had have gone with a deeper custard colourway – much like the lume plots on the Steinhart Ocean One Vintage. Lastly, I know most will disagree with this, but I would’ve preferred a more curved acrylic crystal instead of the flatter sapphire. Yes, an acrylic crystal would scratch a heck of a lot easier, but the way acrylic showcases the colours of a dial and distorts its features is so enticing that I’d accept the diminished durability.
Whether you opted for the leather strap or steel bracelet, the set should have come with the fabric nato strap included. The 58 is a dive watch – it should come stock with a strap tailor-made for diving. Especially since Tudor includes a nato with other Black Bay editions. If they’ve made a practice of including an auxiliary strap with other variants of the Black Bay line, the 58 should not be excluded from this gratuity.
This one is not really a gripe I have, but I’ve heard it from many others and do agree with the sentiment, so I will include it. Tudor should release the 58 with alternative bezel colour options. One in red, one in blue, one in chrome and maybe even green. I am happy with the black option, but do agree that there should be a choice.
This is stretching, because I found it difficult to come up with five things I would change, but a nicer display box would be welcomed. There’s nothing wrong with the box it comes in but if it were a bit more substantial and came with literature describing the history of the design inspiration, I would enjoy that.

Final verdict – if you are in the market for a smaller diver with vintage styling, you would be hard-pressed to find anything that bests the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight in this price range. The things I would change are minor nitpicks. The 58 is comfortable, well-balanced, versatile, robust and gorgeous to look at. I, for one, am looking forward to adding some character to this timepiece as it weathers with time.