The Heritage collection by Tudor began in 2010 with a new edition of a 1954 diving watch. That piece was 41 mm in diameter, with all the classic elements of a dive watch, including a unidirectional rotating bezel and a 200 metre water resistance. Last year, a new 36 mm Black Bay was presented, and this year, 2017, Tudor has increased its size to 41 mm in the Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41.
A dressier Black Bay
It combines something of the Black Bay diving heritage with touches of dress watch aesthetics. The watch glass is flush with the bezel in polished steel, and both watch glass and the glossy black lacquer dial are flat and not domed. The case is a little thinner with respect to other Black Bay models, and this helps it slip under a shirt cuff.
Careful detailing
Other details come from Tudor’s history. The hands are well proportioned with respect to the new, larger dial size, and they have the classic snowflake design that dates back to 1969 and the Tudor Submariner 7016/0. The words “rotor – self winding” on the dial are another reference to historical precedents. The crown is large, with a black enamel Tudor rose and a black anodised aluminium winding shaft. Overall, it’s a simple watch, but the detailing is excellent, with subtle touches such as the bevel on the case edges.
Steel bracelet or leather strap
There are two strap options, a steel bracelet, or a leather strap with steel folding clasp. Personally I think that the bracelet is the way to go: I don’t really like the colour of the leather strap. The bracelet doesn’t have the riveted detail that is characteristic of other Black Bay models: the rivets are used only on Black Bay watches with in-house movements, and this watch has a movement by ETA.
Unique complimentary jacquard canvas strap
In any case, whether you choose bracelet or leather, you also receive an extra strap with a light/dark grey camouflage design. This is unique on the market: it is made in France on old jacquard machines, and so it has a thickness and texture that set it apart from other canvas straps and give it more body.
ETA movement
This is an entry-level Tudor and so it has the self-winding ETA 2824 movement, with 38 hours power reserve.
Price and reference
The Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41 is reference 79540, and it is available from April 2017. It costs 2,800 Swiss francs, £2,000 (inclusive of VAT) with steel bracelet. The version with leather strap costs 2,500 Swiss francs, £1,790 (inclusive of VAT). Read more on the Tudor website.