Rolex

Well, for those who think that 37 mm or 38 mm is not enough, I would like to say that a lot of collectors would almost sell their own mother to get a vintage Tudor Submariner such as the 7922, 7923 or 7924. And for those who think that Rolex didn't come with such a " small " Submariner, the 6200, 6204, 6205, 6538, 5510, 6536 and 5508 are here to prove the contrary. They all have the GRAIL Status.

The mighty 7922: 

The Black Bay 54 is not a revolution, because Tudor sure knows how to revisit and to reinterpret their past since the launch of the Heritage Chronograph, years before the first Black Bay. It is a natural evolution, and drives the Black Bay in a more nostalgic vintage world. Better said, it adds some vintage character to the Black Bay Family, thanks to its case, its dial, hands and bezel. 

1/ THE CASE

How can a case be considered as " Vintage "? 

The size, my friends, the size and the proportions! 

I already mentioned that the Rolex and Tudor Stars had a much smaller case than their contemporary siblings, that's a point. But the second point is more subjective. It gives some charm and sensuality the first Vintage Subs had. 

Same for the proportions: The diameter / height ratio is more homogeneous. While on the first Black Bay 41 mm case, the thickness was 14 mm ( from memory and approximately ) the new 37 mm case is only 11, 24 mm high... Which is much better balanced and... Nicer. 

The Black Bay Fifty Eight with its 39 mm case represented a step in the good direction, the " Fifty Four " goes farther. BRAVO! 

2/ THE DIAL

Black dial, gilt wording and indices, this is the well known recipe for a watch whose purpose is to pay homage to the past. They are the fundamentals, with some exceptions, the most famous being the Black Bay 58 " Silver " with its taupe dial and silver indices / hands.

The " 54 " doesn't make an exception to this stylistic rule. The Snowflake hour hand is still here, as it is a Tudor Signature which the brand obviously wanted to keep, but the second hand left it for a more conventional " small lollipop " closer to the vintage. Good point, but I would have gone farther with a big lollipop, just for the fun. 

The dial has a soleillé finish I never saw before in a Black Bay... 

I would have opted for the small rose rather than the shield, for this watch, and for the semi circular " self winding " mention, both details the first Black Bay, the Red, had in 2012, rather than the all straight wording, in order to dive deeper into the Past. 

3/ THE BEZEL

I am in love! The bezel is the Killer detail on this watch. It is faithful to the very first Tudor Submariners. Tudor decided to change the bezel around 1957, with 0 to 15 minutes graduations. So the " 54 " is clearly targeting the very first references. 

Is it a first for the modern Black Bay? No! The 2015 Black Bay Only Watch had it. But I am very happy to see this bezel back. 

It adds a lot of charm and purity to this watch. 

4/ THE CROWN

I was going to forget it, but it is an interesting detail. With its smaller size, it is deliciously integrated into the case, a clear reminder of the Tudor 7922, 7923 and Rolex 6204 / 6205 / 6536 and 5508. Well played once again.And finally we have this superb small rose which was the original Tudor Logo! 

5/ THE MOVEMENT 

I will just mention here that we have the " in house " Cal MT 5400, which offers a much better power reserve ( 70 hours ) than the vintage movements from Rolex or the FHF 390 housed in the 7922 / 7924, or than the ETA in the first Black Bay from 2012 ( around 40 hours ).

It is sometimes good to leave some place to modernity. 

6/ STRAP OR BRACELET? 

I am usually not a bracelet guy, but here I would happily make an exception. First of all it is nicely designed, then it only costs a few more hundreds of Euros / USD, and the rubber strap is the only detail I really dislike on this watch. 

The rubber strap is not at its place, here. It is  too modern looking in this vintage environment. But it is not a major problem, as you will easily find a cool Nato or strap, in Cordura, for example. But I would go for the bracelet and then play with Natos in alternance with the bracelet. 

CONCLUSION 

Don't judge the Black Bay 54 before seeing it in reality, with an open mind and heart. It is a great  " small " watch which is close, very close to perfection. 

I would have changed some details I already pointed out on this one, such as the small rose logo instead of the shield, a bigger lollipop second hand, and I would have left the snowflake hour hand, here. I would also have gone for a semi circular last line on the bottom. AND... I would have offered a super and high quality NATO or conventional strap, instead of the rubber. 

But as it is, no doubt that it will find its fans. I am already beguiled.

Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts,

Best.

Nicolas

I have a couple of thoughts, nonetheless:

- They are getting even closer to the original models with each new release, specially regarding the crown and the case thickness, but they have kept the snowfalke hands (most of them). The Black Bay family had its own style, the bezel grip, the crown, the hands, everything so distinctive from the original models from the fifties. Now, well, hopefully there won't be a next step with "mercedes" hour hands!!! 

- The next 58 should be same size, with graduated bezel insert (until 15 minuts), red triangle, the large crown from the newer 41 mm Black Bay. I would buy that, in spite of the smaller case size.

Have a great week everyone.

This piece was in the display case and available for sale. Unfortunately, the timing to pull the trigger was not ideal. But I will be adding this one to the collection in the near future.

I could never get an ideal fit with the BB58 since they don’t offer half links. But with the BB54, the bracelet has a micro-adjustment feature. So one should have no issues getting that ideal fit.

With respect to size, the data (numbers) doesn’t always tell the full story. As collectors, we need to remind ourselves to try on a piece before writing off a piece as too small or too large. Plus in this specific situation, the BB54 is quite faithful in dimensions to the original Submariner.

What you a wearing at the time plays a critical role. Now if you are wearing a 47mm Panerai and try on the BB54, it will appear too small. Vice versa, if you are wearing the BB54 and went to try on the IWC Big Pilot, the BP will appear too large. You need to give your mind an ‘adjustment period’ rather than making an immediate decision,

There are no doubts in my mind that I will be adding the BB54 to my collection. It’s been almost a full year since they were introduced. We should start seeing these in AD display cases more frequently in the next few months.

Thanks again, mon ami!🥂

The 54 has really grown on me.  I love my black 58 but the the size of the 54, coupled with the vintage elements and less gold, is appealing.

I agree with almost all of your comments (eg, the strap).  My sense is that Tudor wanted to preserve a certain robustness to the 54, as well as distinguish it from Rolex.  So, here, I may prefer the shield to the rose and actually do prefer the snowflake hand to the Mercedes hand of the 7922.  The simple hands of the 2015 Black Bay Only Watch are nice, but maybe too simple and not as easily distinguished.  I do like its larger crown, however, though the smaller crown of the 54 fits the watch well and is, no doubt, comfortable.

Overall, the 54 has great appeal -- true to the vintage spirit, yet with a modern movement and a certain aesthetic robustness (snowflake, shield, muscular/rounded lugs, and 20mm bracelet).  Cheers to Tudor for venturing down the smaller, vintage path and to you for highlighting it so well.