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Nono01
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In the second half of 2023, Tudor surprised enthusiasts by releasing the Black Bay 54 - its smallest dive watch yet at 37mm. This addition rounded out the lineup alongside the Black Bay 58 and Black Bay 41. My first thought? Big deal. A unisex watch - finally, something that won’t look like it’s going to snap a woman’s wrist in half. Honestly, I thought it would be another Black Bay I’d glance at and then skip.
For years, one of the most common questions I get is:
"I have around €3,000 and I want a great pre-owned watch that will last forever. What should I get?"
My answer, without hesitation, has been the Black Bay 58. I reviewed it back in 2022, and it’s still lodged in my mind as Tudor’s ultimate value proposition. If you want the look of a vintage Submariner but without the headaches that come with vintage mechanics, the Black Bay 58 is the answer.
The Black Bay 58 is a perfect mix: gilt accents (not for everyone, I admit), an oversized crown, a red bezel pip, and the near-perfect 39mm size that hits the sweet spot between too big and too small. It works with everything - leather, rubber, or steel bracelets - and pairs as easily with jeans as with a blazer. In watch enthusiast lingo, it’s what’s called a GADA - “Go Anywhere, Do Anything” watch. And that was true… until recently.
First Encounter with the Black Bay 54
Summer morning, coffee with a friend. I glance at his wrist - “Black Bay 58?” I think. Nope, it’s the Black Bay 54. Wait a minute - 54 is just 37mm? Why doesn’t it look tiny? I put it on, and my brain refuses to reconcile what my eyes are seeing: the size and the wrist presence don’t match. Time to dig into why.
Search “Tudor Black Bay 54” online and you’ll get a flood of reviews. Here, I’ll skip the generic copy-paste spec sheets and focus on what really separates the Black Bay 58 and the Black Bay 54 - and how to decide which is right for you.
The Backstory
At first glance, the Black Bay 54 might seem like a shrunken Black Bay 58. But that’s an oversimplification. The Black Bay 58 is a partial reinterpretation of the Submariner ref. 7924 from 1958 - hence the “58” in the name. I say partial because it only shares some DNA: no Mercedes hands, the “smiley dial” disappeared at the end of the ETA era, the bezel insert has gilt markings, the case shape is different, and the size grew to 39mm. Still, the Black Bay 58 hit a sweet spot for most people who wanted a sport-diver in ideal proportions.
The Black Bay 54, on the other hand, is the closest Tudor has come to a faithful reimagining of a true vintage diver - specifically the Submariner ref. 7922 from 1954. The aluminium bezel insert is old-school: no minute hash marks, just five-minute intervals. The hands, indices, and dial text are in warm gilt tones, but only on the dial itself, avoiding the “overly soaked in vintage” look.
Water resistance is still a serious 200m, even though the case is smaller and slimmer, with a crown about half the size of the Black Bay 58’s. The crystal is sapphire instead of acrylic, but it’s domed and offers that charming distortion at the edges - the kind that makes vintage watches feel alive.
Another immediately practical upgrade: the Black Bay 54 comes with Tudor’s T-Fit clasp - a summer lifesaver when your wrist swells and shrinks during the day. One quick adjustment and you’re back to perfect fit.
Small Details, Big Impact
No Mercedes hands. No smiley text. No Tudor rose logo. But the now-signature Snowflake hands remain. The Black Bay 54’s dial also differs from the Black Bay 58’s matte black - here, it’s a subtle sunburst that only reveals itself under strong light at the right angle. The rest of the time, it reads as deep black.
Inside beats Tudor’s Calibre MT5400 by Kenissi - COSC certified, regulated to -2/+4 seconds a day, with a 70+ hour power reserve and running at 28,800 BPH. In short: wind it, set it, forget it.
On the Wrist - The Surprise
A few hours into wearing the Black Bay 54, I started to suspect something strange - how is this “small” watch feeling better than my paper-perfect Black Bay 58? I borrowed a Black Bay 58 from another friend for a side-by-side test.
It comes down to three things: thickness, weight, and bracelet.
On paper, the Black Bay 54’s case is only 0.5mm thinner, but in reality - especially with the slightly thinner sapphire - it sits noticeably lower on the wrist. It’s lighter too, so after a while, you forget you’re even wearing it. After two days with the Black Bay 54, switching back to the Black Bay 58 felt like going from running shoes to hiking boots.
As for size, I’m not exactly small: 190cm tall, 100kg, 7.5" wrist. I’m used to wearing 43mm+ watches, so I expected the 37mm Black Bay 54 to look comically small. It doesn’t. Why? Because Tudor kept the 20mm lug width - same as the Black Bay 58 - which keeps everything in proportion: bezel, hands, lugs, and end links. Put them side by side without looking at the bezel pip, and you’d have a hard time telling them apart.
Verdict
For me, the Tudor Black Bay 54 is the most successful retro dive watch Tudor has made so far. The crown, hands, and case all feel more in harmony, the vintage vibe is there but restrained, and the T-Fit clasp is a huge quality-of-life bonus. Finishing is exactly at the level we’ve come to expect from Tudor.
The key factor? You have to like vintage aesthetics. If that’s your style, the Black Bay 54 is an easy recommendation. If you already own the 39mm or 41mm versions and you’re happy, the upgrade might not be necessary.
The big question is where Tudor takes the Black Bay line next. The Black Bay 54 could remain the “purest” reinterpretation of the original, while larger models could become playgrounds for color variations and complications. We’re already seeing a light blue version. Whatever happens, fans of vintage-inspired Tudor divers now face a tough - but very pleasant - choice.
