Hands-On: Tudor's New Silver Dive Watch: The Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925

Since returning to the US in 2013, Tudor has achieved a remarkable pace, and much of that success has been tied to dive watches. The Black Bay line came at the perfect time for the explosion of vintage-effect watches alongside the increasing attention – and values – tied to steel Rolex, vintage or otherwise. As if guided by some Swiss magic-8 ball, Tudor has reliably offered up a hit (or several) almost every year. Sometimes it was just a new color for the Black Bay, other years it has been new models, like the Black Bay Chronograph or even the more recent and very well-received 39mm Black Bay Fifty-Eight. Today, the Black Bay has some 36 models, not including those in bronze or those of the Fifty-Eight or Chrono variety. The formula is straightforward – but, as we have most certainly learned from the brand’s Spring 2021 releases – there is still plenty of room for surprises. Thanks to the strength of the consumer-friendly core of the Black Bay line, Tudor has been able to get a little weird and invest in niche plays. Case in point, less than a year after offering the conservative and straightforward Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue in steel , Tudor has followed up with not one but two precious metal Fifty-Eights, the solid gold Fifty-Eight 18K, and the solid silver Fifty-Eight 925. We’ll get to the gold in the coming days, but this story will focus on what has to be one of the strangest dive watches ever to come from Tudor. I love weird dive watches and I’ll admit that while I overuse the term “oddball” in my writing, it’s not a term I commonly deploy when describing Tudor (the funky P01 notwithstanding). That said, this right here is a 200-meter dive watch with a soft leather strap and a freaking solid 925 silver case. Silver is a strange and specific choice, as the metal is not commonly seen in watchmaking due to it being a relatively soft alloy that is prone to tarnishing. Add in that silver is more expensive than steel but not nearly as precious as white gold or platinum, and it's not hard to understand why silver isn't in heavy demand for watch cases, even less so those for sport watches. It’s an oddball for sure. And a delightful one at that. I have always been especially bad at predicting what will be announced at watch trade shows. So imagine me sitting at home in my PJs waiting for an early morning email to come in and announce the new Tudor Pelagos GMT (I was so confident...just like last year). Gold and silver? I sure didn’t see that coming. Starting with the easy stuff, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 is 39mm wide, 47mm lug to lug, and 12.7mm thick. Those Fifty-Eight heads among us will note, correctly, that the steel versions are 11.9mm thick. The 925’s extra thickness comes from its other uncommon design element, a sapphire display case back. While my calipers showed 12.5mm (what’s a couple of millimeters between friends?) I can confirm that the 925 wears a bit thicker than a standard Black Bay, but that the delta between 11.9 and 12.7 is most noticeable when the watch is fitted to a NATO strap. In spite of this (yes, I read the comments) the 925 doesn’t feel too thick and remains a much better fit for my 7-inch wrist than, say, a standard 41mm Black Bay. The case dimensions don’t make the 925 feel all that different from any other Fifty-Eight, but the color and tone of both the silver case and the taupe dial and bezel make for a unique wrist presence. The silver case is such a strange idea, even more so for a generally button-down brand like Tudor, and combined with the dial and bezel, the 925 feels exceedingly novel. The metal is warmer in color than steel and seems to take the brushed finishing in a manner that has a bit more fire than steel. It’s tough to catch in photos, but I generally desaturate steel cases to limit the amount of color cast in my images. For these photos, I did not do any desaturation or color correction for the case, and while the metal doesn’t seem to reflect as much as steel, it does have something of a glow. I guess this is what people are talking about when they rhapsodize over “luster.” It’s something worth trying to see in person, even if the idea of a silver-cased dive watch is not your cup of tea (a fair enough position). It does not look like steel, or white gold, or platinum. Additionally, Tudor says that this particular silver will not tarnish in the normal fashion, so only time will tell if that lovely glow is something that will need to be maintained. As for scratches, I think that will be its own issue as this very fresh press-loaner already had earned a few scuffs and scrapes by the time it landed at my door. As such, and this could not come as much of a shock, I wouldn’t expect the silver to match the harder-wearing nature of steel. Offered on a fabric strap or a leather bracelet, the 925 is not especially heavy. At 87g on the leather strap, it’s not heavy like a solid gold watch and the case is not weighty enough to make the watch feel unbalanced due to the lack of a matched bracelet. The bezel and dial are an incredible match for the tones of the case. In warm light, there are tones of brown, grey-purple, and dark charcoal, but under the light of a flash, the dial and bezel appear a well-matched middle-grey. As a fan of grey watches, I think it looks beautiful. The included leather strap is fine, but if I had one of these dressy Fifty-Eights, I think it would live on either a NATO or a simple tan leather strap, something with less contrast against the brighter tones of the case, bezel, and dial. The 925, along with its display caseback equipped sibling, the 18k, uses a new version of the MT5402 movement that we’ve seen in past Fifty-Eight models. Made slightly larger to better fill the caseback view, the MT5400 remains a time-only COSC-certified movement with automatic winding, 70 hours of power reserve, and Tudor’s 5-year guarantee. While the movement is not something of any exceptional finishing or architecture, there's a display case back nonetheless – another interesting element of the 925s design. Display case backs are not all that rare on dive watches, but they're uncommon to Tudor, and the addition does make the 925  (and the 18k) stand out among other Black Bays. On the other hand, I think the option of a solid caseback would be great for those who might prefer, as I would, an engraving to help make this heirloom-grade silver watch all the more their own. On wrist, the 925 shines. I easily like it as much as the Fifty-Eight Navy Blue, as what it trades in everyday practicality, it gains in unique appeal. Is this the dive watch I would recommend to a friend looking for a tough daily dive watch? No, certainly not. But as something of a dive watch obsessive, this is likely the Fifty-Eight I would want. These days, you can get an amazing, go-anywhere, do-anything dive watch for under $1,000. So, if I’m going to spend significantly more, I want the experience to be significantly different from my other dive watches, you know? And the 925 is very, very different. Where the Fifty-Eight was meant as a callback to Tudor’s roots in rugged, military-adjacent dive watches, the 925 takes that format and presents it in the form of a modern luxury product. It exists not out of some legacy of need, but rather fascination, and it’s all done without the usual dive watch tropes. It’s a desk diver for someone who loves to desk dive. For someone who usually prefers a dress watch. For someone who has a lot of dive watches that already fit the traditional mold. To form an automotive analogy, consider a car that most people know to some degree, the Porsche 911. The Black Bay 41 is a wide market all-rounder with enthusiast credibility, like the 911. The Fifty-Eight is vastly similar but even more invested in the idea of enthusiast appeal and a more specific experience, arguably more like a 911 GT3 Touring. Finally, the 925 takes the Fifty-Eight’s strong general appeal and simply ups the drama and effect in the hopes of speaking to those who want something more distinctive. In Porsche terms, this is similar to the 911 Speedster, which is itself a more niche and luxe expression of the GT3. You may hate the idea of a silver-cased dive watch, you may hate that it has a display case back, but in reality, the ship of legitimacy sailed a long time ago for dive watches. The context has changed and, especially for a luxury dive watch like the 925, the value is in little more than the appeal. While thankfully no slouch in terms of water resistance or build quality (if you want more specificity, read my Fifty-Eight Navy blue hands-on linked above), the appeal seems much more about how it makes you feel than how well the 925 aligns with the general tradition of the dive watch. Direct competition is a bit of a moot point, as there aren’t exactly a lot of silver-cased dive watches, let alone from one of the most popular manufacturers in the world (what a time to be into watches). Likewise, while silver can be understood as a precious metal, it’s much less expensive than the big three (gold, white gold, and platinum) so there’s not much use in comparing this $4,300 non-limited Fifty-Eight with other precious metal dive watches (the sibling Fifty-Eight 18k will cost you an extra $12,500 over the cost of the 925, for example). At a price premium of less than $1,000 more than a steel Fifty-Eight (even less if you compare against the versions on a steel bracelet), this feels like Tudor wanted to make something for Black Bay owners that maintained the base format but feels unique among the brand’s myriad dive watch options. Wantonly unconventional and, at the same time, entirely familiar, this watch baffled me upon announcement. Once I had a 925 in hand, though, I did a complete 180. It’s fun, lighthearted, and much more luxurious than a steel Fifty-Eight. Given the general strength of the Black Bay line and the perennial need for a headline-grabbing new watch, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 does just what it should – deliver heaping silver spoonfuls of uncut novelty. The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 is a 39mm silver-cased dive watch measuring 12.7mm thick and 47mm lug to lug. With 200 meters of water resistance, a display caseback, and a taupe dial and bezel. The 925 uses Tudor's MT5400 automatic movement with hacking, hand-winding, and no phantom date position, COSC-certified timekeeping, and a 5-year guarantee. Production is not limited and the 925 costs $4,300 and can be had with either a fabric or leather strap. For more,  visit Tudor online.In the shock of the season, Tudor made a diver from a most unusual material. Here's our review.