The Tudor Black Bay 925: Is it Vintage yet?

I picked my 925 up on an eBay auction at a good price; mostly due to the condition being “well-used”. The flanks were decorated with many light scratches and the bevelled edges of the lugs were engraved with deeper grooves. Perfectionists might wince, but notice how I use the words ‘decorated’ and ’engraved’. Well, it’s because Tudor intentionally created this reference to wear those marks with pride.

The Context: A Modern Watch in Vintage Clothes

The 925 was released in 2021 and initially was in very high demand. It caused a stir because of the unique case material: a proprietary Tudor alloy made from 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other undisclosed metals. This measurement qualifies the case material as 925 grade, otherwise known as “Sterling Silver”. The case comes with a brushed finish; it’s a true subtlety to something featuring a semi-precious metal, but it serves to show that this watch is an exercise in tastefulness.

On the front of the watch, a taupe dial, unique to this reference, sits beneath a raised box sapphire crystal. Surrounding the crystal is a taupe bezel, featuring coin-edge knurling. The taupe, as others have noted, is more of a faded warm grey. So it starts off with entirely vintage cues, but then the applied markers and handset feature white Super-LumiNova: no faux-patina here.

A Different Approach

So why would Tudor make a precious metal brushed, and apply it to a dive watch? Well, it was made to age in — not out. The brushed finish means that scratches and wear build into this watch’s character rather than stand out as flaws.

This reference is a Tudor skunkworks experiment intended to be an alternative to the faux-patina watches that have recently flooded the market, but have somewhat gained a bad rep. Tudor thought, what if we can use a unique case material to accelerate vintage, rather than artificially baking it in at the factory?

In addition to the scratches that come from the soft silver metal, silver naturally tarnishes when it comes into contact with moisture. On my example, tarnish has developed exclusively in the grooves of the crown and bezel, the areas that are not in frequent contact when you use the watch. The tarnish has occurred in places that feel natural. The patina feels, and is in-fact, entirely authentic.

Does the watch actually have history to back up its claim? It turns out it does.

History

The Black Bay 58 model line, from which this model originates, employs sizing and design elements from the 1950s Tudor Submariner “big-crown” references. Aspects such as the oversized crown, no crown guards, the no-date dial, the domed crystal, the dial markers and the chapter ring are all part of the proprietary design language that was carried over into the 58 line.

Photograph Courtesy of Tudor

Sizing-wise, the 39mm case is also historically accurate, which is brilliant to see in a modern dive watch.

Modern Features

Of course, there have been some modern introductions to the 58 line; after all, it has been 70 years. The water resistance is now a modern 200m (660 ft). The acrylic crystal is now a domed sapphire, the hour hand is the ‘Snowflake’ instead of the ‘Mercedes’ style, and the applied markers are filled with bright, modern Super-LumiNova.

Photograph Courtesy of Tudor

The movement is an entirely modern construction and does not share any similarities with the vintage Submariner’s problematic Calibre 390. The modern Kenissi MT5400 is a time-only hacking movement with functional elements: a ‘weekend-proof’ 70-hour power reserve, a balance bridge, 27 jewels, a silicon balance spring and a bi-directional monobloc tungsten rotor. Accuracy is achieved by the variable inertia balance and is micro-adjusted by a screw to achieve accuracy even stricter than COSC, at –2/+4 seconds per day.

The MT5400 is not highly decorated, which may make the sapphire caseback seem redundant until you remember that Tudor and Rolex reserve sapphire casebacks for their precious-metal variations, marking this reference with a trait of a very prestigious family. Winding and setting this movement through the chunky, solid-silver crown is a pleasure. Winding is smooth, with no phantom positions as you pull out the screw-down crown, reminding you that this is a true no-date movement purpose-built for the application.

Final Note

This reference does not have a silver bracelet, and instead comes paired with a NATO strap or a leather strap. For me, the choice is to go with the leather strap. It complements the watch beautifully, making it feel like something Indiana Jones might wear if he hadn’t signed with Hamilton.

The Black Bay 925 stands unique, being the first and only dive watch from a major brand to be made from solid 925 silver.

Photography Property of The Analogue Collective

It’s probably no surprise that I really like this watch. I enjoy things that get better with age because it makes you appreciate using them more. I would argue that the 925 is one of the best releases from Tudor in recent history; it fits perfectly with the historic elements of the 58 model line.

Is the 925 vintage? Well, of course not. But in a time when vintage watch prices continue to blow up auction records, the 925 gives you a vintage experience with none of the fragilities. I find the watch a joy to own and I wear it frequently.

I think, based on the residual values, people have misunderstood this reference. When buying a modern watch, values are tied to condition, with pristine condition fetching top dollar; but in the vintage game, it’s patina that truly sets the auction records. I think the 925 is appealing to the second group, but is currently priced in accordance with the first — making it an absolute steal on the second-hand market.

Photography Property of The Analogue Collective