It’s clear that Tudor is actively listening to its audience. Coke (ish) bezel? Check. Thinner case? Check. In-house chronometer-certified movement? Check. A dash of gilt and minimal dial text? Check and check. It’s no wonder that the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT is the release that many are most excited about at Watches & Wonders 2024. We went hands-on with the freshly minted Black Bay 58 GMT to see if it lives up to the press-fueled hype in the metal. Spoiler alert: it does.

It’s not uncommon to hear people lamenting about the thickness of some Tudor watches. Take for example the two other GMT watches in the Tudor catalog, the Black Bay GMT and Black Bay Pro, both clocking in at 14.6mm thick. The new Black Bay 58 GMT does not have this problem. At 39mm in diameter, 47.8mm lug-to-lug, and 12.8mm thick (dimensions are similar to the standard Black Bay), it wears very well. That’s just 0.9mm thicker than a standard Black Bay 58 and almost 2mm thinner than the two other Tudor GMT watches. As you can see in these photos, it’s a great fit on Ed Rhee’s wrist — there’s no excess bulk to speak of. Plus, the female end-links translate to a nice drape around the curvature of the wrist for added comfort.

Dimensions aside, the steel case includes the customary mix of satin finishes, polished surfaces, and beveled edges. As is expected from Tudor, the quality and execution of the case are excellent. Water resistance is 200 meters, the rose-relief crown is screw-down, and the domed crystal is sapphire. A prominent feature of the case is, of course, the black and burgundy bezel; the Coke colorway that was expected to be at Rolex’s stand this year but delivered instead by dutiful Tudor. The anodized aluminum bezel insert sits on top of a bidirectional notched steel bezel and includes gilt numerals to match the gilt dial details. The color of the numerals is a touch more orange than perhaps necessary, but it’s close enough to that golden look it’s striving to achieve. The bezel is glossy and can look quite shiny or more subdued depending on lighting.

The overall look of the watch is in line with the standard black-dial Black Bay 58, straddling that line between vintage-esque and modern tool. The subtly radial-brushed black and slightly domed dial is home to retro-inspired gilt hour markers, accompanied by a minute track and text in the same tone. Refreshingly, there are only two lines of text on the bottom portion of the dial, keeping it nice and clean. Along with the four hands on the dial, there’s also a date window at 3 o’clock; the lighter background of the date disk works here as it continues the flow of the lumed hour markers. Whether contrasting or coordinating, everything on the dial works well together, resulting in a sharp and easy-to-read face.

Tudor offers the Black Bay 58 GMT exclusively with a stainless steel case but with the option of either a rivet-style steel bracelet or a black rubber strap. The rubber strap is sold in three sizes and each size includes a cut line for even more personal tailoring. The underside of the strap includes snowflake-style embossing for a better grip around the wrist. Both the bracelet and strap options benefit from the easy-to-use T-Fit clasp, allowing on-the-go adjustments across five positions spanning 8mm— another considerate touch on Tudor’s part to help us all find that perfect fit.

I prefer the look, fit, and feel of the bracelet over the rubber strap but I do think a Jubilee-style one would work even better at playing up the retro vibe. The lug width of the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT measures a strap-swapping-friendly 20mm, so it could be the most monster of all strap monsters in any given collection.

The screw-down steel caseback hides an important feature of Tudor’s newest “flyer” GMT watch — the brand new Manufacture Caliber MT5450-U automatic movement, certified by both COSC and METAS, hence the “MASTER CHRONOMETER” inscription on the dial. The power reserve is slightly less than Tudor’s two other GMT models at 65 hours (compared to 70 hours) but makes up for it by abiding by the METAS criteria of 15,000 gauss of magnetic resistance and an accuracy variance range of -0/+5 seconds a day.

Thanks to its appealing aesthetics, thoughtful proportions, and superb functionality, the Black Bay 58 watch will be another smash hit in Tudor’s already impressive stable. The brand’s ability to give people what they want is working in its favor; if there were a collective watch community wish list, this new GMT model would check off a lot of boxes. The Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT is priced at $4,400 USD on the rubber strap (Ref. 7939G1A0NRU-002) and $4,600 USD on the steel bracelet (ref. (Ref. M7939G1A0NRU-001). For more information, please visit the Tudor website.