Tudor Black Bay 'Rose Dial'

As a brand, Tudor needs no introduction. 

Although for years the brand played second fiddle to Rolex, Tudor has attained an identity all its own since relaunching in the US market a decade ago. Part of their appeal comes from producing watches such this one, a Black Bay, which stylistically bridges the gap between vintage and contemporary design in a way that’s hard to argue with — even for vintage purists like us!

The Black Bay is, along with the Pelagos, the brand’s take on classic Rolex and Tudor diving watches. In designing it, Tudor started at the very beginning of Tudor and Rolex dive watch history: The Black Bay incorporates a “big crown”, just like the first version of the Tudor Submariner, the Reference 7922. This historically significant watch used an oversized 8mm crown just like its Rolex counterparts, the 5510 and 6538. For its handset, the Black Bay makes use of a unique style first introduced on the most famous of vintage Tudor Subs, the Reference 7021 “Snowflake.”

This particular Black Bay, a Reference 79220R, features a 41mm stainless steel case, a luminous matte black dial with a matching ‘snowflake’ handset and gilt accents, signed crown, and a lovely burgundy unidirectional rotating dive timing bezel. This piece comes from the first generation of the model, which possesses an early 'smiley' text dial, Rose signature, and an ETA movement.

Fitted to Tudor’s excellent stainless steel bracelet with a signed locking clasp, it also includes its box set, booklets, an additional fabric strap with signed hardware, and a service card dated 2021.

If you’re in the market for a trusty, reliable dive watch with a little bit of if you know, you know, look no further — this is the watch to own!

Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf created Tudor in 1926 for the everyman — for miners, construction workers and all sorts of tradesmen. For your everyday person Rolex was sometimes — and is now more so than ever — out of reach. It was meant for the explorer and the businessman, whereas Tudor was to be a different creature entirely.
In creating Tudor, Wilsdorf wanted to offer “a watch that our agents could sell at a more modest price than our Rolex watches, and yet one that would attain the standards of dependability for which Rolex is famous.”
Tudors were in many ways Rolexes in all but name, with the same waterproof Oyster cases and similar styling. However, in order to keep costs down, the brand used off-the-shelf Swiss movements rather than their own in-house calibres. What resulted were watches that were more affordable than Rolexes to the consumer, but still uniformly tough and reliable.
Today Tudor has certainly defeated any impression of being the redheaded stepchild of the Rolex family, and their current timepiece collection — as well as their vintage counterparts — are getting the recognition and respect they most rightfully deserve. From the colorful “Home Plate” chronograph to the complicated Advisor, these models often picked up where Rolex left off, daring to be more bold and playful in their design. And now that the brand has introduced in-house movements while still managing to keep pricing modest, the company is better poised than ever to win the hearts and minds of millions of new watch enthusiasts.

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Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.