EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TUDOR BLACK BAY 68

Now, fast forward to 2025 and Tudor has introduced many versions that pays tribute to the original Tudor Submariner in the form of a BB54, BB58, BB41 and now we have a BB68. But, the BB68 isn’t just Tudor coming up with new numbers to name a model, this one has a particular significance. In 1968, TUDOR came up with the iconic Snowflake hand, which has since become their defining design. 

Shortly after that, in 1969, it was added to the catalogue and available for the public to purchase. The Black Bay 68 honours this significant turning point in the brand's development by using the year of the initial release as the name of the model today. The Black Bay 68's design incorporates "TUDOR Blue," another TUDOR staple, in the shape of a redesigned dial.

As far as the specifications this watch boasts, they are really quite impressive, something we have all come to expect from Tudor. It has a case Size of 43mm diameter with a 13.6mm thickness so it is by no means a small watch or like the other Black Bay models Tudor has released in recent times. As you could imagine, being a Black Bay model, it has the standard water resistance of 200 meters (or 660 feet) making it a very capable dive watch for those who enjoy exploring the oceans. 

Inside the BB68 we have the new and improved Tudor moments featuring METAS certification. The calibre MT5601-U, METAS Master Chronometer certified, beats away inside of the model and gives you a power reserve of around 70 hours. This is easily more than what anyone needs and really shows that Tudor’s watches are performing on paper similar to that of watch brands priced at over twice Tudor’s prices!

The BB68 comes in two variants, either their famous opaline dial, which is a sort of off-white colour with contrasting matte black hands and hour markers to make the legibility that bit better. Alternatively, you can opt for a striking royal blue dial with crisp white hands and hour markers offering a nice contrast. Both of these models feature the same black aluminium bezel with the minute gradation from 1 to 15 minutes. 

Something many people were quick to notice was the bracelet. Because, whilst it is only available on Tudors classic three-link style bracelet, it does not have the faux rivets. This has been something of a sore topic for many watch enthusiasts as there are many people who enjoy the nod to the original design but many also would prefer just a smooth polished finish along the side instead. Well Tudor listened and we now have a model that offers the bracelet with no faux rivets. Of course, it still has the fantastic T-Fit clasp giving you 5 mm of quick adjustments.

This has been a deliberate choice by Tudor to only release this bracelet on this new model to make sure it stands out just enough on its own to be able to have it launched as a new range all together. What’s more interesting is that they decided to release this model just a few tears after the Black Bay 41, especially given how widely successful it proved to be. The BB41 is already a larger sized watch but is still wearable for the vast majority of people however this BB68 will definitely only be for those with substantial wrists or those who do not mind an oversized watch. But, because the BB68 has two new dial colours and a bracelet with no faux rivets it will likely be a big hit amongst the watch community for these reasons. They’ve given us a bigger case but the great new features and colours that likely people won’t even complain about the size.

Another interesting point to note is that Tudor typically offers each and every one of their Black Bay models with at least two or three bracelet options. However, this is not the case for the B68 so if you wanted another strap for it, you would need to look elsewhere to find one. This is where ZEALANDE steps in to save you front eh trouble, the BB68 features a 22 mm lug width which means it can perfectly fit the universal strap or ZEALANDE's new single pass strap. Given that the B68 is already quite a big watch, to reduce the weight of it and increase the comfort of wearing it a single pass strap will help make the watch feel lighter on the wrist. Given that it is a sporty dive watch at the end of the day, a luxury and durable rubber strap will help give you that tool watch feel and look.

This model shows us that Tudor is prepared to expand the Black Bay range and will likely continue to do so until they feel they have every possible target audience covered. Which is particularly good for the brand to make every effort to create a watch that is perfect for everyone regardless of colour preferences, wrist size or design styles. The BB68 has been introduced at the right time seeing as Tudor have spent the previous few yeast refining and making the range clearly distinguished between all the watches. The BB68 gives us a fully roughed Black Bay collection now with 5 different sizes to choose from, over 8 dial colours and 4 strap options, it’s clear this is the line that makes Tudor what they are.