Rolex’s accessibly priced sibling Tudor debuted a Black Bay 58 timepiece — with a solid 18K yellow gold case and bracelet — this year at Watches and Wonders.

Like Rolex, which introduced a Deepsea 18K Yellow Gold in 2024, the Tudor announcement of the Black Bay 58 18K comes off as an odd release, considering both are dive watches designed for sporty endeavors.

At $32,100 the 18K yellow gold Black Bay 58 is just over 8 times the price of a standard stainless steel Black Bay 58 ($32,100 vs. $4,000) with a steel bracelet. Similarly, the 18K Yellow Gold Deepsea is almost 4 times the price of the base Rolex Deepsea ($52,100 vs. $14,150).

Both the Black Bay 58 18K and the Deepsea 18K Yellow Gold come when gold is at a record high, and inflation and a predicted watch-selling slowdown loom over the industry. Surely the models will be made in low quantities compared to their non-precious metal counterparts. But why even make such timepieces?

In a time when the hype has mostly subsided, this could be a way to bolster profits without pushing out larger volumes of timepieces. It could also be indicative of both brands moving further upscale. It’s something Tudor or Rolex executives may comment on, though it’s unlikely we’ll ever know the why.

The case has the same existing 39 x 12.7 mm dimensions as other Black Bay 58s, and the movement is not the latest new Master Chronometer caliber, instead, it’s the existing caliber MT5400 COSC-certified model, which is not bad (leaving the factory adjusted to a rate of -2/+4), but begs the question of why someone would pay such a high price tag for the oldest technology.

On top of all this, 18K gold is a heavy metal, which is a paradox considering that serious dive watches are made of non-precious metals such as stainless steel and titanium.

The Black Bay 59 18K (Ref. M79018V-0006) retails for $32,100.

 

Photos by Tudor.