Tudor Finally Gives Us a Black Bay GMT… with a Coke Bezel

Heading into this year’s Watches and Wonders show in Geneva, rumors swirled that Rolex was going to release a GMT-Master II with a red-and-black “Coke bezel.” That didn’t happen. Instead, the Crown gave us a stainless steel GMT with a black-and-gray bezel. But that doesn’t mean we were left without any Coke bezel GMT.

Tudor stole the show by unexpectedly releasing a Coke GMT of its own. But Rolex’s sister brand didn’t just slap a black-and-red bezel on the existing Black Bay GMT and call it a day. Oh no. Instead, the brand launched an entirely new model with the Black Bay 58 GMT. It’s the watch that many enthusiasts — present company included — have been clamoring for for years ever since Tudor launched the initial Black Bay GMT “Pepsi” back in 2018.

Now, I can happily say that the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT is real … and it’s spectacular.

The Black Bay 58 GMT Is Compact & Thin

The Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT is available on either a rivet-style bracelet or a fitted black rubber strap, both with T-fit clasps.Photo by Jack Seemer

The biggest complaints about the original Black Bay GMT was it was too large for many wrists, clocking in at 41mm across, 50mm lug-to-lug and a slab side that accentuated its 15mm thickness. When the brand followed that watch up with the 39mm Black Bay Pro a few years later, many were disappointed that the watch still was a chunky boi at nearly 15mm thick itself.

Perhaps feeling the heat due to increased competition from the likes of last year’s Spirit Zulu Time 39 from Longines, Tudor made sure the Black Bay 58 GMT’s measurements were pretty close to perfect. The watch measures 39mm across and 47.8mm long, but even more importantly, it’s just 12.8mm thick, allowing it to wear wonderfully on the wrist.

A Number of Impressive Firsts

Some of the Black Bay 58 GMT will be familiar to Tudor GMT fans. For instance, the faux-rivet style bracelet is still an option. But there are also a number of new features and options on the watch that haven’t been seen on other Tudor GMTs before.

First up is the choice of a fitted black rubber strap in place of the bracelet. It’s the first time such a strap has been offered on any Tudor GMT. Both the strap and the bracelet are also equipped with Tudor’s quick-adjust “T-fit” clasp, which is present on the bracelet of the Black Bay Pro but is absent on the Black Bay GMT.

The glossy aluminum bezel insert is a first for Tudor.Photo by Jack Seemer

The Black Bay 58 GMT is the first GMT from Tudor that can be described as “thin.”Tudor

Next, the Black Bay 58 GMT is a METAS-Certified Master Chronometer, giving it higher precision and magnetic resistance, among other things, compared to a standard COSC chronometer. Tudor has been adding METAS certifications to more of its roster over the past two years, but this is the first time the brand has ever given the treatment to a GMT watch.

It’s technically a new movement, the Manufacture Cal. MT 5450-U, but it functions the same as the MT5652 in other Tudor GMTs. The power reserve is slightly lower, though, dropping from 70 to 65 hours.

There’s also the crown and bezel. Obviously, it’s Tudor’s first Coke bezel — though the black, burgundy and gilt coloring gives off more of a vintage Rolex 6542 “Pussy Galore” vibe than a coke can — but it’s also Tudor’s first glossy aluminum bezel insert. Finally, the crown features the Tudor crown logo, which is another first for a Tudor GMT.

The watch is available this month from Tudor retailers, with SRPs of CHF 4,300 on the bracelet or CHF 4,100 on the rubber strap. But don’t be surprised if the Black Bay 58 GMT proves impossible to get, at least for a while. This is the watch a lot of people have been waiting years for Tudor to make, and now that it’s here, I expect it’s going to quickly emulate big brother Rolex’s GMTs by becoming a waitlist mainstay.

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