Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight M79030N

The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight (ref. M79030N) is a 39mm stainless-steel dive watch introduced at Baselworld 2018 as a slimmer, vintage-proportioned member of the Black Bay line. Its name references 1958, the year Tudor released its first 200m-rated diver (ref. 7924, nicknamed the 'Big Crown'), and the M79030N is the debut black-and-gilt variant, carrying a matte black dial with gilt (pink-gold-toned) snowflake hands and hour markers. It is powered by the COSC-certified in-house Calibre MT5402 with a 70-hour power reserve, is water-resistant to 200m, and was offered on a riveted steel bracelet (-0001), brown leather (-0002), or black fabric strap (-0003).

Tudor introduced the Black Bay Fifty-Eight at Baselworld 2018. The name refers to 1958, the era of Tudor's early divers. According to monochrome-watches, "reference 7924, which was dubbed the Big Crown, was the source of inspiration" for the watch, and the black-and-gold colour scheme was picked up from "a 1958 Oyster Prince model." Time and Watches similarly notes the watch draws on Tudor's 1950s dive heritage, including hands "known to collectors as snowflake."

The reference translates that heritage into a smaller case than the standard Black Bay: 39mm in diameter rather than 41mm, closer to the roughly 37mm proportions of the vintage originals. Retro cues carried over include the gilt dial treatment, the angular snowflake hour hand, and a riveted steel bracelet that monochrome describes as being "just like the folding bracelets of Tudor divers of the 1950s and 1960s, with visible rivet heads."

Within the Black Bay family, the M79030N (black dial, pink-gilt accents) was the debut model of the Fifty-Eight sub-line, later joined by other dial colours. It established a slimmer, more vintage-scaled alternative to the 41mm Black Bay while retaining the 200m rating and manufacture movement that define the collection.

The Black Bay Fifty-Eight is powered by Tudor's in-house Manufacture Calibre MT5402, a self-winding movement. Time and Watches records that it is "certified as a chronometer by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute" (COSC) and runs at "4 Hz (28,800 vph)" with a 70-hour power reserve. Monochrome lists the movement as 27 jewels and roughly 26mm in diameter.

The caliber uses modern regulating technology. Monochrome notes a "non-magnetic silicon balance spring" and a "variable inertia balance fixed by a sturdy bridge," and Millenary Watches likewise cites a "silicon hairspring" and free-sprung balance. These features, together with the 70-hour reserve, are common to Tudor's MT-series manufacture calibers rather than to the outsourced ETA-based movements used in earlier Black Bay models.

The MT5402 is a time-only caliber sized specifically for the 39mm Fifty-Eight case, distinguishing it from the larger MT5602 used in the 41mm Black Bay. Its combination of chronometer certification, a long power reserve, and a silicon hairspring reflects Tudor's shift toward fully in-house movements across the range.

The Fifty-Eight measures 39mm in diameter, 11.9mm thick, and about 47.75mm lug-to-lug, with 20mm lugs; Millenary Watches notes the riveted steel bracelet tapers from 20mm down to 16mm at the clasp. These figures are corroborated across monochrome-watches, The Watch Lounge, and Millenary Watches.

The Watch Lounge describes the result as "a very wearable, very attractive dive watch," positioning the 39mm case as a middle ground: "larger than the 37mm original. But smaller than the standard 41mm Black Bay." Monochrome frames the reduced height as "a completely different approach on the wrist" compared with the thicker 41mm model.

Because the reviewer measurements cluster tightly around a slim 11.9mm profile and a sub-48mm lug span, the commentary consistently emphasizes compact, vintage-scaled wearability rather than the wrist presence of a modern 41–43mm diver. No first-hand impressions beyond these published reviews are asserted here.

The black-and-gilt Fifty-Eight (M79030N) was offered from launch in three factory configurations that share the same case, dial, and movement: a riveted steel bracelet (M79030N-0001), a brown leather strap (M79030N-0002), and a black Jacquard fabric strap with a gold-coloured band (M79030N-0003). Time and Watches documents all three strap options, describing the "riveted steel bracelet inspired to the bracelets of 1950s and 1960s Tudor watches" alongside the leather and fabric alternatives.

Pricing differed by configuration rather than by specification. Monochrome lists the bracelet version at a higher price than the strap versions, reflecting only the choice of steel bracelet versus leather or fabric. The M79030N is the black-dial, pink-gilt reference of the Fifty-Eight; Tudor subsequently expanded the sub-line with additional dial colours, but those carry different reference numbers.

At launch, monochrome-watches reported the M79030N at USD 3,575 on the steel bracelet and USD 3,250 on the leather or fabric strap (CHF 3,400 and CHF 3,100 respectively). The watch was sold through Tudor's authorized dealer network beginning in mid-2018.

Demand quickly outstripped supply. The Watch Lounge notes the model was "hard to find at retailers," with secondary-market examples "command[ing] premiums due to scarcity," and monochrome similarly characterizes it as highly sought-after. Prospective buyers should treat any figure above the launch MSRP as market-driven rather than official; no current street price is asserted here, and availability at retail has historically varied by market and dealer.