Winner of a 2020 GPHG award and perhaps more impressively, the Fifth Wrist Diver of the Year at the 2020 Wristies Awards, the Tudor Black Bay Blue 58 is one of the most talked about watches to come out of 2020. But are we all just falling victim to Insta-hype?

As 2020 drew to a close, I wanted to mark the end of an especially shitty year with a special pandemic year watch. I typically prefer vintage divers from an era of more classic aesthetics and moderate proportions. However symbolically, it was important to get something forged in the fires of a particularly hellish 2020; Something that still triggers nostalgia for simpler times, but robust enough to cope with potential armageddon.

The Tudor Black Bay Blue 58 seemed to fit the bill (and wrist) perfectly. Upon strapping it on for the first time, the BB58 is a bit of an enigma. The classic design and dimensions might give the impression of vintage, but on the wrist this watch feels surprisingly substantial and modern. So, if you are accustomed to vintage divers with similar dimensions, you’ll find the wearing experience to be completely foreign. However, it does sit comfortably on my 6.75 inch wrist and should work well on my fellow chicken-wristed brothers and sisters.

Contributing to the beefy feel of this piece is Tudor’s characteristic “love-it-or-leave-it” slab-sided case. The sides of the Tudor Black Bay 58 Blue’s case are polished to a mirror finish so you’ll most certainly notice it — along with every fingerprint, scratch, and ding it will inevitably pick up. The crown is stamped with a nice Tudor rose but I wish it was etched as the relief looks a little soft. And while the coin edge bezel lends a very attractive modern touch to the classic diver architecture, it is pretty difficult to grip and will give your pincers a workout when turning. The lack of drilled lugs and the bracelet’s controversial faux rivets speak to a general sense that the BB58 is awkwardly stuck between Tudor’s current luxury status and working-class past. However these are minor quibbles in the grand scheme of everything else they got right.

Its namesake blue dial is certainly the main event here. Many describe it as navy but it’s a tough call as it can take on qualities of everything between cobalt to midnight depending on the light — one of its beguiling charms. Not to be left out, the color of the aluminum bezel insert is also matched with the dial. Add in the iconic snowflake hands to the mix and you begin to recognize a definite nod to the Marine Nationale Tudors of the 1970s. However, together with the dial’s round indices and the case’s distinctive lack of crown guards, this Tudor Black Bay is definitely its own thing.

If the dial is the main event, then the bracelet is certainly a strong under-card. Much like the rest of the watch, it looks vintage but make no mistake, this is a precision-engineered object befitting the BB58’s sturdy build quality (no nostalgic rattle here). It’s just a shame that Tudor chose not to offer the same kind of easy clasp adjustment system that comes with the Pelagos or Rolex Sub; They’ve already invested the time and capital into developing it, so it’s puzzling why Tudor went with an inferior spring-bar system instead. Aside from that glaring omission, it’s one of the finest bracelets I’ve experienced.

At the end of the day, the Tudor Black Bay Blue 58 is no doubt a near perfect execution of a modern-day classic diver. It’s a great watch to be sure, but given all the hype, one could easily be forgiven for expecting this release to have been more… you know… exciting. I find this watch to be more sensible than earth-shattering. It’s attractive but does not attract attention. This is not the one that smacks home runs out of the park every night, but it will get you on base every single time. This is not your temperamental Ferrari supercar, but your well-mannered Mercedes. This is not the one night stand — this is the one you marry.