Hands-On: The Tudor Black Bay Ceramic And Its New Ceramic Bracelet

When it comes to Tudor’s releases from Watches and Wonders, most of the talk, no doubt, will be around the new, quirky Monarch model. But during my appointment, one watch caught my eye the whole time, and it’s technically not even new.

It’s the Black Bay Ceramic, now finally paired with a full black ceramic bracelet. I think it gets the award for most improved here, because paired with the bracelet, the watch is something that feels dramatically different from its previous editions. Since its launch in 2021, itself inspired by a 2019 Only Watch piece unique in ceramic, the Black Bay Ceramic has always come paired with a chunky strap, though that offered a few drawbacks, notably the exaggeration of the thicker sides of the 41mm case.  But it was obviously a limitation of Tudor and its suppliers that a proprietary bracelet would not be in the books.

Thankfully, that problem is no more, with an update that might have snuck by a few people. That means that attached to the 41mm diameter and 13.6mm tall case is a complete bracelet in matte black ceramic, endlinks and all. Now, for a watch like this from a major brand, there obviously are some concessions to maintain the $7,725 price point, a $1,600 increase from the one on a strap. It mainly comes down to finishing, as the ceramic case and bracelet do not feature the contrast of brushed and polished surfaces—rather, they’re sandblasted throughout. What this means is a more rugged, stealthy look, however, and actually a big reason why I like the Black Bay Ceramic over some of its more expensive, luxe-looking cousins. Hell, I’d probably enjoy a sandblasted take on a steel Black Bay anyway.

The bracelet is quite significant in its presence thanks to the thick, chunky links that accompany it, keeping the overall silhouette proportional to the chunky Black Bay case. A few of the links closest to the clasp are removable, secured to the others via a screw system. On one side is the flat head of the screw, and on the other is an oval cap that keeps the other end hidden. I asked the folks at Tudor about this during our visit to the booth today, and they informed me that you’d need to pry out the cap first before being able to remove any of the screws and size the watch. Though accidentally scratching the bracelet is not really a concern here, given the ceramic, this might be one watch to take to your AD to size.

Also, due to the nature of ceramic, we don’t have a typical Black Bay clasp, and certainly not the brand’s T-Fit microadjust. On this bracelet is a butterfly-style double deployant clasp, with triggers on the side to release the bracelet. Though losing T-fit isn’t usually a dealbreaker in my book, my impression is that this bracelet doesn’t come with half links, which makes a perfect fit probably trickier than on most Black Bays. Now, other brands have certainly achieved more at a lower price point, most notably Formex with its ceramic micro-adjustable clasp and prominent finishing priced a few grand under this Black Bay. But there’s obviously something still alluring about a much more iconic silhouette from an iconic brand, given the twist of a scratch-proof, all-black look.

With that all-black look of the case and bracelet, it’s a nice decision from Tudor to keep that unique greyed-out dial. The base is a sunray-brushed grey that moves in its striations from dark grey to light, punctuated by glossy black printing for the minutes track, logo, and dive rating. Applied glossy black indices and a matching glossy black handset are all filled in with a matte grey Super-LumiNova, which means that this dial actually contains a lot of legible contrast and distinguishes itself in this way compared to many other “blacked out” watches. Black-on-charcoal is how the brand describes it, and I’d say it’s pretty spot-on.

A radially brushed bezel insert in black ceramic, with engraved dive markings, completes the front. Though I think it’s important to note that the bezel ring itself is actually black PVD-treated steel, not ceramic. I’m sure this is due to ceramic’s higher shatter risk, though it means that the bezel ring itself might be the watch’s Achilles heel when it comes to wear and tear. It might be less of an issue if the ring is DLC-coated, though the brand did not specify its PVD process. Behind the closed caseback (also in PVD-coated steel) is the same METAS-certified manufacture MT5602-U caliber, with 70 hours of power reserve.

On the wrist, the new Black Bay Ceramic is incredibly comfortable on this new bracelet, which is honestly why it’s stuck in my head for so long that I’ve managed to write too many words about a not-new watch with a new bracelet. The ceramic has a surprising heft that certainly balances what used to be a very top-heavy feeling (and looking) case on a strap, and with all ceramic, you get a nice smooth feel on your wrist that’s just slightly cool to the touch at first. 

This watch also has the bonus of wearing slightly smaller than conventional 41mm Black Bays, thanks to the visual trickery of a dark watch, and I think that has a lot going for it. No, it’s not the most rugged, toolish watch in the lineup—far from it, in fact—but I feel just a little bit cooler when I put this on.