Tudor Heritage Black Bay Bronze Ref. 79250BM – 43mm – Brown Dial – Full Set

The Tudor Heritage Black Bay Bronze 79250BM is one of the most distinctive early watches of the modern Black Bay era—a 43mm bronze dive watch that combines Tudor's historic diving vocabulary with a case deliberately designed to develop an individual patina over time.

Introduced in 2016, the 79250BM paired a substantial satin-finished bronze case with a rich brown dial, matching matt-brown bezel insert and Tudor's signature Snowflake handset. Inside sits the Manufacture Calibre MT5601, a COSC-certified automatic movement offering approximately 70 hours of power reserve.

This example has developed exactly the sort of character that makes the bronze Black Bay so appealing. The case has matured from its original brighter bronze finish into a wonderfully varied, aged surface, complementing the brown dial, brown bezel and heavily textured leather strap.

Even better, this example is accompanied by its Tudor presentation boxes, warranty card/papers and additional Tudor fabric strap as photographed, making it a particularly attractive collector's package.

Watch Details

• Brand: Tudor

• Model: Heritage Black Bay Bronze

• Reference: 79250BM

• Launch Year: 2016

• Case: Satin-finished bronze

• Case Diameter: 43mm

• Lug Width: 23mm

• Caseback: Bronze-coloured PVD-treated steel

• Dial: Domed brown dial

• Hour Markers: Luminous markers with Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9

• Hands: Tudor Snowflake hour hand with luminous hour/minute indications

• Bezel: Unidirectional bronze dive bezel

• Bezel Insert: Matt brown anodised aluminium, graduated to 60 minutes

• Crystal: Domed sapphire

• Crown: Screw-down bronze crown engraved with the Tudor rose

• Movement: Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5601

• Movement Type: Self-winding mechanical

• Certification: COSC-certified chronometer

• Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour / 4Hz

• Power Reserve: Approximately 70 hours

• Balance Spring: Silicon

• Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds and stop-seconds

• Water Resistance When New: 200 metres / 660 feet

• Strap Fitted: Aged brown leather strap

• Buckle: Tudor bronze pin buckle

• Additional Strap: Tudor woven fabric strap as photographed

• Included: Tudor inner presentation box, outer box, warranty card/papers/documentation and additional fabric strap as photographed

These specifications correspond to Tudor's original technical information for the 79250BM.

Condition

This is a particularly characterful example of the Black Bay Bronze, displaying the natural patination that is fundamental to the appeal of the model.

The bronze case has developed extensive tonal variation across the lugs, case sides and crown. Rather than the uniform golden appearance of a new example, the metal now displays a warmer, darker and more individual finish. This evolution is inherent to bronze and means that each 79250BM gradually becomes visually unique.

The case retains its strong overall profile, with the drilled lug holes—another deliberate vintage Tudor design reference—clearly visible. There are scratches, marks and surface wear throughout the bronze consistent with genuine use and the natural ageing of the material.

The brown dial presents beautifully, with its large luminous plots, Arabic 3-6-9 numerals and unmistakable Snowflake handset remaining highly legible. The chocolate-brown dial and matching brown bezel are especially attractive against the now-aged bronze case.

The bezel insert presents strongly and retains its rich brown colour with cream/gilt-toned markings. The domed sapphire crystal also gives the watch the warm profile associated with Tudor's vintage-inspired Heritage designs.

The fitted brown leather strap has developed considerable wear and patina, including surface texture, creasing and wear around the edges and adjustment holes. This is clearly visible in the photographs and complements the aged bronze case extremely well. The Tudor-signed bronze buckle has similarly developed its own patinated finish.

The watch is also accompanied by the additional woven Tudor strap shown with the set.

The original Tudor boxes, card and accompanying documentation are present as photographed, considerably strengthening the completeness and collector appeal of the package.

Please study all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

As with any pre-owned watch—and particularly a bronze dive watch—its original 200m factory water-resistance rating should not be assumed today without a current pressure test.

The Original 2016 Black Bay Bronze

The 79250BM occupies an important position in modern Tudor history.

Introduced in 2016, it expanded the Black Bay concept into an imposing 43mm bronze case, a material Tudor selected partly as an aesthetic reference to the brass historically associated with ships and diving equipment.

It was considerably more than a simple material change.

Tudor gave the watch its own brown colour palette, Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9, drilled lugs and an enlarged version of its Manufacture movement.

The result became one of the most instantly recognisable Black Bays of its generation.

Sotheby's describes the 79250BM as appearing in 2016 and notes the combination of its 43mm bronze case, brown dial and Manufacture MT5601.

A Case Designed to Change

Bronze is central to the personality of this watch.

Unlike stainless steel, bronze does not remain visually static. Exposure to air, moisture and the wearer's environment gradually alters its surface, producing a patina particular to that individual watch.

Tudor continues to describe the bronze Black Bay around precisely this concept: a 43mm bronze case whose appearance changes, drawing aesthetic inspiration from historic ships and diving equipment.

That makes a well-worn example fundamentally different from a steel sports watch.

The marks, darkening and tonal variations visible across this example are part of the material's evolving appearance, and this watch has now acquired a genuinely individual character that cannot simply be reproduced at the factory.

Manufacture Calibre MT5601

Inside the 79250BM is Tudor's Manufacture Calibre MT5601, developed specifically in a larger format suitable for the 43mm bronze case.

It is a self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor winding, a variable-inertia balance, silicon balance spring and stop-seconds functionality.

Most importantly for everyday ownership, it provides approximately 70 hours of power reserve. That means the watch can be removed on Friday evening and, under normal circumstances when fully wound, still retain power into Monday.

The movement is also COSC chronometer certified, reflected by the “CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED” wording proudly displayed on the dial. Tudor's original specifications confirm the MT5601, COSC certification and approximately 70-hour reserve.

The Tudor Snowflake Heritage

Although thoroughly modern mechanically, the design deliberately draws from Tudor's historic diving watches.

The angular Snowflake hour hand is one of the brand's defining signatures and first appeared in Tudor's catalogue in 1969. Tudor continues to explicitly connect the Black Bay Bronze with its historic divers, including the Snowflake hands, unguarded crown and drilled lugs.

The domed dial and crystal add further vintage influence, while the large crown and substantial bezel preserve the functionality expected of a proper dive watch.

It isn't intended to reproduce one specific vintage Submariner. Instead, it brings several historical Tudor design codes together in a modern watch.

The Additional Fabric Strap

One of the more interesting details of the original 79250BM package is its additional woven strap.

The 2016 model was supplied on aged brown leather with an additional fabric strap and bronze buckle included in the box.

There is also a historical inspiration behind it. Contemporary accounts of Tudor's launch explained that the beige-and-brown woven jacquard strap was influenced by a strap discovered on a vintage Tudor associated with the French Navy, fashioned from elastic material recovered from a French rescue parachute.

Having that additional strap present with this example therefore adds something more meaningful than simply having a spare band—it completes an interesting part of the original 79250BM concept.

Why Collectors Love the Tudor 79250BM

The 79250BM combines several qualities that make it particularly interesting within the Black Bay family: it is the original 2016 brown Black Bay Bronze, uses the distinctive 43mm bronze case, carries the Manufacture MT5601, offers approximately 70 hours of reserve and has a design that deliberately evolves as the bronze ages.

Its brown-on-bronze colour scheme also separates it immediately from the later slate-grey Black Bay Bronze references.

Then there is this particular example.

Rather than an artificially pristine bronze watch, this one has developed a substantial natural-looking patina across the case, crown and buckle. Combined with the heavily textured brown leather, the result is a watch with considerable visual character.

And because the original boxes, warranty card/documentation and additional Tudor fabric strap are present as photographed, it has the completeness collectors generally prefer when buying an important discontinued-era Tudor reference.

A Modern Tudor Built to Age

Some watches are designed to look essentially the same decades after leaving the factory.

The Black Bay Bronze was deliberately conceived differently.

Its case changes. Its surface darkens. The bronze responds to its owner and environment, while the brown dial and bezel provide a warm backdrop that becomes increasingly convincing as the case develops character.

This example demonstrates that concept particularly well.

It is unmistakably a modern Tudor, with a Manufacture chronometer movement, sapphire crystal and serious 200m diving specification when new—but its aged bronze case and distressed leather give it considerably more personality than a conventional modern sports watch.

43mm. Bronze. Brown dial. Manufacture MT5601. COSC. 70-hour power reserve. Full box and papers.

Built by time. Worn with character.