Sell your Black Bay · South Florida · by appointment
Sell your Black Bay to someone who knows which one it is.
A 79220 on an ETA 2824, a 79230 on the MT5602, a Fifty-Eight, a GMT, a Chrono, and a Bronze are all Black Bays, and none is priced against another. Send photos and I reply within 1 business day with an offer and the reasons for it.
- Fifty-Eight, 41, 54, GMT, Chrono, Pro, and Bronze on their own comparables
- Smiley dial, three-line dial, and T-fit clasp read from your photos
- Prepaid insured FedEx label, or an appointment in your county
Who this page is for
The Black Bay you own decides how I read it.
This page is for the owner of a Black Bay who wants to know which one they have in a dealer's eyes and what that does to the offer. The family runs from the 2012 Heritage Black Bay on a supplied ETA calibre to the 2023 refresh with a METAS certificate, through the Fifty-Eight, the 54, the GMT, the Chrono, the Pro, the Bronze, and the Ceramic.
Most Black Bays I see were bought new and worn daily, with the fabric strap still in the box. Some arrive with a marketplace quote that belongs to a different reference.
ETA versus in-house in general, the five-year card, and bronze patina are on the Tudor page. Here I cover only the Black Bay: the references, the sizes, the strap set, and what must be in your photos.
Selling a Black Bay to a private dealer
What a Black Bay specialist does differently.
Reference before condition
I place the watch first: 79220 or 79230, 79030 Fifty-Eight, 79000 54, 79830 GMT, 79360 Chrono, 79470 Pro, 7941 refresh. Then I judge condition against that reference.
The strap set is counted
Tudor put a fabric strap in the box beside the bracelet or leather. I ask for it, and a Black Bay with its spare strap is paid for as a set.
Bronze judged on its patina
A 79250 or a Fifty-Eight Bronze with an even, untouched patina is the watch collectors want. I never ask you to clean one.
Editions checked against the paperwork
Retailer and boutique editions, the Harrods green and the Bucherer blue among them, are confirmed from the card and the dial before I quote them above the standard reference.
What I check on a Black Bay
Six things that move a Black Bay offer.
The Black Bay-specific variables. Card, polish, and service are on the Tudor page.
Reference and calibre
79220 is the ETA 2824 watch. 79230 is the MT5602. 79030 is the Fifty-Eight on the MT5402. 7941 is the 2023 refresh with the METAS-certified MT5602-U.
Size: 41, 39, 37, 36, 32
The 41 mm diver, the 39 mm Fifty-Eight, the 37 mm 54, and the smooth-bezel 36, 32, and 41 each trade in their own pool.
Bezel and dial colour
Burgundy, blue, and black on the 41; black with gilt accents or navy on the Fifty-Eight; Pepsi on the GMT. A scratched aluminium insert is priced, not disqualifying.
Bracelet, strap, and the spare
Riveted-style bracelet, leather, or fabric at purchase, plus the spare fabric strap. The 2023 refresh added a five-link option and the T-fit clasp.
Bronze and patina
The 43 mm 79250 and the Fifty-Eight Bronze darken with wear. An even patina moves the offer up; a scrubbed case moves it down.
GMT, Chrono, Pro, Ceramic
The 79830RB GMT, the 79350 and 79360N Chrono, the 79470 Pro, and the Ceramic are their own references with their own comparables.
How it works
Four steps, Black Bay photos in the first.
01
Get an offer
Submit the appraisal form with photos of the dial in daylight, close enough to read the text at six o'clock, the reference between the lugs, the bezel insert, the caseback, the clasp open, the spare strap beside the watch, and the warranty card. I reply personally within 1 business day.
02
Ship or meet
Take the prepaid, fully insured FedEx label, or book an appointment in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach.
03
Inspect and confirm
I open the box on camera and check the reference, dial text, insert, bracelet, clasp, serial, and card. If it matches the photos, the offer stands.
04
Get paid
Wire or check within 24 hours of inspection. If we do not agree, the watch goes back to you, insured, at my cost.
The two Black Bays most people own
Black Bay Fifty-Eight against the Black Bay 41.
The question I am asked most. They share the look and little else.
| Criteria | Black Bay Fifty-Eight (79030 family, from 2018) | Black Bay 41 diver (79220, 79230, 7941, from 2012) |
|---|---|---|
| Case | 39 mm and slim; the proportions of the 1958 Big Crown | 41 mm; thin on the 79220, thicker on the 79230, trimmed on the 2023 refresh |
| Calibre | MT5402, in-house, COSC | ETA 2824 on the 79220; MT5602 on the 79230; MT5602-U with METAS on the 7941 |
| Dial and bezel | Black with gilt accents, navy on the 79030B; then silver, bronze, and gold cases | Burgundy, blue, or black; smiley dial on the 79220, three-line on the 79230 |
| Bracelet and clasp | Riveted-style bracelet, leather, or fabric; folding clasp with safety catch | Riveted-style from 2016; five-link and T-fit clasp from 2023 |
| What moves the offer | Up: full set with the fabric strap. Down: polished bevels, a missing link | Up: a first-run 79220 full set, or a 7941 with the card in date. Down: a replaced bracelet |
Directions, not figures. I show which rows moved your number.
The detail
What moves a Black Bay offer, reference by reference.
Black Bay 41: 79220, 79230, and the 2023 refresh
The Heritage Black Bay arrived in 2012 as the 79220R with a burgundy bezel on an ETA 2824; the blue 79220B and the black 79220N followed. These first-run watches have the thinner case, the curved Rotor Self-Winding line at six o'clock that collectors call the smiley, and a plain-link bracelet. In 2016 the 79230 brought the in-house MT5602, a thicker case, a three-line dial, and the riveted-style bracelet. The Steel, the Dark, and the two-tone S&G (79730, 79230DK, 79733N) are the same case with a date, a black PVD finish, or gold accents.
In 2023 the diver became the 7941A1A0RU: burgundy bezel, slimmer case, the MT5602-U with a METAS Master Chronometer certificate, the T-fit clasp, and a choice of riveted three-link, five-link, or rubber. A 7941 with its card in the five-year window is the easiest Black Bay for me to pay well for. A first-run 79220 full set has its own following, and I price it on that.
Fifty-Eight: 39 mm and the metals
The 79030N of 2018 is the 39 mm Fifty-Eight on the MT5402, named for the 1958 Big Crown and drawn with its proportions: black dial, gilt accents, a red triangle on the insert. The navy 79030B followed in 2020, then the 79010SG in 925 silver, the 79012M in bronze on a bronze bracelet, and the 79018V in yellow gold in 2021. The steel references are the Black Bays I see most and the deepest pool of comparables.
Black Bay 54, 36, 32, and the non-diver 41
The 79000N Black Bay 54 of 2023 is 37 mm on the MT5400 with the T-fit clasp and the proportions of the 1954 reference 7922. The Black Bay 36, 32, and 41 with a smooth steel bezel are the dress versions, on supplied calibres and without a date. They are not divers and I do not price them against the divers.
GMT, Chrono, Pro, and Ceramic
The 79830RB GMT of 2018 carries the MT5652 and a blue and burgundy aluminium insert. The 79350 Chrono of 2017 runs the MT5813, built on Breitling's chronograph base, and the 79360N of 2021 brought the panda and reverse panda dials. The 79470 Pro of 2022 is a 39 mm fixed-bezel GMT with a yellow hand. The Black Bay Ceramic is a matte ceramic case on a METAS-certified MT5602-1U. Each is its own reference, and the photo between the lugs is what I ask for first.
Bronze: the patina is the watch
The 79250 Black Bay Bronze of 2016 is 43 mm on the MT5601, first with a brown dial, later slate and blue. The Fifty-Eight Bronze is the 39 mm 79012M on a bronze bracelet. Both darken with wear, and the darkening is what the next owner is paying for. A bronze Black Bay scrubbed, dipped, or polished back to bright metal is priced as an altered watch. Leave the patina and photograph it in daylight.
Straps, bracelets, and the spare in the box
A Black Bay was sold on a riveted-style bracelet, a leather strap, or a woven fabric strap, and the bracelet and leather versions shipped with a fabric strap in the box. The 2023 refresh added the five-link bracelet and a rubber option. The spare strap, every link, and the hang tags are part of the set. A bracelet watch without its fabric strap sells as an incomplete set, and I say so in the reply.
When selling to me is not the right call
If you bought a current-reference Black Bay new this year and want close to retail, hold it; a dealer offer on a watch still in the boutiques will sit below what you paid. If you have a boxed, unworn 79220 or a boutique edition, a patient private sale may do better, and I will say so. If you want the watch sold this week and paid within 24 hours of inspection, this is the right page.
How to prepare your Black Bay submission
- The dial straight on in daylight, close enough to read the two lines of text at six o'clock.
- The reference between the lugs, the bezel insert from above, and the caseback.
- The clasp open, the bracelet laid flat, and the spare fabric or rubber strap beside the watch.
- The lug bevels from the side, unpolished; a heavy polish rounds them and cannot be undone.
- The warranty card beside the watch with the serial visible, and on a bronze, the case in daylight from both sides.
Questions, answered
Before you send a Black Bay
Is my Black Bay ETA or in-house?
Read the reference between the lugs. 79220 is ETA, with a curved Rotor Self-Winding line on the dial. 79230 and every later diver, including the Fifty-Eight, 54, GMT, Chrono, and Pro, are in-house.
Is the Fifty-Eight worth more than the Black Bay 41?
They trade in separate pools and the answer changes with the reference and the set. I quote each on its own comparables, and a full set lifts either one.
I lost the fabric strap. Does that matter?
It moves the offer down against the same reference with the strap, but it does not stop the sale.
Do you buy the Black Bay Bronze?
Yes, the 43 mm 79250 and the Fifty-Eight Bronze. Do not clean or polish the case; the patina is what I am paying for.
What if I have no warranty card?
I still appraise the watch. The offer is lower, more so on a recent reference where the card would still be in date.
Should I polish the bevels before selling?
No. A polished Black Bay loses the line between the bevel and the brushed flank, and that lowers the offer.
Sell your Black Bay
A real number on your Black Bay, in 1 business day.
Send the dial, reference, clasp, strap, and card photos listed above. I reply personally with an offer and the reference behind it. Insured shipping is on me. Payout within 24 hours of inspection.