Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Tudor · Black Bay
Tudor Black Bay 39 mm Meteorite 18k
Reference 59455OR.85
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Tudor
- Collection
- Black Bay
- Model
- Tudor Black Bay 39 mm Meteorite 18k
- Reference number
- 59455OR.85
- Year / era
- 1951 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- Spring Drive
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 100 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 43C — Spring Drive
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1951 – 1962
- Limited-edition quantity
- 100 pieces
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Tudor Black Bay 39 mm Meteorite 18k sits within Tudor's Black Bay line, introduced in 1951. It carries the house codes established since 1926 — 18k rose gold case, meteorite dial and spring drive — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Tudor
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1926
- Founder
- Hans Wilsdorf
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Black Bay, Pelagos, Ranger, Royal, Glamour, 1926
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement
- Famous movements
- Spring Drive · High-beat automatic · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Tudor Black Bay 41 mm Ice Grade (1984) · Tudor Black Bay 39 mm Meteorite 18k (1951) · Tudor Black Bay 43 mm Meteorite 18k (1954) · Tudor Pelagos 39 mm Blue 18k (1997)
Brand history
Tudor has spent more than 100 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Black Bay, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Hans Wilsdorf established Tudor in 1926, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Tudor calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1926
Hans Wilsdorf founds Tudor in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Tudor to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Tudor enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Tudor continues to produce Black Bay, Pelagos, Ranger and other icons in limited numbers.