No. Tudor did not document a production return of the Oysterdate Big Block in 2024. The revival was a credible collector-focused prediction, published by Monochrome on 13 February 2024, but Tudor’s confirmed 2024 releases were Black Bay family watches, including the Black Bay 58 GMT and Black Bay Chrono variants.
What the Tudor Big Block is
The Big Block is Tudor’s first automatic chronograph family. Tudor introduced it in 1976 as a new Prince Oysterdate series. The watches retained the general lines of earlier chronographs, but their cases became thicker to accommodate the rotor of the self-winding movement. Collectors consequently called them “Big Block.”
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Tudor Heritage Black Bay GMT Stainless Steel Automatic Mens Watch M79830RB-0001 | $4,650.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Tudor Black Bay 54 Automatic Chronometer Black Dial Men's Watch M79000N-0001 | $4,619.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Tudor Black Bay Fifty Eight Automatic Chronometer Blue Dial Men's Watch M79030b-0001 | $4,949.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Tudor GMT 58 Black Bay | $5,449.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Black Bay 58 Tudor Black Bay 58 | $5,699.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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The nickname continued with the 79100 series introduced in 1989. Tudor’s historical record also identifies a 79170 produced in 1992 that retained the thick Big Block case.
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The movement behind the thicker case
The chronograph used the self-winding Valjoux Calibre 7750, with a cam-and-oscillating-pinion chronograph system and rapid date change. Tudor’s historical specification gives the movement a 30.4 mm diameter, a thickness 1.5 mm greater than the Valjoux 234, and a frequency of 28,800 beats per hour. These are historical specifications, not specifications for a modern Tudor product.
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- 41mm steel case with polished and satin finish
- Bidirectional rotatable bezel in steel with 24-hour graduated anodised aluminium disc
- Self-winding mechanical movement with 70 hour power reserve
Why a 2024 comeback looked plausible
The prediction was based on signals around Tudor rather than on a leaked product specification or a confirmed launch schedule.
The Only Watch Prince Chronograph One
Tudor made the unique Prince Chronograph One for Only Watch 2023. Its existence demonstrated that Tudor was willing to revisit the Prince chronograph name and its historical design territory, giving collectors a tangible precedent for speculation about a broader revival.
A return to motorsport
Tudor also returned to motorsport through its partnership with Visa Cash App RB. Because the original Big Block was a racing-associated chronograph design, that partnership supplied a timely narrative for a new Prince or Oysterdate chronograph.
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Rank #2
- Tudor Black Bay 54 Automatic Chronometer Black Dial Men's Watch M79000N-0001
Those clues made a 2024 return plausible, but plausibility is not confirmation. Neither signal established a production reference, movement, case size, price or release date.
What Tudor actually announced in 2024
Tudor’s Watches and Wonders Geneva 2024 material presented the Black Bay 58 GMT. It introduced a mid-size GMT with a new manufacture calibre and a burgundy, black and gilt bezel treatment.
Tudor’s 2024 press-room material also listed Black Bay releases and a Black Bay Chrono 2024 boutique edition. The documented releases reviewed for 2024 do not announce a production Oysterdate Big Block or a new Prince chronograph collection.
Rank #3
- Tudor Black Bay Fifty Eight Automatic Chronometer Blue Dial Men's Watch M79030b-0001
| Question | What is established |
|---|---|
| Was a Big Block comeback officially announced? | No production Oysterdate Big Block announcement is documented for 2024. |
| What prompted the forecast? | The Only Watch 2023 Prince Chronograph One and Tudor’s Visa Cash App RB motorsport partnership. |
| What did Tudor release instead? | Black Bay-family novelties, including the Black Bay 58 GMT and Black Bay Chrono variants. |
| Was the Only Watch watch a regular catalog model? | No. It was a unique piece made for Only Watch 2023. |
How a modern Big Block revival would be judged
If Tudor eventually revisits the idea, the important question will not be only whether the dial resembles a vintage watch. Collectors would need to assess the following.
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A faithful revival would need to address the Prince Oysterdate identity, including the date display, Big Block proportions and period chronograph layout. A watch that merely uses Tudor’s name and racing associations while adopting a wholly different design would be a modern chronograph, not a close Oysterdate continuation.
Case thickness and wearability
The thick profile is the feature that gave the watch its collector nickname. Tudor could preserve that substantial silhouette, reduce it for contemporary wearability, or redesign it around a thinner movement. Each choice would change how convincingly the watch carries the Big Block name.
Rank #4
- Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT "Coke" Automatic 39mm Black Dial Men's Watch M7939G1A0NRU-0001
Movement architecture
The vintage reference used the self-winding Valjoux 7750 architecture. A current manufacture chronograph could offer different dimensions, finishing, power reserve and service characteristics. A modern movement would not be historically identical, so the case height and dial layout would be central to judging whether the result is a faithful revival or a reinterpretation.
Dial execution
The 2024 prediction imagined sunken, snailed registers, applied baton markers and thin baton hands. Those details were design suggestions in the forecast, not Tudor specifications. They would also distinguish a revived Prince chronograph from the established Black Bay Chrono design language.
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A standalone Prince or Oysterdate line would signal a genuine return of the older family. Another Black Bay Chrono variant would place the watch inside Tudor’s existing modern sports-chronograph strategy instead.
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- Main Material: Stainless Steel
- Case Size: 39mm Steel Case with Polished and Satin Finish
- Series: Black Bay 58
- Dial Hue: Burgundy
- Movement Type: Manufacture Calibre MT5400-U; Self-winding Mechanical Movement with Bidirectional Rotor System
What replaced the Big Block?
Tudor did not name a direct replacement for the vintage Oysterdate Big Block. In the current catalog context, the Black Bay Chrono is the brand’s documented modern chronograph family and therefore the closest comparison for shoppers, while the historical Big Block remains a vintage Prince Oysterdate model rather than a current production watch.
That distinction matters: the Black Bay Chrono carries Tudor’s present-day design and product architecture; it is not evidence that the Big Block has returned under another name.
Bottom line for collectors
The Tudor Oysterdate Big Block comeback was a well-grounded 2024 forecast, not a confirmed Tudor launch. The original was introduced in 1976 as Tudor’s first automatic chronograph family, and its thicker rotor-compatible case created the “Big Block” nickname. Tudor’s documented 2024 novelties stayed within the Black Bay family, so anyone seeking a Big Block today is looking at authenticated vintage references, not a confirmed new-production model.
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