A Bold and Vibrant Choice
Breaking convention has been the modus operandi of TUDOR since the very beginning. You already know Flamingos aren’t blue. TUDOR does too, but if you were to describe “Flamingo Blue” to someone, chances are you would come up with this very tone of turquoise, so distinctive of the tropical waters flamingos are known to love. Nothing about a blue flamingo blends in, and that’s why the new Black Bay Chrono model was born to stand out, with a dial in a vibrant hue of blue that’s unlike anything else in the TUDOR line-up. Like the Black Bay Chrono Pink released in 2024, this is a watch for those who dare to be different. The Black Bay Chrono was already quite a bold watch even before this new dial colour was introduced.
Since the launch in 1970 of the Oysterdate model, TUDOR’s first chronograph, the brand has always produced watches that are closely tied to the world of motorsport. Since 1954, TUDOR has likewise been constantly improving its professional divers’ watches. The Black Bay Chrono model seamlessly fuses these traditions in a sports chronograph, with contrasting sub-counters and a high-performance automatic Manufacture Calibre, with column wheel construction and vertical clutch. The Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue” departs from the norm. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a TUDOR.
Key Specifications
- Domed “Flamingo Blue” dial with contrasting circular sub-counters.
- “Snowflake” hands, one of the hallmarks of the TUDOR divers’ watches introduced in 1969, with Grade A, Swiss Super-LumiNova® luminescent material.
- Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813 certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with a silicon balance spring, a 70-hour power reserve, a column wheel construction and vertical clutch.
- Satin-brushed and polished case in 316L stainless steel; 41mm in diameter, with a fixed bezel in 316L stainless steel, insert in black anodised aluminium with tachymetric scale.
- 5-link bracelet in stainless steel with TUDOR “T-fit” rapid adjustment clasp.
- Five-year transferable guarantee without registration or mandatory maintenance checks.
The Spirit of Asphalt and Sea
Remaining faithful to the Black Bay aesthetic, the Black Bay Chrono model has made the famous “Snowflake” hands – a brand signature for divers’ watches since 1969 – its own, in a version honed to ensure optimum readability on its Flamingo Blue domed dial including two hollowed black sub-counters. Inspired by the first generation of TUDOR chronographs, the dial layout includes a 45-minute counter and a date aperture positioned at 6 o’clock.
The recognisable characteristics of the Black Bay line – satin-brushed and polished finishes, bevelled lugs and TUDOR rose-signed crown – are preserved in a steel case with a 41-millimetre diameter. Typical of the scrupulous attention to detail that is characteristic of the brand, the design of the stainless steel pushers has been inspired by the very first generation of TUDOR chronographs. A fixed bezel in stainless steel complete with a tachymetric scale insert in black anodised aluminium completes the look and function of these sporty chronographs.
Steel Bracelet with “T-Fit” Clasp
This new Black Bay Chrono model comes fitted on a 5-link stainless-steel bracelet with TUDOR “T-fit” rapid adjustment clasp. Easy to use, requiring no tools and offering five positions, this practical system allows wearers to carry out a fine, instant adjustment of the total length of the bracelet along an adjustment window of 8mm. The clasp also features ceramic ball bearings that ensure a smooth and secure closure in addition to adding a pleasing tactile element to the action of the clasp.
The Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813
The Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813, which powers the Black Bay Chrono model, displays hour, minute, second, chronograph and date functions. It has the finish typical of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres. Its rotor in tungsten monobloc is openwork and satin-brushed with sand-blasted details, and its bridges and mainplate have alternate sand-blasted and polished surfaces with laser decorations.
Boasting a 70-hour power reserve and a silicon balance spring, the Manufacture MT5813 Chronograph Calibre is certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with its performance exceeding the standards set by this independent institute. In fact, where COSC allows an average variation in the daily rate of an uncased movement of between -4/+6 seconds’ variation per day, TUDOR applies a -2/+4 seconds’ variation standard on the completely assembled watch. A high-performance movement, it was crafted in the purest watchmaking tradition, with a column wheel mechanism and vertical clutch. In keeping with the TUDOR philosophy of quality, it presents extraordinary robustness and reliability, guaranteed by the array of extreme tests applied to all TUDOR products.
Derived from the Chronograph Manufacture Calibre B01 from Breitling, with a high precision regulating organ developed by TUDOR and exclusive finishes, this movement is the result of a lasting collaboration between the two brands, which have chosen to pool their expertise in the design and production of certain mechanical movements.
The Essence Of Black Bay
Like other models in the Black Bay range, the Black Bay Chrono has adopted TUDOR’s characteristic angular hands known as “Snowflake” that first appeared in the brand’s 1969 catalogue. The result of a subtle blend of traditional aesthetics and contemporary watchmaking, the Black Bay line is far from simply being an identical re-release of a classic. Resolutely anchored in the present, it brings together almost seven decades of TUDOR divers’ watches. Whilst it is neo-vintage in conception, its manufacturing techniques and its robustness, reliability, durability and precision as well as the quality of its finish are above modern industry standards.
5 Decades Of TUDOR Chronographs
In 1970, TUDOR introduced its first chronograph, the Oysterdate. A watch that was both robust and functional, its unique design was characterised by its bright colours, its pentagonal hour markers shaped like a baseball home plate, its 45-minute counter and its date function at 6 o’clock. Immediately adopted by the world of motorsport, it paved the way for more than 50 years of technical chronographs that TUDOR has never stopped improving.
Discover the TUDOR Black Bay Chrono collection online, or at the TUDOR boutique by Sincere Fine Watches, located at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, #B2M-201.