To mark five decades of its chronographs, TUDOR offered its Black Bay Chrono model in steel with a reworked case and two dial options with contrasting sub-counters in the purest tradition of the sports chronograph. Now the model comes with the option of a 3-link or 5-link bracelet, both with “T-Fit” clasp.
Since the launch in 1970 of the Oysterdate model, its first chronograph, TUDOR has always produced watches that are closely tied to the world of motor sport. Since 1954, TUDOR has likewise been constantly improving its professional divers’ watches. The Black Bay Chrono model combines these traditions in a sports chronograph for purists, with contrasting sub-counters and a high-performance automatic Manufacture Calibre, with column wheel and vertical clutch.
KEY POINTS
- 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
- Domed matt black or opaline 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
- A choice between a stainless steel 3-link “rivet-style” bracelet or stainless steel 5-link bracelet, both 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 domed dial. Available in two versions, matt black or opaline, the dial includes two hollowed sub-counters in contrasting colours, white opaline or matt black respectively, for optimum readability. Inspired by the first generation of TUDOR chronographs, there is a 45-minute counter and a date aperture positioned at 6 o’clock. The recognisable characteristics of the Black Bay are preserved in a steel case with a 41-millimetre diameter refined by the ingenious cut of the lower part of the sapphire crystal and a repositioned movement. 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 with a tachymetric scale insert in black anodised aluminium completes the distinguished appearance of this sporty new chronograph.
3-LINK AND 5-LINK STEEL BRACELETS WITH “T-FIT” CLASP
The model is also available mounted on a 5-link stainless steel bracelet or a 3-link stainless steel “rivet style” bracelet inspired by the folding riveted bracelets made by TUDOR in the 1950s and 1960s. These were famous for having rivet heads for attaching the links, visible on the side of the bracelet. The links also had a distinct stepped construction. These two aesthetic details appear on today’s model, which still integrates modern manufacturing methods with solid links.
Both bracelets feature TUDOR’s “T-fit” rapid adjustment clasp. Easy to use, requiring no tools and offering five positions, this practical system allows wearers to carry outa 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 Swiss Official 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 running of a watch 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 rerelease 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.
50 YEARS 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 motor sport, it paved the way for more than 50 years of technical chronographs that TUDOR has never stopped improving.
