TUDOR WATCHES & WONDERS 2023:
BLACK BAY GMT
TUDOR is expanding the Black Bay GMT line with a new, whimsical dial in opaline to match the distinctive burgundy and blue bezel. It’s also equipped with a steadfast Manufacture Calibre.
TUDOR is expanding the Black Bay GMT line with a new, whimsical dial in opaline to match the distinctive burgundy and blue bezel. It’s also equipped with a steadfast Manufacture Calibre.
The TUDOR Black Bay GMT is made of the right stuff. First off, it sports an incredibly useful multiple time-zone complication – also known as a GMT function – that establishes local time without losing sight of the time in two other time zones. Recognisable by its rotatable bezel, which borrows its deep blue and burgundy colour scheme from other models in the Black Bay line, but in a matte version, the Black Bay GMT is also a nod to the early days of this high-flying aesthetic.
Now TUDOR has added the option of an all-new opaline dial that perfectly complements the iconic colour scheme of the Black Bay GMT. Opaline isn’t quite white, instead there’s a slight silvery hint to the dial. Through a galvanic process, a matte white-grey finish is applied to the dial, and the marker surrounds are darkened to create a noticeable contrast. Beyond being reminiscent of the mid-century boom in commercial aviation, the charming opaline dial is highly legible.
In 316L stainless steel, 41mm in diameter, with a bidirectional rotating bezel featuring an anodised aluminium insert in burgundy and deep blue, as a hallmark of the GMT function
With a galvanic finish
A hallmark of TUDOR divers’ watches introduced in 1969, with Grade A Swiss Super-LumiNova® luminescent material
COSC-certified with a silicon balance spring, 70-hour power reserve
A choice of 316L stainless steel three-link “rivet-style” bracelet or fabric strap
With no registration or periodic maintenance checks required
Additional time zones are indicated by a red “Snowflake” GMT hand, TUDOR's aesthetic hallmark, which rotates around the dial in 24 hours, as well as a bidirectional rotatable bezel that is also calibrated for 24 hours. The twelve daylight hours are printed on the burgundy section and the night-time hours on the blue.
With a steel case, 41mm in diameter, the Black Bay GMT model is waterproof to 200 metres (660 ft) and designed to withstand the elements. Its winding crown tube is in satin-brushed steel, new for the Black Bay line and aesthetically in keeping with the case and winding crown. Its contrasting opaline dial means that it is legible in all conditions, including night-time, thanks to its luminescent hour markers.
The fabric strap is one of the hallmarks of TUDOR, which, in 2010, became one of the first watchmaking brands to offer it with its products. Woven in France using a traditional method on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the St-Etienne region, its manufacturing quality and comfort on the wrist are unique.
The Manufacture Calibre MT5652 with integrated GMT function, jumping hour hand and retrograde date setting was developed by TUDOR for the Black Bay GMT models. An apt demonstration of TUDOR's approach to technical development, the integration of new functions is allowed by a flexible architecture, rather than by stacking additional modules. A defining detail and a must for purist watch enthusiasts.
The Calibre MT5652 has the appearance and finish typical of TUDOR Manufacture calibres. Its openwork rotor is satin-brushed with sand-blasted details and its bridges and mainplate have alternate polished sand-blasted surfaces and laser decorations.Its build is designed to ensure robustness and precision. To do this, the variable inertia balance wheel is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with a two-point anchoring.
This system, together with its non-magnetic silicon hairspring, enables the Manufacture Calibre MT5652 to function within a tolerance range of 6 seconds (-2/+4) tested on a fully assembled watch.
Another notable feature is that the power reserve of the MT5652 Manufacture Calibre is “weekend-proof”; that is to say, it has a power reserve of 70 hours, which enables the wearer to take the watch off on a Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to wind it. Even if you need a weekend away, your watch does not.
The Black Bay line features dials inspired by the TUDOR divers’ watches produced during the 1950s. It borrows the characteristic angular hands known to collectors as “Snowflake” from models that appeared in the brand’s 1969 catalogue. Its unprotected crown and the characteristics of its case are reminiscent of the first generations of TUDOR divers' watches.
The Black Bay line is the result of the subtle blend of traditional aesthetics and contemporary watchmaking. Far from simply being an identical re-release of a classic, it brings together over sixty years of TUDOR dive watches, whilst at the same time being resolutely anchored in the present.
It is neo-vintage in conception, yet its manufacturing techniques, reliability, robustness and the quality of its finish are consistent with today's more rigorous requirements.
Every TUDOR watch, including the Black Bay, is assembled and fully tested to TUDOR’s superior standards at the new TUDOR Manufacture located in the Le Locle, Switzerland.
This new state-of-the-art facility, bringing together the know-how of watchmakers with the best in production management and automated testing systems, was completed in 2021 after three years of construction. All decked out in TUDOR red, the Manufacture spans over four levels totaling more than 5,500 square meters and is physically and visually connected to the neighboring Kenissi Manufacture, the TUDOR movement production facility founded in 2016.
With Kenissi and a network of TUDOR-owned affiliates, the brand has been able to integrate the development and production of high-performance mechanical calibers. As a consequence, TUDOR now fully masters the manufacturing of strategic components and can guarantee their quality.
41mm stainless steel case with polished and satin finish
48-notch bidirectional rotating bezel in stainless steel with 24-hours graduated matt burgundy/blue anodised aluminium disc
Screw-down crown, with the TUDOR rose in relief, with circular satin-brushed steel winding crown tube
Domed opaline dial with a galvanic finish
Domed sapphire crystal
Waterproof to 200m (660 ft)
Three-link stainless steel bracelet with polished and satin finish, black fabric strap with burgundy accents
Manufacture Calibre MT5652 (COSC)
Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system
Integrated construction
Swiss Chronometer officially certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute)
Hours, 24 hours, minutes and seconds hands at the centre
Instantaneous date at 3 o'clock without non-correction range synchronised on the jumping hours hand setting
Stop-seconds for precise time setting
Variable inertia balance, micro-adjustment screw
Non-magnetic silicon balance spring
Frequency: 28,800 beats/hour (4 Hz)
31.8mm
7.52mm
28 jewels
Power reserve of approximately 70 hours
