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.
Tudor’s first chronograph, the Oysterdate 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 counters and its date function at 6 o’clock.
Immediately adopted by the world of motor sport, it paved the way for 50 years of technical chronographs that TUDOR has never stopped improving.
Likewise Tudor has been constantly improving its professional divers’ watches and 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.
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, matt black and white opaline respectively.
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.
Owners can opt for either a Jacquard-woven strap, steel bracelet or cuff design. The Jacquard option is arguably the most unique, woven in France on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the St-Etienne region, its manufacturing quality and comfort on the wrist are superb.
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 and +6 seconds in relation to absolute time in a single movement, Tudor insists on -2 +4 seconds’ variation in its running when it is completely assembled.
A high-performance movement, it was crafted in the purest watchmaking tradition, with a column wheel mechanism and vertical clutch. In keeping with the brand’s philosophy of quality, it presents extraordinary robustness and reliability, guaranteed by the array of extreme tests applied to all Tudor products.
