TUDOR has long been known for their excellence in professional diver’s watches, however, this year the brand is celebrating 50 years of chronograph brilliance with the relaunch of the Black Bay Chronograph. With two dial options, black with white sub-dials and white with black sub-dials, you might be tempted to think this “relaunch” is just the introduction of two new colors to the Black Bay Chronograph line. You would be mistaken, however, as TUDOR has reworked the timepiece first introduced in 2017 to bring some modern updates with a touch of historic nostalgia to the new edition of the chronograph.
The initial release of the Black Bay Chronograph by TUDOR was a resounding success, but if there was one complaint, it was that the case seemed to be too bulky for the luxury model. The new Chronograph remedies this with a 41mm diameter case which has been slimmed down in height from 14.9mm to 14.5mm. A slimmer appearance while still providing the same powerplant courtesy of the in-house MT5813 movement co-designed with Breitling kicks is a wonderful little marvel of engineering prowess by the team at TUDOR. The 70-hour power reserve and silicon balance spring of the MT5813, along with the COSC certification, were exceptional features of the original Chronograph, so keeping the same movement and fitting it into a smaller footprint was an absolute victory for this new model.