- Tudor has unveiled a blue dial version of its iconic Black Bay Chrono
- The Tudor Black Bay Chrono Blue is priced at $8370AUD and is a boutique exclusive
- The mechanical timepiece boasts the same specifications as other Black Bay Chrono watches, with its release following the Black Bay Chrono Pink unveiled in collaboration with David Beckham’s Inter Miami earlier this year
It’s hard to believe that Tudor didn’t already have a blue dial Black Bay Chrono. However, the watch world is no stranger to gatekeeping predictable colourways on classic models in favour of a slow burn release system that keeps even the most well-versed watch idiot savant guessing. Tudor would know — big brother Rolex is a master of such strategy, with a slightly rejigged Daytona a year enough to keep everyone happy.
Making its debut in 2017, the Tudor Black Bay Chrono has become a fast favourite in the Swiss watch brand’s stable. Melding classic dive watch elements (think a solid water resistant and lume-coated snowflake hands) with horological features typically reserved for motorsports (in the form of a chronograph function and tachymeter bezel) while tapping into the stainless steel sports watch trend, the Black Bay Chrono has become something of an off-duty favourite.
Blue might be the warmest colour, but in the horological world it’s also the safest — the go-to hue for those wishing to venture out of the greyscale world of black and white dials. While the Black Bay Chrono Pink released in March of this year in collaboration with Inter Miami was a piece designed to make a statement, the Black Bay Chrono Blue is content to quietly complement casual ‘fits; consider it the watch equivalent of a jeans and white tee.
Taking on the popular reverse panda dial colour configuration, the Black Bay Chrono Blue sees a blue sunburst dial topped with pale silver subdials in a bicompax layout, with a date window appearing at 6 o’clock. White snowflake hands and circular hour indices are coated in Super-LumiNova and pop against the deep blue dial. The specs of the Black Bay Chrono Blue remain the same as its siblings, with the timepiece housed in a 41mm stainless steel case and presented on the Jubilee-style five-link bracelet (complete with T-fit rapid adjustment clasp) that Tudor introduced just last year. The timepiece is kept beating by the COSC-certified MT5813 chronograph movement which features a vertical clutch and column wheel construction and has a robust 70-hour power reserve. Should you wish to explore the depths of the ocean (or lest you take a tumble off your yacht), it boasts 200 metres of water resistance.
Priced at $8370AUD, it’s a viable value proposition for those in the market for a GADA sports watch. The only catch? While it’s not a limited-edition piece, the Black Bay Chrono is a boutique exclusive, meaning—depending on where you’re based—you may have to do a little deep diving to get one on your wrist. Explore the Black Bay Chrono and find your local Tudor boutique via the brand’s webstore.
Price: $8370AUD
Model: Black Bay Chrono (M79360b-0002)
Case size: 41mm
Movement: MT5813 (automatic)
Water resistance: 20ATM
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
Power reserve: 70 hours
Words by John Deckard
