In Geneva, at Watches & Wonders, Tudor debuted what’s effectively its own version of the Rolex Explorer II, which they call the Tudor Black Bay Pro.
Presented in a 39 mm x 14 mm stainless steel case, the all-new Black Bay Pro features a fixed steel bezel and an in-house caliber with a GMT function that uses a 24-hour Snowflake hand — instead of a traditional arrow hand as seen on many GMTs such as the GMT-Master II and the Explorer II — to display a second-time zone.
The all-new automatic caliber MT5652 was developed by Tudor for the Black Bay Pro. The movement measures 31.8 mm x 7.52 mm, beats at 4Hz, has 28 jewels, a silicon balance spring, free-sprung variable inertia balance, a traversing balance bridge, with a bidirectional rotor, and a 70-hour power reserve. This movement has been officially COSC-certified chronometer, so the rate is required to adjust to -4/+6 before being cased up (Tudor claims they adjust the rate to -2/+4). Tudor says that the new movement “illustrates the technical development process which is unique to Tudor, drawing on adaptable architecture capable of including new functions into its manufactured movements rather than resorting to additional modules.”
The “Snowflake” hand is set by a jumping hour, which can be moved either backward or forwards. The date, displayed through an aperture positioned at 3 o’clock, is coupled with the local time hand so that when setting the time and passing midnight in retrograde, it instantly jumps to the previous day. This is a sophisticated function and particularly practical function for the user.
The 316L stainless steel case has been satin-brushed and polished and has a fixed 24-hour graduated steel bezel. The dial is domed and has a grained matt black surface, with applied hour markers in monobloc luminous ceramic hour markers, which means the lume and applied indices are one piece. In addition to the unique indices, the crown has been designed to maximize grip and is set flush against the case so that the crown tube is not visible.
There’s a choice of three bracelet designs, a black Jacquard fabric, hybrid rubber and leather, or a faux riveted 316L steel bracelet with a new Tudor “T-fit” clasp with rapid adjustment. The “T-fit” system allows the wearer to carry out a fine, instant adjustment of up to 8 mm on the clasp without any tools required. The Black Bay Pro has a screw-down crown, screw-in caseback, and a depth rating of 200 meters. The retail price is $3,675 on a leather strap (Ref. M79470-0003), $3,675 on a fabric strap (Ref. M79470-0002), or $4,000 on a bracelet (Ref. M79470-0001).
Photos by Tudor.
