Tudor Introduces Your Weekend-Proof Black Bay GMT
5 min read
At Watches and Wonders 2023, TUDOR introduced a new Black Bay GMT model with a whimsical opaline dial to go with the model's signature burgundy and blue bezel. A reliable Manufacture Calibre is included as well.
The TUDOR Black Bay GMT has all the necessary components. First, it has a handy GMT function that allows you to keep track of local time without losing track of the time in two other time zones, making it ideal for travellers. The Black Bay GMT harkens back to the beginnings of this airborne aesthetic with its rotatable bezel, which is a matte version of the same deep blue and burgundy hues seen on other models in the Black Bay line.
TUDOR's latest iteration of the Black Bay GMT features a new opaline dial that pairs beautifully with the watch's signature colour palette. Opaline isn't strictly white; it has more of a silver undertone to the face. The dial has been given a matte white-grey finish through a galvanic process, and the marker surrounds have been darkened to stand out. The charming opaline dial is not only highly legible but also harkens back to the golden age of commercial aviation in the middle of the twentieth century.
FEATURES THAT SOAR IN PERFORMANCE
TUDOR's signature red "Snowflake" GMT hand travels around the dial once every 24 hours to indicate a second time zone, and the watch's unidirectionally rotating bezel is also accurate to the nearest hour. The blue section represents the wee hours of the night, while the burgundy represents the twelve hours of daylight. The Black Bay GMT has a steel case that is 41mm in diameter and is water-resistant up to 200 metres (660 feet). A new addition to the Black Bay collection, the winding crown tube is also made of satin-brushed steel, so it matches the look of the case and the winding crown. The luminescent hour markers on its contrasting opaline dial make it easy to read at any time of day or night.
The MT5652 Calibre
TUDOR's Manufacture Calibre MT5652 gives its Black Bay GMT models a GMT function, a jumping hour hand, and the ability to set the date backwards. The incorporation of new functions is enabled by a flexible architecture, rather than by stacking additional modules, exemplifying TUDOR's approach to technical development. An essential feature for true watch connoisseurs.
Calibre MT5652 was designed to look and feel like other TUDOR Manufacture calibres. Both the bridges and the mainplate alternate between polished sand-blasted surfaces and laser decorations, and the openwork rotor is satin-brushed with sand-blasted details.
It is constructed to be both sturdy and accurate. A strong traversing bridge anchored at both ends keeps the variable inertia balance wheel in place. The Manufacture Calibre MT5652 is capable of keeping accurate time within a tolerance range of 6 seconds (-2/+4) when tested on a fully assembled watch thanks to this system and its non-magnetic silicon hairspring.
Not only does the MT5652 Manufacture Calibre have a power reserve of 70 hours, but it is also "weekend-proof," meaning that the wearer can take off the watch on a Friday night and put it back on on Monday without having to wind it. If you feel the need to get away for the weekend, your watch doesn't.
In 2010, TUDOR was one of the first watchmaking brands to offer a fabric strap alongside its products, and since then, it has become a defining characteristic of the brand. The Julien Faure brand in the St. Etienne area of France wove it using a traditional method on Jacquard looms from the 19th century, making it of exceptional quality and wearing comfort. TUDOR and the Julien Faure brand, which has been in business for 150 years, will have worked together for ten years by the year 2020. Heritage Chrono, the first model to feature a fabric strap made by the artisans, was released at Baselworld 2010 to kick off the collaboration.
TUDOR's Black Bay GMT has a black strap with a burgundy bezel that is woven into the strap. TUDOR's folding riveted bracelets from the 1950s and 1960s served as inspiration for this model's stainless steel bracelet. These bracelets were well-known for the rivet heads that protruded from the side of the bracelet to secure the links together. There was a clear stepped design to the links as well. The present bracelet features both of these aesthetic touches thanks to its use of modern manufacturing techniques, which include both solid links and laser-finished rivet-style heads.
