Black Bay 68

BLACK BAY 68

TUDOR introduces an entirely new Black Bay model in 43mm, meeting the demand for various case sizes to fit all types of wrists. With two new colour configurations, the Black Bay 68 means business. The big deal isn’t just a brand new case size, but that the Black Bay 68 is Master Chronometer certified by METAS, too!

TUDOR isn’t afraid to go against the grain—it’s been in the brand’s DNA since the very beginning. Everyone knows the "trend" in modern watchmaking is to go smaller. But this time it’s all about thinking big, and that means producing a larger Black Bay to round out the full array of case sizes for every wrist size. Now, with the Black Bay 68, there’s a Black Bay for everyone.

1968 is the year TUDOR dreamed up what’s now become its aesthetic calling card: the emblematic Snowflake hand. It entered the catalogue shortly thereaker in ’69. The Black Bay 68 pays homage to this important moment in the brand’s history. Another TUDOR mainstay, "TUDOR Blue" makes its way into the design of the Black Bay 68 in the form of a new dial. Along with the TUDOR rose on the crown, the Black Bay 68 is full of nods to TUDOR’s past.

What’s new, however, is a bracelet with smooth side flanks instead of the vintage- inspired rivets.

TUDOR wouldn’t go big without going big. The Master Chronometer Certified Black Bay 68 is another example of TUDOR's expert command of one of the industry's most demanding standards in terms of chronometry and resistance to magnetic fields. Tested by the Federal Institute of Metrology or METAS, the Black Bay 68 brings together cutting-edge watchmaking technology with design elements inspired by TUDOR’s more than seven-decade heritage of making robust professional diving watches.

"This time it’s all about thinking big, and that means producing a larger Black Bay to round out the full array of case sizes for every wrist size. Now, with the Black Bay 68, there’s truly a Black Bay for everyone."

COMPREHENSIVE INDEPENDENT CERTIFICATION AND HIGH STANDARDS

METAS Master Chronometer certification is comprehensive and covers the main functional characteristics of a watch including precision, resistance to magnetic fields, waterproofness and power reserve. Its standards are incredibly high, starting with precision.

In order to qualify, a watch must be able to function within a 5-second range of variation each day (0/+5), that is to say 5 seconds less than the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) (-4/+6) carried out on uncased movements and a second less than TUDOR's internal standard (-2/+4), which is applied to the brand's models with a Manufacture Calibre.

The certification also guarantees the timekeeping accuracy of a watch subjected to magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss.

Finally, it also guarantees the waterproofness claimed by the manufacturer as well as the power reserve. It should also be noted that two prerequisites are necessary before the certification can be obtained: Swiss manufacturing must conform with the criteria of Swiss Made, and the movement must be certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).

CRITERIA AND TESTS FOR MASTER CHRONOMETER CERTIFICATION BY METAS

All the tests and prerequisites leading to the Master Chronometer certification, which the Black Bay has achieved, are summarised below:

▸ Swiss made

▸ Certification by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC)

▸ Precision at two temperatures, in six positions and at two levels of power reserve: 100% and 33%

▸ Smooth functioning when exposed to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss and precision following exposure

▸ Waterproof to 200 m (660 k)

▸ 70-hour power reserve

THE MANUFACTURE CALIBRE MT5601-U

The Manufacture Calibre MT5601-U, which powers the Black Bay 68, displays hour, minute and seconds functions. It offers the general look and feel of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres with a dedicated sun laser design and bears the Master Chronometer mention on its bridges, emphasising its distinctive performance. Its rotor is fashioned in tungsten monobloc and is openworked.

It also features the distinctive laser radial grooving with sand-blasted details. Its bridges and mainplate have alternate sand- blasted and polished surfaces and laser decorations.

The build of the Manufacture Calibre MT5601-U is designed to ensure robustness and precision. To do this, the variable inertia balance wheel is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with two-point anchoring. It is certified as a chronometer by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with its performance going beyond the standards set by this independent institute. In fact, where COSC allows an average variation in the daily rate of an uncased movement of between -4 and +6 seconds and TUDOR applies a 6-second (-2/+4) variation standard on its fully assembled watches, METAS requires a Master-Chronometer-certified watch to run within a tolerance range of 5 seconds (0/+5). Not only is the Manufacture Calibre MT5601-U certified to be more accurate, it is also rated as anti-magnetic, making it impervious to magnetic fields below 15,000 gauss.

Another notable feature is that the power reserve of the Manufacture Calibre MT5601-U is "weekend-proof"; that is to say, it has been certified for 70 hours by METAS, which enables the wearer to take the watch off on a Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to wind it. Even if you need a weekend away, your watch does not.

"It has been designed to ensure robustness, longevity, reliability and precision, as has its variable inertia balance, which is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with a two- point fixation."

EMBLEMATIC LOOK

The Black Bay remains one of TUDOR’s most recognized and recognizable lines. In its latest 43mm iteration, the new case keeps the proportions of the original design while now being slightly thinner. The unidirectional rotatable bezel offers very prehensible sides and its insert shows subtly curved numerals aligning with the outline of the outer ring.

However, the aesthetic details don’t stop at case dimensions and bezel. The seconds hand recalls the look of the early diving watches of the brand with a lollipop design, while the silver or TUDOR Blue dial is sokly radial-brushed for a very subtle shine under direct light. Ergonomics have evolved as well, with a redesigned crown, reminiscent of the curves found on the crowns of the brand's historical technical watches, that is set flush to the middle case band so that its tube is not visible.

NEW 3-LINK STAINLESS STEEL BRACELET WITH "T-FIT"

The Black Bay comes fitted on an entirely satin-brushed 3-link stainless steel bracelet that features smooth flanks on the links, departing from the "rivet-style" bracelet typical of the Black Bay range. Additionally, the taper is gradual, contrasting the “ladder- style” taper that is also typical of the Black Bay. The redesigned bracelet was developed with wearing comfort in mind to match the aesthetics of the largest Black Bay in the line-up. It also features the TUDOR "T-fit" rapid adjustment clasp. Easy to use, requiring no tools and offering five positions, this practical system allows wearers to carry out a fine, instant adjustment of the total length of the bracelet along an adjustment window of 8mm. The clasp also features ceramic ball bearings that ensure a smooth and secure closure in addition to adding a pleasing tactile element to the action of the clasp.

THE TUDOR MANUFACTURE

Every TUDOR watch is assembled and fully tested to TUDOR’s superior standards at the new TUDOR Manufacture located in Le Locle, Switzerland.

This new state-of-the-art facility, bringing together the know- how of watchmakers with the best in production management and automated testing systems, was completed in 2021 aker three years of construction.

All decked out in TUDOR red, the Manufacture spans over four levels totalling 5,500 square meters and is physically and visually connected to the neighbouring Kenissi Manufacture, the TUDOR movement production facility founded in 2016. With Kenissi and a network of TUDOR-owned affiliates, the brand has been able to integrate the development and production of high- performance mechanical calibres. As a consequence, TUDOR now fully masters the manufacturing of strategic components and can guarantee their quality.

THE ESSENCE OF BLACK BAY

The Black Bay line features dials inspired by the TUDOR divers’ watches produced during the 1950s. It borrows the characteristic angular hands known to collectors as "Snowflake" from models that appeared in the brand’s 1969 catalogue.

Its shoulderless crown and the characteristics of its case are reminiscent of the first generations of TUDOR divers' watches.

The Black Bay line is the result of the subtle blend of traditional aesthetics and contemporary watchmaking. Far from simply being an identical re-release of a classic, it brings together over 70 years of TUDOR dive watches, whilst at the same time being resolutely anchored in the present. It is neo-vintage in conception, yet its manufacturing techniques, reliability, robustness and the quality of its finishes are consistent with today's more rigorous requirements.