This year Tudor unveiled the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its chronographs. After having tried them on the occasion of the meeting with the press, we were lucky enough to be able to try them at the Rocca1794 dealer in Milan, in the version with the “Panda” dial (white with black counters) both with a cuff strap and a steel bracelet.

But what's new in this model compared to the previous versions in steel or steel and gold? Surely the case that has been reworked and two new dials in pure racing style, but let's analyze them in detail.

CLOCK FACE

The dial is domed and is available in matte black or opaline with circular counters in contrast hollowed out with respect to the dial. In the counter at 3 o'clock we find the minute counter divided into 45 units, while in the one at 9 o'clock the small seconds of the clock. At 6 o'clock we find the date window. The hour and minute hands are of the "Snowflake" type introduced on Tudor diving watches since 1969 at the request of the Marine National. The luminescent material is the Swiss Super-Luminova grade A. The bezel is characterized by the tachymeter scale in black anodized aluminum.

CASH DESK

The case is 41 mm in 316L steel is polished, with satin lugs finished with a polished bevel on the outside. Being a Black Bay, therefore a chronograph that also makes water resistance its strong point, this watch is waterproof up to 200 meters thanks to the screw-down caseback, the screw-down crown with the engraved Tudor logo and the pushers of the screw chronograph too.

THE MT5813 CALIBER

The heart of the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono is the Tudor Mt 5813 movement with a power reserve of 70 hours, silicon hairspring and variable inertia balance. We are talking about a COSC-certified movement, but one that exceeds the precision required by the Swiss body since TUDOR requires its movements to be accurate between -2 and +4 seconds per day, when the watch is assembled.

AVAILABLE VERSIONS

The Black Bay Chrono is available with a steel bracelet with rivets, inspired by the Tudor models of the 50s and 60s, a black Jacquard woven strap and the one mounted by a cuff with ecru stitching and a steel deployant clasp. Its value is equal to 4.960 € for the steel version e 4.660 € for the version with strap or that in fabric.

CONSIDERATIONS

I find the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono with these dial configurations to be watches with charm, given the lure with old hand-wound chronographs from the 60s and 70s. I particularly love, to my amazement, the version with a cuff strap, although not recommended under a shirt. The case still remains thick due to the chronograph movement, but it is all in all acceptable for a sports watch.

The value for money is excellent. The domed sapphire crystal that enhances the dial with concave counters, as well as the not too high flange, which gives a close view of the dial: these are details that I really appreciate. The movement is also a plus since it draws on the famous Breitling caliber B01, a true racehorse in automatic chronograph movements.

The only "detail" that does not convince me, so I cannot pass it with flying colors, are the "Snowflake" hands. It is true, we are talking about a Black Bay and these hands must be clearly visible since it is a diver's watch by heritage, but it is equally true that a chronograph in an underwater expedition is not one of the essential tools.

If you manage to overcome this first and only 'obstacle', for this price range the new Black Bay Chrono are unrivaled.