Tudor goes big on black

TUDOR CERTAINLY DIDN'T DISAPPOINT at Watches & Wonders, presenting a whole new technical model along with upgrades and facelifts for its iconic timepieces for 2022.

BLACK BAY PRO

You know it's the Black Bay Pro from the 24-hour graduated satin-brushed bezel and the orange 24-hour "Snowflake" hand. Apart from being a design element, the latter serves to indicate the reference time for this brand new dual-time GMT watch. The local time on the sporty 39mm wide stainless steel timepiece is indicated by another, shorter "Snowflake" hand set by a jumping hour, which can move backwards or forwards. The date, seen through an opening 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. A pretty unusual, sophisticated and especially practical watch to have.

The Black Bay Pro is built for professional use. It harks back to the early Tudor timepieces worn by explorers in the extreme climate of the Arctic. This entirely new watch introduces many new and unique aesthetic details, including a crown redesigned for maximum grip and a bracelet clasp with a TUDOR "T-fit" rapid size-adjustment system. The automatic in-house movement is also new, developed just for the new timepiece which may be worn with a fabric or leather strap, or a steel bracelet. The movement has been certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).

Price: S$5,520 (steel bracelet), S$5,090 (strap).

BLACK BAY GMT S&G

Previously in stainless steel, the GMT watch covering three time zones is now also encased in steel and gold. As with the earlier model, the new version displays warm colours with a nostalgic touch. It features an angular "Snowflake" hand that indicates the reference time. An aesthetic hallmark of Tudor, the "Snowflake" hand completes a lap of the dial every 24 hours. Local time is shown by another, shorter "Snowflake" hand set by a jumping hour.

The 24-hour, graduated bidirectional rotating bezel and "24-hour" hand allow you to also keep track of a third time zone. The 12 daylight hours are gold-coloured on the brown section and the night-time hours on the black section of the graduations on the aluminium disc of the bezel. The in-house self-winding movement developed for the Black Bay GMT S&G is COSC-certified. The watch may be paired with a steel and gold bracelet; or a fabric or leather strap.

Price: S$7,710 (steel and gold bracelet), S$5,970 (fabric or leather strap).

BLACK BAY 31/36/39/41 S&G

Whether in a case size of 31, 36, 39 or 41mm, the soft profile of the curvy watch is accentuated by a new winding crown. The latest version of the Black Bay line, which comes in the 4 measurements, is also given a new shine, as both the gold crown and gold bezel of new timepieces are now polished instead of satin-brushed for a matte finish, which was the case with the previous models. What's more, there's the option of a diamond-set bezel for sizes 31, 36 and 39. The latest Black Bay watches are fitted with COSC-certified automatic movements, elevating them to "the cutting edge of technical watchmaking refinement". The 5-link steel and yellow gold bracelet for the timepieces features a robust steel clasp with TUDOR "T-FIT" fast adjustment system that allows adjustment of up to 8 mm on the clasp.

Price: S$6,810 and S$9,160 (diamond-set bezel) for Black Bay 31 S&G; S$6,960 and S$9,310 (diamond-set bezel) for Black Bay 36 S&G; S$7,100 and S$9,450 (diamond-set bezel) for Black Bay 39 S&G; and S$7,250 for Black Bay 41 S&G.