AFTER enjoying plenty of success with the revival of the Black Bay, Tudor is bringing another cult watch back from its archives.

The Tudor Prince Chronograph One is the brand’s contribution to Only Watch 2023, the biennial charity auction where one-off Swiss luxury timepieces go under the hammer to benefit research on Duchenne and genetic diseases. 

This unique piece is an 18-carat yellow-gold interpretation of the legendary Tudor “Big Block” Chronograph from 1976.

The watch was the brand’s first automatic chronograph, and was dubbed “Big Block” because of its chunky middle case. The extra heft was required to accommodate the self-winding rotor of the movement.

The Only Watch 2023 version goes down the retro route, and is executed in full solid gold with a matching bracelet. With its black lacquered dial with sunken gold counters, the piece oozes disco vibes.

Making gold watches is also something Tudor doesn’t often do; the only other watch crafted from that precious metal in the current collection is the Black Bay 58 18K – and even that doesn’t come with a gold bracelet option.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 2 pm

Lifestyle

Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.

Sign Up

More importantly, this unique piece marks the debut of a new prototype in-house chronograph movement, MT59XX, developed and built from scratch.

Tudor’s current automatic chronograph movement is the Manufacture Calibre MT 5813 – based on the Manufacture Calibre Breitling 01 chronograph and used in the Black Bay Chronograph, as well as the new Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition Chronograph.

The rebirth of this popular classic Tudor Chronograph should come as good news for fans of the Prince.

Although the Tudor Prince Chronograph One is a unique piece for charity, previous Only Watch models from Tudor such as the Black Bay One and Black Bay Ceramic One eventually became regular production models, albeit with modifications.

That – plus the introduction of a new in-house chronograph movement – hints at the rise of a certain royalty once again when Tudor presents its novelties at Watches and Wonders Geneva in 2024.

The Only Watch 2023 Auction takes place on Nov 5 in Geneva. Estimated price for the Tudor Prince Chronograph One is CHF 25,000 to CHF35,000 (S$37,661 to S$52,733). Place your bids online at https://www.onlywatch.com/tudor.