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WATCH NEWS
April 22, 2022
A must-see! Among the current lineup, the only top technical model designated as 'Pro' | TUDOR
TUDOR
TUDOR's 2022 New Release: The Black Bay Pro, a Technical Watch for Daring Adventurers
TUDOR has unveiled its new 2022 release, the Black Bay Pro. Featuring a 39mm case, a steel fixed bezel, and an integrated Manufacture Caliber with GMT function, this watch embodies the spirit of technical watchmaking that TUDOR has cultivated throughout its long history.
A New Model Fusing Unique, Practical Functions with TUDOR's Dive Watch Heritage
The Black Bay Pro, a technical watch with an entirely new design.
This new model offers a dual time zone display function, allowing for local time indication at your destination while keeping track of the original time. It is compact, robust, sporty, and possesses a unique functional beauty. The watch is equipped with the Manufacture Caliber MT5652, which incorporates a GMT function, and features a satin-finished fixed bezel marked with 24-hour graduations, highlighted by a yellow 'Snowflake' 24-hour hand.
Throughout its history, TUDOR watches have been worn by the most daring adventurers. Seventy years ago, TUDOR watches were worn by 30 explorers on a two-year expedition to North Greenland, studying Arctic ice fields, a gesture provided by TUDOR founder Hans Wilsdorf to the expedition members.
Hans, who had just launched the brand's first waterproof, self-winding model, the Oyster Prince, believed that the harsh climate of the Arctic offered no better environment for testing a watch's performance. The Black Bay Pro carries the heritage of instruments that supported the lives of these pioneering adventurers; it is a tool watch designed for professionals.
While belonging to the Black Bay collection, this model incorporates many unique new design details. For example, the crown, redesigned for maximum grip, evokes the curves of TUDOR's historical technical watch crowns while being integrated into the side of the middle case to conceal the tube.
The monobloc luminous ceramic applied hour markers are another new feature. This new element significantly expands the luminous surface of the hour markers, further enhancing the functional beauty of the Black Bay Pro. Instead of applying luminous paint, the luminous material is mixed into the ceramic and then fired, resulting in a three-dimensional visibility in the dark.
Furthermore, it is equipped with the 'T-fit' adjusting system for self-sizing, allowing the wearer to adjust the length by 8mm in five stages with simple, tool-free operation.
On the dial, the yellow 'Snowflake' hand, which completes one rotation of the dial in 24 hours, indicates the wearer's home time. The local time is displayed by the shorter 'Snowflake' hand, which can be adjusted forward or backward in a jumping-hour manner. The date, shown in a window at 3 o'clock, is linked to the local time hour hand, so when this hand is moved backward to midnight during time adjustment, the number in the window instantly jumps to the previous day. This is a highly specialized and practical function for the wearer.
The Black Bay Pro is powered by the in-house Manufacture Caliber MT5652 with GMT function, developed by TUDOR. The adoption of a Manufacture movement, designed from its inception to incorporate new functions, demonstrates TUDOR's commitment to its development process. While it may be a minor detail to some, it is a mandatory requirement for many mechanical watch enthusiasts.
This movement, combining robustness, durability, reliability, and precision, features a variable inertia balance supported by two traversing bridges and a non-magnetic silicon balance spring. It also holds Swiss Official Chronometer Certification, which sets a standard of -4 to +6 seconds per day for the movement alone. However, TUDOR achieves a more stringent standard of -2 to +4 seconds per day when the watch is fully assembled. With a power reserve of approximately 70 hours, it means you don't need to wind the watch again if you take it off on Friday night and put it back on Monday morning.
Three types of straps and bracelets are available. These include a black fabric strap with a yellow center line, crafted by artisans at the esteemed French company Julien Faure; a stainless steel bracelet with solid links and laser-engraved rivet-shaped heads, produced using the latest manufacturing methods; and a hybrid strap made of black leather and rubber, featuring a folding clasp.
Like other Black Bay models, this piece inherits distinctive design elements such as the 'Snowflake' hour hand seen in a 1969 catalog, the case design characteristic of TUDOR's early dive watches from the 1950s, and the unprotected crown. However, this is not merely a reissue of a past model; it embodies nearly 70 years of TUDOR's dive watch history, revitalized for the modern era by combining its neo-vintage concept with contemporary manufacturing technology, reliability, robustness, and precision.
Black Bay Pro
- Ref. | 79470
- Movement | Self-winding (Manufacture Caliber MT5652)
- Power Reserve | Approx. 70 hours
- Functions | Center-mounted jumping-hour hand (second time zone), 24-hour hand, minute hand, second hand, instantaneous date display linked to jumping-hour hand (at 3 o'clock, no operational prohibition period), precise time setting with second hand stop function
- Case Material | SS (Polished & Satin-finished)
- Case Diameter | 39mm
- Strap Material | Polished & satin-finished SS, or leather & rubber, or black fabric with yellow line
- Water Resistance | 20 bar
- Price | ¥455,400 (SS bracelet), ¥419,100 (Leather & rubber, black fabric strap) *All prices include tax
