Disclaimer: this article/video was not sponsored by Tudor any other entity.
Video
Review
Based on feedback from numerous watch collectors and enthusiasts, Watches & Wonders 2024 seemed to rank as one of the more underwhelming events in recent years. Personally, I’ve grown somewhat indifferent to these showcases, as they often feel like a repetitive cycle of high-profile brands launching products that, while heavily hyped, remain largely inaccessible to most enthusiasts. An exception to this trend has been Tudor, known for its somewhat brief hype cycles around new releases, which tend to normalize within 6-12 months – a more reasonable timeline in my opinion. And Tudor has been one of the more interesting brands to follow lately, particularly for those who appreciate tool-ish, sporty or diver-style watches.
During Watches & Wonders 2024, I found myself mostly uninterested in the offerings from the prestigious brand that wears a shiny crown, except for the platinum 1908 model, which I still haven’t got a straight answer on regarding whether its dial was crafted through hand-turned guilloche, CNC, or a simpler (lazy) stamped pattern. However, Tudor caught my attention with the release of a more compact GMT – a Black Bay 58 GMT in a gilt ‘Coke’ colorway, seemingly winking at enthusiasts’ long-standing hopes for a similar release from its elder sibling. Alongside this, Tudor unveiled a monochrome color scheme for its BB41 platform. Initially, I overlooked this release as just another dial color for a watch I’m not really interested in, but as more images and videos surfaced, the ‘Monochrome’ began to stand out to me, perhaps appealing to my appreciation of the straightforward, robust design reminiscent of non-ceramic bezel Submariners, and echoing my ETA powered ‘Smiley’ Black Bay that I wore for many years, and is a watch that I also blame for dragging me deep into this rabbit hole of a hobby.
When a few units arrived at my local retailer (Govberg Jewelers), I instantly fell in love with the model with the 5-link bracelet (M7941A1A0NU-0003, … seriously Tudor?), which I now refer to as a Tu-bilee bracelet and I urge you to do the same. Priced at $4550, the same as the red bezel gilt dial version, this watch represents a blend of nostalgia, practical design, modern appeal and a movement that I’ve come to deeply respect.
Let’s check it out!
Case
From the moment I got this watch, the most common questions from my watch enthusiast friends have centered on its dimensions and how it compares to previous models and other watches. So, to address those questions: the watch case is crafted from stainless steel, measuring just over 40mm in diameter at the bezel, 41mm across from 4 o’clock to 10 o’clock, and 13.25mm in thickness. It spans 48.5mm lug-to-lug and has a 21mm lug width (why is this becoming the new normal?). This makes it notably slimmer than the first caliber MT5602 generation Black Bay 41 divers which were about 14.8mm thick due to the MT5602 movement, and slightly thicker than the ETA2824 era Black Bay (like my blue 79220N) which was around 13mm thick. The design cleverly distributes much of the mid-case thickness to the case-back, making it appear slimmer than the 79220N, which had a more slab-sided mid-case.
The case design itself feels more refined compared to the 79220N, with a sharper polished bevel along the sides that flare out a bit more at the lugs. The quality of the brushed finishing and polishing has evidently improved over the past decade. While I did not have a bracelet on my 79220N, the BB Monochrome’s bracelet end link fitment is exceptional, with no gaps and a seamlessly integrated design.
Unlike the 79220N’s slightly protruding colored crown tube, the Monochrome features a shorter crown tube with a 6mm screw-down crown that is very easy to operate. The bezel design is particularly appealing, with sharper, more defined teeth reminiscent of vintage Submariners. The aluminum bezel insert is matte black, appearing almost dark grey under natural light, which complements the monochromatic scheme of the watch beautifully, enhancing its no-nonsense, everyday appeal. I would go as far as to say that everything that makes this watch boring is what I find to be most attractive about it.
The bezel is a 60-click unidirectional dive bezel, which I personally prefer over 120-click options. The action is loud, distinct, and satisfying – quite different from the Tudor Pelagos FXD MN’s 60-click bidirectional bezel. The solid, screwed-down case-back and the watch’s 200-meter water resistance, along with a movement resistant to up to 15,000 Gauss of magnetism.
Dial
For better or worse, if you are familiar with one Black Bay dial, you largely know what to expect across the range. There are a few exceptions, such as the Black Bay Bronze with its applied numerals, and the Black Bay Pro with its 3D ceramic-infused luminous markers. However, the overall design styling remains consistent across the Tudor lineup – a strategy that contributes to building a recognizable and coherent brand image, much like what is often seen with the crown’s models.
In my experience with the Pelagos 39, I found the combination of a sunburst dial with a sunburst finish ceramic bezel a bit overwhelming for a watch I hoped would be more subdued and functional. In contrast, this model’s matte black aluminum bezel tempers any potential glamour from the sunburst dial beneath, which I find enhances its appeal as the watch interacts with light in varying monochromatic tones.
The dial features a printed minute marker ring with prominent rectangular ticks for the hours and finer ticks for the minutes. The print quality is high, ensuring excellent legibility. Applied indices include a large triangle at 12 o’clock, rectangular indices at the cardinal points, and circular indices elsewhere, all contributing to a highly legible display. The finishing and quality control are quite good.
The brand’s name and logo are subtly printed below the 12 o’clock index, with additional text above the 6 o’clock marker that includes “Master Chronometer.” I find that text to be slightly crowded for a single line, and even more prominently on the Black Bay GMT, but the printing quality and choice of fonts are tastefully executed.
The hour and minute hands are typical from Tudor, featuring a large ‘Snowflake’ hour hand that seems to still be a hotly debated design element among enthusiasts. I’ve owned a watch with this hand design before I had opinions on watch design, so I find it quite pleasing and entirely acceptable. The seconds hand features a lollipop element and a circular counterweight, enhancing overall legibility. All hands are well-finished and generously filled with lume.
Overall, this dial excels at its function, providing excellent legibility through high-contrast elements and a restrained design approach that emphasizes the watch’s utility over decorative aesthetics.
Lume
The Black Bay ‘Monochrome’ features indices and hands that are generously applied with lume. The aluminum bezel insert includes only a lumed pip at the 12 o’clock position, which is standard for this type of design. The lume is reasonably potent, but in a world where $500 – $1000 micro-brands tend to lead the charge on lume potency and longevity, the Tudor won’t be winning any lume wars episodes on Just One More Watch. However, from a practical standpoint, the lume provided on this watch offers more than adequate night-time legibility, ensuring that reading the time in the dark is comfortably manageable.
Movement
This watch is powered by the Kenissi manufactured caliber MT5602-U, a METAS certified variant of the MT5602 movements first introduced with the ceramic Black Bay 41, and subsequently featured in the red bezel gilt dial version of the Black Bay 41 released last year. Previously, METAS certification, a standard that offers a more stringent assessment compared to COSC, was predominantly utilized by Omega. This Master Chronometer certification evaluates the fully encased movement, not just the movement alone, ensuring the watch’s precision under varying conditions of temperature and power reserve, and its resilience against magnetic fields and water ingress.
Having experienced the reliability of Kenissi movements in models like the Black Bay 58 Bronze, Pelagos FXD, and Pelagos 39, I can attest to their exceptional accuracy and consistency. These movements have impressively maintained better timekeeping over extended periods than some of my Rolex watches, often performing better in 10-20 day tests. If you’re a chronometry nerd and have a timegrapher at home that you use frequently, you’ll likely love owning one of Tudor’s more recent watches. Over the last 10 days of constant wear, this movement has gained about 3 seconds.
On The Wrist
Initially, I had reservations about how this Tudor Black Bay Monochrome would fit on my 6.75″ wrist, given my past experiences with the first generation of MT5602 Black Bay watches, which I found too unwieldy and clumsy due to their height and slab-sided design. However, this generation of Black Bay is a notable improvement in comfort. It feels even more comfortable than my slimmer 79220N Black Bay, thanks to several design adjustments. The lug-to-lug distance has been restrained, the case height slightly reduced, and the mid-case elegantly sculpted to curve towards the wrist at the lugs. Although the case-back protrudes somewhat, it doesn’t detract significantly from the wearing experience, which remains stable and comfortable.
I got to see the the ‘Oyster’ style riveted bracelet and the ‘Tu-bilee’ bracelet, before ultimately choosing the latter. The riveted bracelet provided a more balanced feel on the wrist, while the Tu-bilee bracelet felt lighter, making the case’s weight slightly more noticeable. But I love how the Tu-bilee looks on this watch, so the decision was easy to make.
Despite some opinions suggesting that the 5-link Tu-bilee bracelet might feel flimsy, I would have to disagree; it may be lighter than expected, but the machining tolerances and overall fit are exceptional. The end links integrate seamlessly, and the brushed and polished finishes harmonize beautifully with the case.
The bracelet’s edges are smooth, and the clasp exudes a premium quality not always found in this category. If you run your finger over the clasp, the only sharp edge is the shield logo which appears to have been intentionally designed that way to assist in opening the clasp. The rest of the edges are softer, outclassing some offerings from brands like Omega whose Speedmaster Professional clasp has a few surprisingly sharp edges.
The T-Fit on-the-fly adjustment system is particularly useful, appears to be quite robust, and user-friendly, enhancing the bracelet’s functionality. While I am thoroughly impressed with this bracelet, my only suggestion for improvements in overall wear-ability would be for Tudor to slightly reduce the overall weight of the case to achieve a better balance on the wrist.
Wrapping Up
I must admit, this Tudor watch has surpassed my expectations, and I find myself more impressed than anticipated. There’s always the possibility that this is merely the honeymoon phase, and that prolonged wear might reveal some flaws, especially if I choose to keep it as a staple in my collection. However, as of now, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive.
With a price tag nearing $5000 USD, Tudor is certainly venturing into a higher market bracket. Despite this, they appear to be one of the few brands that manage to elevate the quality of their products in line with their price adjustments. The new bracelet is exceptional, the METAS certified movement is a significant value addition – especially appealing to nerds like myself – and the discernible enhancements in fit and finish over the years do not go unnoticed. In this (superficial and shallow) evolving landscape of watchmaking, Tudor gives us some reason to have hope as they appear to be making calculated strides to better justify their pricing with tangible improvements in their offerings.
