In 2017, Tudor launched something completely unexpected: a new chronograph called the Tudor Heritage Black Bay Chronograph. (Back then, the brand didn’t focus so much on the Black Bay line and bothered to differentiate it with the “Heritage” addition.) The watch was a hit and has since spawned a number of versions, in addition to a few Pelagos FXD Chrono models. For example, a few years after its launch, it received a new design with a ceramic bezel and a panda option. In all that time, however, we hadn’t seen perhaps the most predictable color: blue. If a watch comes out in black today, you’d bet the second version would be blue. But anyone making that bet would have been waiting for a two-tone model and a pink model until now. Tudor has just announced the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Blue” Boutique Edition M79360B.
If you’re wondering what’s really new, you can skip down to the dial below, because everything else remains unchanged. The Black Bay Chrono “Blue” Boutique Edition features the same 41mm stainless steel case as its siblings, with sapphire crystal and 200m water resistance. It’s 14.4mm thick and has a lug-to-lug distance of 49.8mm, meaning it should wear just as well as the other Black Bay Chronos. The case features a circular brushed finish on the top, narrow polished bevels, and polished sides. The screw-down chronograph pushers and crown are also polished. One note: when the pushers are unscrewed, they have a long sleeve surrounding the pusher, giving off a bit of a Grand Seiko chronograph vibe that isn’t exactly attractive. (Here’s a little about me: I don’t like screw-down pushers, so I usually leave them unscrewed on watches like this, which gives them a fun pump-pusher look.)
The dial is surrounded by an anodized aluminum insert in “Tudor blue,” and the first thing that’s new. At first glance, this is a generic tachymeter insert, the same as the previous BB Chrono inserts, but upon closer inspection, the execution is quite different. The font strikes a balance between vintage and modern, and the spacing allows for excellent legibility. Completing the watch is a 5-link 22mm Jubilee-style bracelet with Tudor’s tool-free T-Fit adjustment clasp for quick 8mm size adjustment.
The dial is where it all happens, and Tudor has used the same blue for the bezel of this new two-tone dial. The main dial is finished in a satin sunburst blue, with a subtle curvature around the edges. The applied indices and classic Black Bay hand are all polished with Super-LumiNova, which we know glows brightly and evenly. A beveled date window sits at 6, providing visual balance, and although the wheel is white, it matches the white of the hands and markers well. As we’ve seen on other Tudors (like the P01 or the Pelagos LHD), there are touches of red on the dial, here in the form of the depth gauge and chronograph seconds hand.
The chronograph counters are offered in silver and are shaped like a pie pan as they sink below the level of the dial. At 3 o’clock is a 45-minute chronograph counter inspired by the 1970 Oysterdate (Tudor’s first chrono), an unusual sight in modern watches that adds some charm to the BB Chrono collection. At 9 o’clock you’ll find a standard running seconds indicator. All in all, the dial looks balanced and attractive, although I personally would have liked to have seen an all-blue execution. This isn’t the first silver-blue chrono – I’m reminded of Omega’s Tokyo 2020 and Chronoscope Speedmaster, among others – and it wouldn’t be the first all-blue chrono, but this is still what my heart desires.
The watch features the same chrono found in other Black Bay Chronos and in the Pelagos FXD chronograph models, the Cal. MT5813. This automatic movement is based on the Breitling Caliber 01 (which Tudor specifically states), but features Tudor-specific enhancements such as a 70-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph, a silicon balance spring, and a variable inertia balance. The chronograph mechanism features a column wheel and vertical clutch. The movement is COSC-certified and offers an accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day. This movement has proven its worth in a number of Tudor chronographs since the Black Bay Chrono was introduced in 2017. The partnership between Tudor and Breitling originated in 2011, and this particular exchange involved a swap for Tudor’s three-hand Caliber MT5612. In 2016, of course, Kenissi was founded to handle all MT movements and also provide production for third parties.
This is a blue chronograph from Tudor, so people will love it even if they complain that it’s just a blue chronograph from Tudor. There’s really nothing to get upset about here other than the fact that it’s just a boutique edition and maybe the fact that Tudor put blue in quotation marks. My bigger hope is that this boutique edition signals a more widely available all-blue version of the Black Bay Chrono. The Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Blue” Boutique Edition M79360B costs 5,675 USD and is available exclusively in Tudor boutiques, but production is not limited. For more information, visit the Tudor website.
