Tudor's New METAS-Certified Black Bay With Burgundy Bezel

March 27, 2023

Fresh out of Tudor's brand new manufacture in Le Locle, we find a full-bodied unidirectional burgundy bezel Black Bay. This watch is now METAS Master Chronometer certified, meaning it was put through hell and tested for waterproofness, power reserve, magnetic resistance, and accuracy. This is a nod towards Tudor's future plans to make their entire range METAS. The watch is powered by Tudor's Manufacture Calibre MT5602-U, which among other things, has been "weekend proofed" meaning you can take it off for 70 hours without having to wind it (that was in the in-house movement before but still nice to have). It can operate within a tolerance range of five seconds thanks to the non-magnetic hairspring. In 2012 the first Black Bay was released with a burgundy bezel and it returned in 2015. Now, the watch returns to its red roots with burgundy, a beautiful black dial, a steel case, and slightly tweaked hands. It's a little big at 41mm with a domed sapphire crystal, though thinner than the original BB. There's also a redesigned screw-down crown with the Tudor rose. The bracelet is either a satin-brushed three-link steel or a five-oval-shaped-link brushed and polished steel bracelet. If you don't want a bracelet, there is also a rubber option and all three mounts come with the Tudor "T-fit" clasp for easy micro-adjust.? What We Think The more color the better! Thrilled to see the return of this rich shade of red return on such a beautiful bracelet. It feels like the original thought has been completed. The lume on the snowflake hands and indices looks richer and it somehow feels more balanced than the 2012 watch but in a subtle way. The METAS certification is exciting and pretty impressive. The new manufacture plus this new certification signals big things for Tudor and its in-house prowess. And while anti-magnetism and waterproofness to 200m is dope, the T-fit on the rubber strap feels particularly user-friendly. And for under $5k ( CHF 4,250 at the time of publishing) get a pretty package of first-rate sporty watchmaking, can't really argue with that. The Basics Brand: Tudor Model: Black BayReference Number: m7941a1a0ru-0003Diameter: 41mmCase Material: SteelDial Color: BlackIndexes: AppliedLume: Yes, hands and markersWater Resistance: 200 metersStrap/Bracelet: three-link or five-link steel, or rubber, all with T-Fit adjustable clasps.? The Movement Caliber: Manufacture Calibre MT5602-UDiameter: 31.88mm Thickness: 6.5mmPower Reserve: 70 hours Winding: Self-winding with bi-directional rotor Frequency: 4 HzJewels: 25Chronometer Certified: COSC and METAS? Pricing & Availability Price: CHF 4,250Limited Edition: No Shop this story For more information visit Tudor.