A Closer Look at the Tudor Black Bay GMT
Tudor has recently released a new sibling in the Black Bay line with its new Black Bay GMT. It is a GMT version with greater accuracy than most other chronometer-tested watches, according to Beyond The Dial. The brilliant engineers designed this timepiece with multiple ways to set the time displays. This piqued our interest in taking a second look at the new iteration. Tudor is a luxury watchmaker known for its innovations in design and functionality, and the new GTM version with the addition of world time begs a closer inspection of this expensive watch.
Outstanding features
The Tudor Black Bay GMT has two features that pulled us in for a closer look. The first is its new second-time zone function that is made to be user-friendly. The second is its affordable pricing. At a glance, the Black Bay GMT is an attractive and sophisticated timepiece with a sporty aesthetic with the appearance of a high-end dive watch. The Black Bay GMT was announced at Baselworld 2018. It’s a timepiece that is designed for world travelers, to help them connect to the right time wherever they are, while simultaneously maintaining a second time zone for keeping in touch with loved ones across the globe at the right time of day.
A closer look at the Tudor Black Bay GMT
The Black Bay GMT has been out for three years now. It was released just a year in advance of the pandemic that shut down travel for those who move between time zones. We’re preparing to enter a new phase where travel is opening up and keeping track of more than one time zone will be more important than ever. This exceptional timepiece merits a thorough inspection of its finer details to truly understand its value.
The case and crown
The case of the Black Bay GMT is made of stainless steel material. It measures 41 mm in diameter with an attractive satin finish. The width of the case is rounded up from its actual measurement of 40.96 mm with a depth of 14.52 mm. The crown is also made of steel. It’s a screw-down winding style with an engraved relief of the Tudor rose. The tube is a circular satin-brushed style. The case back is solid and also made of stainless steel. It is water-resistant to 200 meters or 660 feet. Tudor Watches describes the bezel with its bidirectional orientation. It’s rotatable with 48 notches with a 24-hour graduated disc made of anodized aluminum in matte burgundy and blue colors. The bezel is made of stainless steel. The dial features a matte black domed background with large hour markers in triangles, thick sticks, and round dot forms to add a bit of sportiness and novelty to the aesthetic. They’re all filled with SuperLuminova material to enhance legibility in low lighting conditions. It glows bright green in the dark. The face of the watch is highly legible in all types of lighting thanks to the magnificent contrast of the background and the applied indices. The dial is protected with a domed sapphire crystal that is resistant to scratching and scuffing.
The movement
The Tudor Black Bay GMT is powered by an in-house Manufacture Calibre MT 5652 COSC certified movement with a bidirectional rotor system. Tudor stopped relying on other Swiss manufacturers for their movements in 2015 when the brand developed the MT5613 and the MT5621. Tudor created the Caliber MT5813 in cooperation with Breitling, then added complications to the power plant resulting in the Caliber MT5652. This is a modern caliber with hours, minutes, and seconds functions, along with a second time zone that is seen by the jumping local hour hand that requires reading the GMT hand against the 24-hour bezel, according to Beyond the Dial. The power reserve is approximately 70 hours, with a jumping local hour complication.
The bracelet
The Tudor Black Bay GMT comes with a riveted style bracelet in stainless steel. The finish is both polished and satin. It attaches firmly to the wrist with a folding clasp-style closure equipped with a safety catch for security. There is also an adjustment mechanism for achieving the ideal fit against the wrist. The total weight of the watch with the steel bracelet is 188 grams. The Black Bay GMT is also available in a choice of a black with a red sport’s strip textile band or a brown leather strap.
Price and availability
The Tudor Black Bay GMT went on sale in 2018 for a cost of $3,725. It is currently available from the brand’s official website, or through any authorized Tudor retailer. The price range is $3,725 for the leather and textile strap versions and $4,050 for the GMT with the steel integrated bracelet.
Final thoughts
The Tudor Black Bay GMT has been around for a few years, but the second time zone has not been a necessity for most who have been stuck in their home countries. As things are starting to open up for international travel, the need for access to a handy second time zone is growing. Even if you don’t use the added feature for months or years at a time, it can come in handy. It’s even good when you’re traveling to a different state in your home country. this is yet another of the many innovations that Tudor has offered its adoring public. It holds close to a version offered by Rolex, with a more affordable starting price. We like the notion of in-house manufacture for the movement. It completes the overall personality of the watch and gives Tudor even greater ownership over intellectual properties which makes it a more pure creation that is uniquely Tudor. With no indication of this being a limited production run, it’s safe to assume that there are still plenty of Tudor Black Bay GMT models available if you’re in the market for a high0end traveler’s watch with a sporty aesthetic.
