A Much-Desired Encounter With The Master Chronometer Tudor Black Bay “Monochrome”

Last year’s big Tudor releases during Watches and Wonders were the Black Bay 58 GMT and the black version of the Master Chronometer Black Bay. The latter was quickly nicknamed Black Bay “Monochrome,” to be more specific. With Watches and Wonders 2025 around the corner, an obvious next release would be the Master Chronometer Black Bay with a black dial and blue bezel. It is the only regular 41mm stainless steel model that hasn’t received an update yet. Plus, it has always been my favorite of the previous-generation Black Bays. But with the current black model losing its faux gilt details, my preferences might have changed. As it turns out, that model might be hard to beat.

Over the past two decades, I have slowly grown to love Tudor. When I first got into watches in the early 2000s, it wasn’t a great time for the brand. However, my love for it was sparked when I dove into the history of Tudor’s classic Submariner after the relaunch in 2012. The Submariner lineage is where a huge part of the historical heart of Tudor lies. From the long-lasting connection to the French Marine Nationale to the development of the characteristic Snowflake handset, the Submariner has defined Tudor’s legacy. Diving into that history has made me a lot more appreciative of the brand and the Submariner in particular. It’s also why I wrote a plea to bring back the classic Tudor Submariner “Snowflake” ref. 7016 as well as a Tudor Submariner Top 5.

Becoming a Tudor Submariner enthusiast

We haven’t seen a relaunch of a stainless steel Submariner — or Black Bay, for that matter — with the famous rectangular hour markers and Snowflake hands. Tudor keeps its famous dial design with rectangular indexes for its Pelagos line. It’s a clever choice because it keeps a strict division between the Pelagos and Black Bay collections.

As a result, the latter features regular round hour markers and combines them with the famous Snowflake hands. Funnily enough, this combination was not common in the past. It was either Snowflake hands and rectangular indexes or round indexes and Mercedes hands.

But without getting too far into the history of the brand, the current 41mm Master Chronometer Black Bay is probably the closest you can get to a classic Tudor Sub. In 2023, I had the pleasure of taking the updated burgundy version for a spin. While the watch presented a great set of revisions, it just wasn’t for me.

It’s predominantly due to the burgundy version’s aesthetic. Frankly, I don’t want a modern 41mm watch with vintage looks. It feels as if that version is trying to look like something it is not. Of course, that has been a key factor in Black Bay’s success. It’s also why I was afraid Tudor would go that route with the black model. To my relief, though, the brand chose a clean, modern approach to the execution of this vintage-inspired diver.

Is this the modern Tudor Submariner?

It immediately catapulted this Black Bay “Monochrome” onto my list of future Tudor must-haves. My favorite Tudor watch is still the Black Bay Pro that I have been wearing on and off for almost a year. As it turns out, that’s the perfect Tudor for me despite my initial doubts about the chunky case.

I stated a year ago that I didn’t love the Black Bay Pro, but a year later, I can say that wearing it a lot has made me fall in love with it. Now, if Tudor decides to introduce a slimmer version of the Black Bay Pro, I would be all over that. The fact that its cliff-like case sides have not proven to be an issue doesn’t mean it leaves nothing to desire.

The new Black Bay “Monochrome” is perfect proof that optimizing the case dimensions immediately cleans up the different Tudor models that suffer from unwanted chunkiness. Let’s remind ourselves of the details shortly before we get into the wearing experience. The current case measures 41mm in diameter and 13.6mm thick. As I explained in the review of the burgundy version, Tudor achieved this by slightly changing the sapphire crystal’s shape and updating the profile and case to get an overall thinner and more wearable watch.

The details of the Black Bay “Monochrome”

The watch is available with a black rubber strap, an Oyster-style bracelet, or a Jubilee-style bracelet. Whereas we received the burgundy version on the last option, I was quick to decide that the Oyster-style bracelet was the only right option for this new “Monochrome” version. I just like the way it looks more, and my historical sense of “how it should be” sparks that preference. While the Jubilee-style bracelet fits the style of the burgundy model a bit better, I don’t think it works with the black model as well.

Inside the slimmed-down case, Tudor equips the watch with its METAS-certified MT5602-U caliber. The automatic movement operates at 28,800vph, has 25 jewels, and has a 70-hour power reserve. Furthermore, the movement features a silicon hairspring, a variable-inertia balance, and a transversal balance bridge. With the addition of the METAS Master Chronometer certification, Tudor took a great step in upping the standard for its movements. As most of you will know, we have seen the brand use METAS-certified calibers more and more often for its watches.

The best pick currently under €5K

In terms of pricing, all three models stay well under the €5K mark. On the black rubber strap, the watch costs €4,440, and on the three-row bracelet, it’s €4,660. Lastly, on the five-row bracelet, this Black Bay model costs €4,770. In all fairness, for just over €4.5K new, I couldn’t think of a better pick, and it’s exactly what makes Tudor watches so compelling to a wide audience. The overall quality of these watches is outstanding. They feel very well made and offer all the specs and details you could want from a modern dive watch.

Having said that, it was time to take it for a spin and find out whether this is the modern Sub from Tudor I have been wanting to own for such a long time. All the ingredients are there, the price is far more friendly than the prices of actual vintage Tudor Subs, and what you get in return is a far better watch. Just as a little side step, every time I check the prices of the vintage Tudor Submariners, I am still surprised. A vintage Submariner ref. 7016 with the dial I love so much starts at roughly €9K. Its successor, the ref. 9401, has asking prices starting at around €10K. I probably don’t have to say what that kind of money can also buy you…

Wearing the Master Chronometer Tudor Black Bay “Monochrome”

Anyway, with the three different executions of the new Black Bay on the table, it was time to try them out. I first wore the watch on the rubber strap for a bit but quickly decided I’d had enough of that version. Admittedly, I am a bracelet guy, so when the option is there, I won’t hesitate to choose that. That left the two bracelet variants, and as I already mentioned, I much prefer the Oyster-style one. On top of that, I had already spent time with the Jubilee-style bracelet when I tried the burgundy version.

Sizing the bracelet was easy thanks to the screwed links. On top of that, I didn’t have to use the micro-adjustment mechanism of the T-fit clasp. I just took two links out of both sides and left the micro-adjuster all the way in, and the bracelet fit my wrist perfectly. Once on the wrist, the watch feels remarkably competent and well built. We try many different watches here at Fratello, but not many feel as sturdy and solid as this Tudor, especially at a similar price point.

The best way to explain that feeling is a total absence of rattly elements because the tolerances are spot on. As a result, after closing the clasp with a reassuring click, the watch feels right at home on the wrist. For mine, the 41mm size feels perfect, which was solid confirmation that this is the Black Bay for me. I have thought about the Black Bay 58 many times, especially since I gravitate toward watches 40mm and smaller nowadays. But I simply do not like the black version of the Black Bay 58 because of its faux-vintage looks.

Impressions of wearing the Black Bay “Monochrome”

After wearing the watch for a couple of days, a few things stood out. The first was that it just felt right on my wrist. The design, the comfort, and the build quality all seem like the blueprint for a modern mechanical watch. To be perfectly fair, it’s the blueprint that Rolex developed with the Submariner and that this Tudor was modeled after. That’s what makes this such a nice watch to wear.

Part of that presence is also that the watch might come across as a bit boring. But as many of you will know, “boring” often translates to “a keeper.” It means that you don’t question the looks regularly, and the watch just feels right. This was the first time I had experienced that with a Black Bay diver. Its neutral presence, which doesn’t mimic the vintage feel of the early Tudor Submariners, feels exactly on point.

Is it enough?

Does this Black Bay “Monochrome’ leave anything to desire? Initially, I was sure that this would be the second Tudor I’d set my sights on after the Black Bay Pro. But after wearing the watch for a week or so, some thoughts started popping up every time I peeked at my wrist. While it’s less of a Tudor problem and more of a problem with me, it was interesting nonetheless. As it turns out, I like a more pronounced bezel. We all know that when Rolex introduced the ref. 5512, the case size increased, and the design was updated to introduce the Submariner as we know it today.

For Tudor, that switch happened when going from the Submariner ref. 7924 to the ref. 7928 in 1959. The case was updated with crown guards, and the knurling on the bezel became much more pronounced. I prefer that “rougher” look over the earlier Subs. We all know that the early Tudor Submarines inspired the current Black Bay line. As a result, it does feel more refined, and I would love to see a Black Bay that takes the bezel design of the ref. 7928 as the starting point. But we also know what that means: essentially, it would be a modern Tudor Submariner.

In the end, it’s not you, Tudor. It’s me…

While I love that thought, it is never going to happen because it is a bit too close for comfort. But it would not be total blasphemy. That bezel design is an integral part of Tudor history because it was featured in the collection from 1959 until 1999 when the Submariner was discontinued. Did I also miss the crown guards? In all honesty, I didn’t. Apparently, that was less of a visual issue for me when wearing the watch. But while we are at it and fantasizing about an updated Black Bay for the future, let’s make it historically correct and update both the case and the bezel.

Surely, Tudor will never give us that. But come to think of it, the brand has more historical grounds to do so than to give us its version of the Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655 with the Black Bay Pro or the Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675/3 “Root Beer” with the Black Bay GMT S&G. Those two watches were never part of Tudor’s back catalog. In essence, Tudor could perfectly justify creating a modern version of its Submariner ref. 7928. I am sure that plenty of fans would jump at the chance to buy that.

Final thoughts on the Tudor Black Bay “Monochrome”

But all that thinking leads to two main conclusions. First, Tudor has created a truly wonderful version of its Black Bay that is the perfect pick if you are looking for the best daily wearer with a price well under €5K. It’s the perfect modern tool watch modeled after a historical design that many of us love. As such, it is hard to beat. Additionally, I love that Tudor left the vintage queues at the door for the Black Bay “Monochrome.” As a result, the watch feels a lot better than its peers in the collection that have fake gold accents to mimic something they are not. Kudos to Tudor for refraining from those because it does create a better Black Bay.

Most of all, though, the watch made me reconsider my preferences when it comes to Tudor. Two things stand out to me most. First, the craving to see a Black Bay with a more pronounced bezel and a case design with crown guards is a subconscious message to start chasing the classic Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 I’ve wanted for so long. That might sound as if I am disqualifying Tudor in favor of Rolex, but I would rather call it a refocus.

From Black Bay to Pelagos

After spending time with multiple Tudor Black Bay and Pelagos models in the past two years, I found out that my love for Tudor is deeply rooted in its distinct design elements, specifically, the dial design with rectangular markers and Snowflake hands. As such, I have slowly gravitated more towards the Pelagos line.

I had a great time reviewing the Pelagos FXD GMT last year, and I love seeing the regular Pelagos FXD on Nacho’s wrist and the Pelagos 39 on one of my best friends’ wrists. Sometimes, it takes time to come to the right conclusions, and it’s certainly to Tudor’s credit that it can offer so many options for different tastes. That’s exactly why I have grown to love the brand as much as I do.