Hands-On: Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel and Gold
The Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel and Gold showed itself at Baselworld 2019 as the brand brings more two-tone into its lineup.
Well, whether you like it or not, two-tone or bi-color now seems to be back and here to stay. We like it in general, so we were intrigued when we laid eyes on the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel and Gold. The watch supplements the all-steel version that first debuted in 2017. In what now seems to be a trend for the brand, we get a similar watch but with brushed gold highlights.
Plenty of Gold Touches
The reference M79363 Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel and Gold brings gold-capped elements such as the crown, screw-down pushers, and if a bracelet is chosen – the center links. Tudor mentioned to us that bezels are solid 18K gold, albeit quite thin. The hands and applied indices also receive the gold treatment. Keeping pace with the color, the aluminum inlay bezel has gold numerals and this continues with gold-toned hues for the sub-dials, font, and outer minutes track. Similar to the steel variant, there’s a touch of red text on the dial signaling the 200M of water resistance, but the new watch adds a touch of the color at the tip of its central chrono hand to ensure there’s enough contrast.
Slightly Thinner Due to a Thinner Crystal
As mentioned, the Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel and Gold is available on a rivet bracelet with brushed gold-capped center links and a clasp with safety catch. The watch is available on a nylon strap or a brown leather strap that has a slide-on insert that transforms it into a Bund-style cuff. Inside, we have the Tudor cal. 5813 automatic chronograph movement. It’s chronometer certified and as you likely recall, the base is supplied by Breitling as the B01. The case size remains as 41mm. Unfortunately, we weren’t told about the numbers, but Tudor mentions that the crystal on this watch has been slimmed down to help address a lingering concern about the watch’s overall height.
Pricing and Thoughts
The new Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel and Gold will retail for 6,360 Euros on bracelet and 5,240 Euros if you opt for leather or nylon. For a stylish chronograph from the Rolex stable with a classy movement and chronometer certification, that seems reasonable. For comparison’s sake, the steel version on bracelet costs 4,700 Euros, so keep that in mind.
I think that the entirety of our team liked the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel and Gold best out of the new releases from the brand at Baselworld 2019. With its black dial, the watch has a strong dose of vintage F1 “John Player Special” to it and looks pretty tough if that makes sense. While we only imaged the version on nylon, it looks works very well on both the leather strap and bracelet. The watch should begin shipping in the June timeframe.
For more information on the Tudor Black Bay Chrono Steel and Gold, visit the official Tudor brand site.
