Tudor's Black Bay Chronograph Now Comes in Messi-Approved Pink
Jess - Hoffman
Not 24 hours after announcing its partnership with Inter Miami CF as the MLS team’s official timekeeper, Tudor is bringing forth a new watch to match: That’s right, get ready for the Black Bay Chrono “Pink”.
Pink, of course, figures heavily into the David Beckham-founded club’s livery; it also happens to be the signature color of Chinese musician Jay Chou, another of Tudor’s brand ambassadors. Giro d’Italia, meanwhile, a bicycle race sponsored by the Swiss watchmaker, adorns its competitors in pink jerseys. In short: there’s no shortage of the rose-colored hue in Tudor’s orbit, so a pink-dialed watch doesn’t feel like much of a stretch.
Of course, die-hard tool watch aficionados might disagree—which is why the new Black Bay Chrono “Pink” will only be released in limited numbers—how limited, Tudor has yet to specify. The watch itself is rather handsome, if largely familiar to brand aficionados: Housed in a 41mm satin-brushed and polished 316L stainless steel case, it features a fixed, anodized aluminum bezel insert in black with a white tachymeter scale; a screw-down “rose”-logo crown; screw-down pushers; and a domed sapphire crystal.
The star of the proverbial show, the domed pink dial, features contrasting black sub-registers with a 45-minute totalizer—excellent for measuring the two halves of a soccer match—at 3 o’clock; a 60-minute totalizer at 9 o’clock; and a white date window at 6 o’clock. The lumed hands are of the “Snowflake” variety launched by Tudor on its Submariner dive watches in 1969, while the applied, lume-filled indices are easily discernible in low-light conditions. The pink—a cotton-candy like hue, in this case—jives particularly well with the watch’s black and steel elements.
Powered by the brand’s COSC-certified Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813 with 70 hours of power reserve, the pink-dialed Chrono does have one notable trick up its sleeve: It’s paired to the brand’s new-for-2023 five-link, Jubilee-like bracelet in stainless steel with “T-fit” clasp, which adjusts automatically via a spring-loaded system to expand and contract with your wrist. It also ships with a five-year guarantee.
Tudor has long been a specialist in sport chronographs, having released its Oysterdate model way back in 1970. Back then, of course, they were powered by off-the-shelf movements, which is what differentiated Tudor from Rolex and gave it its competitive pricing. These days, the movements are built by Kenissi, Tudor’s manufacturing concern that also supplies brands such as Breitling and Chanel, which have a financial stake in the business. (The Calibre MT5813 is familiar to Breitling fans as the Breitling B01—this movement has powered the Black Bay Chronograph since its introduction, as Kenissi does not yet offer a chronograph movement of its own.)
Pink watches are nothing new, though these days, they’re generally (though not always) limited to special pieces released during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Black Bay Chrono is an excellent (if quite large and relatively thick) sport chronograph, and it’ll be fun to have one available in a light-hearted, sunny color. Just how available the “Pink” will be, however, remains to be seen.
Originally Appeared on GQ
