Editor’s note: Like you, we are also excited for the Watches & Wonders 2022 novelties. Before we get to dive deep into them, here’s our preview & Gut Reaction Review (Grr…) of the new Tudor Black Bay Pro. For our detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here. This is NOT a sponsored post.
The New Tudor Black Bay Pro In A Nutshell
Ever wanted the Rolex Explorer II reference 226570 without the crown-guards? Or a smaller Tudor BB GMT?
Well, Tudor did it. They were listening. With hundreds of thousands of requests from watch enthusiasts to release a BB58 GMT to the increased desire in acquiring a Rolex Explorer II, to people wanting Tudor to do a smaller version of the 42mm Explorer to even us writing a whole review on why Tudor should release a smaller GMT, the new Tudor Black Bay Pro is finally here.
It kills not just two but many birds with one stone: wanted an Explorer II that you can actually buy? Got it. Wanted a brushed steel bezel? Got it (though the markings are a bit different between the Explorer II and Tudor BB Pro). Wanted a smaller 39mmm diameter GMT (but with two-time zones instead of three)? Got it. Wanted value for money with? Got it. Wanted to save some money, with Rolex Explorer II retailing for 13’390 AUD? Got it thanks to the new Tudor Black Bay Pro on bracelet for only 5’430. Wanted vintage vibes? Got it, courtesy the slightly beige monobloc luminous ceramic appliqué markers that perfectly complement the colouring of the hands and even the date wheel.
Personally, I think it is the runaway hot hit for this year, only matched by the Rolex left hand drive GMT-Master II.
Basic Specifications
The new Tudor Black Bay Pro features a 200m water-resistant 39mm diameter and (unfortunately thick) 14.6mm thickness with a lug-to-lug spacing of 47.2mm and interhorn spacing of 20mm.
The case instead like that of the new Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G ‘Root Beer’ watches and like the Rolex Explorer II features a 24-hour graduated fixed bezel in satin-brushed steel. Inside a domed black dial with a yellow GMT hand — again Rolex’s orange hand vibes — goes about its business smoothly, courtesy the same COSC-certified manufacture movement as that of the new Black Bay GMT S&G.
This calibre MT5652 is the date and GMT version of the MT5602 that is found in the regular Tudor Black Bay (41mm). This MT5652 features the same diameter of 31.8mm but gains in thickness by about a 1mm, coming in at 7.52mm. It also increases the jewels to 28. The rest such as the variable inertia balance, a non-magnetic silicon balance spring, and frequency of 4Hz (28’800 A/h), all remain the same. Even though you can’t see it, the calibre MT5652 features a satin-brushed openwork rotor with sand-blasted details and its bridges and mainplate have alternate polished sand-blasted surfaces and laser decorations. It should feature an impressive accuracy of -2 and +4 seconds.
Again like the rest of the BB line-up, the new Tudor Black Bay Pro offers an impressive 70-hour power reserve and a very decent 200m (20 ATM) water-resistance.
Retailing from only 5’010 AUD, so slightly less than the 5’250 of the existing 41mm Tudor BB GMT ref. M79830RB-0002 and a little more than the 4’730 AUD of the same sized BB58 Blue, these non-limited editions are announced today on 30 March 2022 as part of the Watches & Wonders 2022 March 30 to April 5 (both online and at the Salon) and if I am even remotely correct these will fly off the shelves in no time.
This is the perfect travelling tool-watch — with a new redesigned winding crown to provide maximum grip — designed for professional use. This is the dream Tudor GMT we with slim wrists have wanted (ignoring the thickness).
To find out more about the new Tudor Black Bay Pro and their other watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise stated are courtesy are ©TUDOR. All Rights Reserved. Make sure to check out our reviews of other Watches & Wonders 2022 novelties here.
