The Swiss watch brand TUDOR has unveiled a new chronograph, the “Black Bay Chrono 39 ‘Bumblebee’,” featuring a 39mm case.
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TUDOR 'Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee”’”New Chronograph Combining a 39mm Case with Vibrant Yellow
Tudor’s popular “Black Bay Chrono” collection has been expanded with the new “Black Bay Chrono 39 ‘Bumblebee’,” featuring a 39mm case. Its most distinctive feature, as the model name suggests, is the contrast between yellow and black, reminiscent of a bumblebee.The combination of a vibrant yellow dial and black sub-dials gives this sporty chronograph a strong visual impact. The case measures 39mm in diameter and 13.1mm in thickness. It has been crafted to be more compact than previous Black Bay Chrono models, striking an improved balance between presence and wearability—a detail not to be overlooked.The watch is powered by the “Manufacture Caliber MT5813,” an automatic chronograph movement featuring a column wheel and vertical clutch. With a power reserve of approximately 70 hours, it offers practicality—you won’t need to wind it on Monday morning even if you take it off over the weekend.To improve the readability of the sub-dials, the iconic Tudor “Snowflake” hands have also been redesigned. The pushers feature a new knurling pattern, and updates have been made to the details of the exterior. The new three-link bracelet has smooth sides, creating a more integrated look with the 39mm case.
Price: 935,000 yen (tax included) Available now
A Design Inspired by Tudor's Diver's WatchesSnowflake Hands That Define the Black Bay
Like other Black Bay models, the “Black Bay Chrono 39 ‘Bumblebee'” features “Snowflake” hands with square tips.This design first appeared in a 1969 Tudor catalog and is one of the details that symbolizes the brand’s diver’s watches. For this new model, the hands have been redesigned to improve legibility while maintaining balance with the chronograph sub-dials.The Black Bay line is not a collection that simply reproduces past archives. It is a collection that modernizes Tudor’s rich history of diver’s watches, combining a neo-vintage aesthetic with today’s manufacturing technology, precision, and robustness.The essence of the Black Bay lies in its ability to maintain a classic aesthetic while offering the reliability of a practical timepiece.
THE SPIRIT OF ASPHALT AND SEAA Chronograph Design Bridging Asphalt and the Sea
The “Black Bay Chrono 39 ‘Bumblebee’” is a model that fuses the context of a diver’s watch with a chronograph design derived from motorsports.The domed yellow dial is paired with two black sub-counters that appear slightly recessed, achieving both strong contrast and high legibility.The dial layout draws inspiration from Tudor’s early chronographs. Equipped with a 45-minute totalizer and a date display at 6 o’clock, it ensures the functionality of a practical chronograph.The 39mm stainless steel case combines a satin-brushed finish with a polished finish, while the beveled lugs and the crown engraved with the Tudor shield create the three-dimensional look characteristic of the Black Bay.The stainless steel pushers draw their design inspiration from the second-generation Tudor chronograph. A fixed bezel with a black anodized insert and a tachymeter scale reinforces the watch’s sporty chronograph aesthetic and functionality.
About the Manufacture Caliber MT5813An automatic chronograph movement designed to exceed COSC certification standards
The “Manufacture Chronograph Caliber MT5813” powering the “Black Bay Chrono 39 ‘Bumblebee’” is a self-winding movement equipped with hour, minute, second, chronograph, and date display functions.Like other Tudor Manufacture Calibers, it features unique finishes even in parts not visible from the outside. The monobloc tungsten rotor is openworked and combines a sandblasted finish with a satin finish. The bridges and mainplate feature alternating sandblasted and laser-engraved finishes.
This caliber, which offers a power reserve of approximately 70 hours and features a silicon balance spring with excellent anti-magnetic properties, has been certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).While COSC standards allow for an average daily rate of -4 to +6 seconds for unhoused movements, Tudor has established its own, even stricter in-house standard of -2 to +4 seconds for finished watches.The movement also features a sophisticated column wheel mechanism and a vertical clutch, designed with the chronograph’s operability and stability in mind. In accordance with Tudor’s quality standards, it has undergone rigorous testing, just like all other products, to verify its robustness and precision.Based on the Manufacture Chronograph Caliber Breitling B01, this movement combines a high-precision regulating mechanism developed by Tudor with proprietary finishing techniques, making it a caliber born from the collaboration between the two brands.
Bracelet and Clasp SpecificationsFeatures a T-fit clasp for tool-free micro-adjustment
The “Black Bay Chrono 39 ‘Bumblebee'” features a new stainless steel three-link bracelet with smoothly finished sides.The clasp is equipped with Tudor’s proprietary “T-fit” adjustment system. Without the need for tools, the wearer can adjust the bracelet length in five steps, allowing for fine-tuning of up to 8 mm. Ceramic ball bearings are used inside the clasp. This not only enhances the feel when opening and closing the clasp but also contributes to smooth and reliable operation.For metal bracelets, where the fit around the wrist can easily change depending on temperature and time of day, the ability to make fine adjustments is a significant practical advantage.
