Tudor Black Bay GMT

Quick specs Tudor Black Bay GMT
Price: starting at € 4.040 | CHF 3’800 | $ 3,940 | £ 3,400
Size: 41 mm
Reference:
M79830RB-0010 (steel bracelet)
M79830RB-0012 (fabric strap)

The Tudor Black Bay GMT is the perfect triple time zone watch with outstanding movement and Rolex quality at about half the price. Of course, all watches with a two-tone bezel in Pepsi-style (or Coke, Sprite, Batman, root beer, you name it) are inspired by the first Rolex GMT-Masters. Like the first models with reference 6542 from 1954, or the Rolex GMT-Master reference 1675 that was on sale from 1959 until the 1980s. Tenths of other brands copied the design, and are still copying it, but somehow it feels right when Tudor does it. Obviously, because Tudor is Rolex’s sister brand.

This new Tudor GMT mixes ‘their’ burgundy color also used for other Black Bays with blue for the 48-notch bidirectional bezel. The brand combines this with a domed opaline dial that has a galvanic finish. It’s not fully white, but silver-ish white. It is housed in a 41-millimeter stainless steel case and has snowflake hands – a hallmark of Tudor’s divers watches introduced in 1969 – with grade A super-luminova. Furthermore, there is a date window at 3 o’clock and a noticeable red snowflake GMT hand. The 24-hour indication on the bezel can indicate a second time zone, and, when turned to the right position, a third one as well. Although this will certainly reduce the readability of all those times at once.

The Tudor Black Bay GMT has a power reserve of 70 hours

Inside this Black Bay is an automatic Tudor caliber MT5652, equipped with a GMT function and a retrograde date setting. It has a power reserve of 70 hours and is COSC certified, like almost all new Tudors. With its screw-down crown and screwed steel case back, the watch is water resistant down to 200 meters / 660 feet.

There are two references of this new GMT. The M79830RB-0010 for three-link stainless steel bracelet that is polished and has a satin finish, together with a folding clasp with a safety flap. Or you can buy the reference M79830RB-0012 on a black fabric strap with a burgundy stripe and steel pin buckle. The version with a fabric strap is about 300 less expensive than the steel bracelet version. Other options, with other reference numbers, are a Pepsi GMT with a black dial or a root beer version with a black dial and gold accents.