Meeting of Designs: The Tudor Black Bay Pro
A true 10-year celebration of Tudor’s watershed flagship
Written by Theo Baker
May 25, 2022
With the summer season steadily upon us, and with the many warm days to follow it, watch enthusiasts may now be looking for appropriately sporty watches to meet the time of year. As in many years, lots of new sports watches are catching the eyes of collectors, but among the many new releases for this year, a few stand out. Among them are, of course, the familiar models like those from Rolex, with their latest left-handed focused GMT-Master II, or from TAG Heuer with their ever-popular Autavia line. Though among the leading players in the market is also Tudor and its unexpected new Black Bay Pro.
The new sports watch from Tudor is the latest in the brand’s extremely popular Black Bay collection. It comes not only as an interesting watch in its own right, but further as a celebration of 10 years since the collection’s formal debut in 2012. At a glance, the Black Bay Pro is a Rolex Explorer II style GMT, with influences both from vintage Rolex and Tudor watches, but also with plenty of modern flair in its general styling, manufacturing, and technology.
On the wrist, the watch measures 39mm in diameter, while standing relatively tall at 14.6mm. Notably, the watch has received very few criticisms since its debut this spring, but among them is that the watch stands too tall on the wrist. Though, for the critique, those who have worn the watch have commented the height is by no means a major distraction from their general enjoyment of the watch, with others even commenting it instead adds a nice touch of additional sporty hardiness.
Besides its dimensions, the silhouette of the timepiece is likely familiar to any fan of the Tudor Black Bay or Rolex Explorer II line, being a somewhat hybrid between the two— complete with a guard-less, screw-down big crown, fixed 24-hour bezel, and utility-driven, brushed finishing throughout its boxy, oyster-inspired case.
Beneath its domed sapphire crystal, another hybrid-type aesthetic is on display, with the travel-focused configuration channeling historic and modern traits throughout. Notably, the dial features signature Tudor “snowflake” hands, including its diamond-tipped, yellow GMT pointer, as well as a Tudor shield at the 12 o’clock position (as compared to the vintage rose logo), and a subtle 3 o’clock date window, which differs from Rolex’s standard cyclops-magnified detail.
Inside, the travel-focused timepiece is driven by the Tudor caliber MT5652, an impressive chronometer-grade movement capable of a 70-hour power reserve. The automatic caliber is also in part responsible for the watch’s tall height, with its GMT-equipped functionality lending to a larger mechanical size, which, placed in context with the watch’s 200m water resistance, lends to a taller overall watch.
