THE TUDOR "BLACK BAY GMT ONE" WATCH SELLS FOR 650,000 SWISS FRANCS

THE TUDOR

On Saturday (November 6, 2021) it was reported by @tudorwatch_club on Instagram that the Black Bay GMT One for Only Watch was sold at auction for 650,000 Swiss francs, which is roughly $712,555 USD. The dark greyed-out version with a master chronometer-certified in-house GMT movement and see-through caseback is a one-off that divided opinions among enthusiasts.

Photo by Tudor

Only Watch is a biennial charity auction of timepieces for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a disorder of progressive muscular weakness, typically in boys. In 2019, a Tudor Black Bay Ceramic One sold for 350,000 CHF, making the 2021 result a milestone for Tudor.

We are here to applaud the efforts to sell watches for very worthy charitable causes and it’s nice to see a take on a watch in Tudor’s main lineup that takes risks in its design. The “pre-worn,” distressed look of the finish of the Black Bay GMT One is very cool in my opinion. The monochromatic style is ideal for Tudor’s more daring design (as opposed to Rolex) department.

Photo by Tudor

Just the fact that Tudor is becoming a name on the auction circuit alongside more prestigious brands like Audemars Piguet, F.P. Journe, and Zenith is a statement that the brand is coming into its own in the watch world. For the Only Watch event, each company that is participating makes a one-off version of a watch specifically for the auction.

Now the question for those of us who can’t afford to pony up over $700K for charity is: Would you consider buying a similarly spec’d model at around the $5k mark? We are fans of blacked out watches and consider the ceramic Black Bay one the best recent releases from the brand. Even in the larger case dimension, the entire package works and showcases a futuristic look that can’t be found in Rolex’s lineup.

The GMT version would probably need to be seen in the flesh for a true verdict, but with what we know of Tudor’s pedigree, we’re willing to bet that it’s a winner.

For rubber straps with perfect endlink fit for your Black Bay GMT click here.


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