Thoughts on Tudor's New Black Bay Chrono 'Pink'

Tudor just released a Black Bay Chrono with a pink dial. Less than two weeks out from Watches and Wonders, this release certainly comes as a surprise. The Black Bay Chrono ‘Pink’ is a collaborative effort with Tudor and two of its ambassadors: David Beckham and Jay Chou. The former founded a professional soccer team whose primary color is pink, and from what I understand, the latter likes pink. To be perfectly honest, I’m less interested in the marketing for this watch and more interested in what it means for Tudor’s upcoming releases. If you’ll notice, the Black Bay Chrono ‘Pink’ comes on a five-link bracelet – not to be called a Jubilee (in front of a Tudor representative, that is) – complete with a T-fit clasp. Notably, the watch does not feature a new movement, case, or dial design (other than its pink hue). Let’s take a closer look at this release: what’s new, what’s old, and what does it mean for Tudor this April at Watches and Wonders?

What’s New with the Tudor Black Bay Chrono ‘Pink’

First and foremost, and if you didn't already catch this, the dial is pink. Before today, the steel Tudor Black Bay Chrono could only be had in black or white. When I first saw the pictures this morning, my initial thought was “why is the pink so dark?”. After spending more time with the press photos (which are surely not rendered, doctored, or otherwise unreal), I’ve come around on the shade. I actually think it looks good, especially with the red dial text and seconds hand tip.

Other than the pink dial, everything new can be found on the bracelet. Most obviously, the bracelet itself has been updated with the five-link design we saw on last year’s refreshed Black Bays. To many people’s delight, the faux-riveted Oyster-style bracelet is no more, and I agree with Danny Milton that “I have to think this is a bracelet combination coming for the entire range”. When we saw this five-link bracelet introduced last year, I had mixed emotions. I really liked it on the smooth-bezel Black Bay 31/36/39/41, but was somewhat ambivalent about it on the Black Bay Burgundy. Today’s release tells me that Tudor is all-in on this bracelet, and it will likely make its way onto more models. Unsurprisingly, the bracelet features a T-fit clasp: Tudor’s beloved microadjustment system that is slowly making its way onto all Black Bay models. I see this new bracelet as a vehicle to update models with T-fit. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on a Black Bay 58 in a few days.

What’s Old with the Tudor Black Bay Chrono ‘Pink’

With updates out of the way, let’s talk about what has stayed the same with the Tudor Black Bay Chrono ‘Pink’. The movement has not changed, the 14.4mm thickness has subsequently not changed, and the dial design has not changed. I could be wrong, but I think this release is telling that we won’t see an in-house (non-Breitling) Tudor Black Bay Chronograph this year. Now, that doesn’t exclude an in-house Heritage Chrono revival or new Pelagos FXD Chrono, but I’d definitely be surprised to see a refreshed BB Chrono in 12 days. I’m all but certain that Tudor’s next amendment to a chronograph model line will feature a Kenissi movement similar to the one inside Tudor’s 2023 OnlyWatch submission (excluding one-offs and limited editions like this one). The next Black Bay Chrono generation will almost certainly by thinner and feature an updated dial design, or at least refreshed proportions.

What Does this Mean For Tudor’s Upcoming Releases?

The biggest takeaways from this limited edition release are twofold: Tudor is all-in on this five-link bracelet and they’re more-than-happy to continue releasing watches outside of the traditional trade show structure. The five-link bracelet is a bit of a surprise to me, but it makes sense that Tudor would want to create consistency amongst Black Bay models (and appease the rivet haters in the comments). The divergence from a trade show release structure is nothing new, but is worth noting. It’s clear that Rolex, Tudor, and numerous other brands plan on releasing watches as they see fit, not worrying about cramming all or even most of their releases into one week. This is no doubt a result of the ever-powerful tool that is social media and, more recently, the global pandemic. Since 2020, brands and consumers alike have grown accustomed to releases that don’t align with in-person events. 

What do you think of the Tudor Black Bay Chrono ‘Pink’? Leave us a comment below or email at blog@everestbands.com.

All images courtesy of Tudor