Your First Look at the New Tudor Watches of 2022
The wait is finally over - Watches & Wonders Geneva has officially started and Tudor has just unveiled its new models for 2022.
As Rolex’s sibling company, Tudor is one of the world’s most famous luxury timepiece manufacturers and the brand is followed by countless collectors and enthusiasts all around the globe. With that in mind, Tudor and Rolex operate very differently, and it is widely speculated that this batch of new Tudor watches won’t be the only new releases that we will see from the brand this year. Just like how the Pelagos FXD debuted outside of the traditional trade show season, many collectors believe that Tudor could be holding back its biggest release of the year until a later date when it won’t have to share the spotlight with dozens of other prestigious Swiss luxury watch brands, including Rolex.
Regardless of whether or not more models are scheduled to be released later this year, Tudor has just announced a whole lineup of new models for 2022, and below is a quick overview of all the new Tudor watches that were just unveiled in Geneva.
Tudor Black Bay Pro
Easily the highlight from Tudor’s new releases is the all-new Black Bay Pro. For years, people have been begging Tudor to release a smaller GMT watch, and the Black Bay Pro offers exactly this with its 39mm stainless steel case and in-house GMT movement that features a proper jumping local hour hand.
The Tudor Black Bay Pro is a significant aesthetic departure from the existing Black Bay GMT, and the new model visibly draws its inspiration from the vintage Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655. With that in mind, the new Tudor Black Bay Pro features a heavy dose of the brand’s own design language and it prominently features the company’s signature “snowflake” hands, in addition to lacking the crown-guards and Cyclops magnification lens that are found on the vintage Explorer II.
Unlike the standard Black Bay GMT, the stainless steel 24-hour bezel on the Black Bay Pro is fixed. This means that while the watch is still able to simultaneously display two different time zones, it lacks the Black Bay GMT’s ability to quickly reference a third. Additionally, despite its smaller case size, the new Tudor Black Bay Pro is powered by the same COSC chronometer-certified Cal. MT5652 movement, and it also features the same 200-meter depth rating.
Like most of Tudor’s various Black Bay models, the new Black Bay Pro is available on either a stainless steel bracelet, a leather band, or a fabric strap. Additionally, retail prices will be $3,675 for either of the strap-equipped models or $4,000 for the version on a bracelet.
Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G
One of the most popular Tudor predictions leading up to Watches & Wonders Geneva was that there would be an additional option added to the Black Bay GMT lineup. Most collectors (myself included) figured this might come in the form of a new colorway for the stainless steel model, but Tudor has instead launched a two-tone version known as the Black Bay GMT S&G, which offers an overall aesthetic that is incredibly similar to Rolex’s “Root Beer” GMT-Master II.
Just like the standard model, the new Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G features a 41mm stainless steel case and is powered by the brand’s in-house Cal. MT5652 movement. Similarly, it also features a bidirectional 24-hour bezel and offers a depth rating of 200 meters. However, unlike the stainless steel version, the new Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G features its bezel ring and winding crown in yellow gold and it also includes a black and brown bezel insert with matching gold hands and dial text.
As the new Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G is part of the greater Black Bay collection, buyers will have the option of a metal bracelet, a leather band, or a fabric strap. To match the two-tone aesthetic of the watch, the metal bracelet features its center links in yellow gold and retail prices will be $4,300 for either of the models on straps or $5,550 for the version with the matching two-tone bracelet.
New Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G
The Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G first appeared in 2019 and ushered in the updated style of Black Bay chronograph that would later be applied to the stainless steel model. When it was first released, the Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G was only available with a black dial, but Tudor has just added a new champagne-colored option for 2022.
The new champagne dial for the Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G is essentially the inverse colorway of the existing dial, and it features a golden surface with a pair of solid black chronograph registers and a date window at 6 o’clock. While the watch itself is not entirely new, the additional dial option does create a noticeably different aesthetic for the Black Bay Chrono S&G, and it's almost surprising that a champagne dial was not offered from the very beginning.
Again, as the Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G is still a Black Bay watch, it will be available on a metal bracelet, a leather band, or a fabric strap. However, for the chronograph models, the leather band is a “bund” style and since this is a two-tone edition, the matching bracelet features its center links finished in yellow gold. Just like the black dial version, retail prices for the Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G will be $6,000 for either of the models on straps or $7,250 for the bracelet version.
New Tudor Black Bay 31/36/39/41 S&G
Two-tone is certainly a theme for Tudor’s new 2022 releases, and alongside new steel and gold versions of both the Black Bay GMT and Black Bay Chrono are new two-tone versions of the non-diver Black Bay watches. The new Tudor Black Bay S&G models are available in 31mm, 36mm, 39mm, and 41mm case sizes, and all of them include matching steel and gold bracelets.
While some of the new models even feature diamond-set bezels, the biggest news about the new Tudor Black Bay 31/36/39/41 S&G watches is that they all feature in-house movements. Historically, the non-diver models from the Black Bay range have featured ETA-based calibers, but that looks like it may be starting to change with these new Tudor Black Bay 31/36/39/41 S&G models.
The 31mm version is powered by the Cal. MT5201, the 36mm model receives the Cal. MT5400, the 39mm option has the Cal. MT5602, and inside the 41mm model resides the Cal. MT5601. While the smallest among them (Cal. MT5201) has a 50-hour power reserve, the rest all offer the same 70 hours, and all of these in-house Tudor movements are COSC-certified chronometers.
Retail prices range depending on case size and the style of dial and bezel fitted to the watch, with diamond-set options costing a fairly reasonable premium. The least expensive 31mm model retails for $4,925, while the most expensive option (a 39mm model with diamonds set into both its dial and bezel) is priced at $7,425.
New Tudor Royal
Lastly, Tudor has also launched two new Royal models - one in stainless steel and one in two-tone. Both of the new Tudor Royal watches have 28mm cases, making them the smallest case size that is currently available for the greater Royal collection. Additionally, both models also feature mother of pearl dials with diamond-set hour markers and both have bezels that are further set with an additional 60 diamonds.
Internally, the two watches are powered by Tudor’s Cal. T201 movement, which is based on an ETA design and offers a 38-hour power reserve, although it lacks chronometer certification. While the movements are not one of Tudor’s own designs, the new Royal watches are still backed by the same 5-year warranty as the rest of the brand’s models. Additionally, both of the new Tudor Royal watches feature sapphire crystals and screw-down winding crowns, which prove them with an ample 100 meters of water resistance.
As far as retail prices, the stainless steel model costs $3,450, while the two-tone version is priced at $4,725. While these prices are fairly reasonable for watches fitted with diamond-set dials and bezels, it should be noted that these two new additions are among the most expensive Tudor Royal watches currently available due to their gem-set components.
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*All images courtesy of Tudor
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