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TUDOR's 2023 Highlights: A Year in Review | Emperor Singapore
TUDOR's 2023 Highlights: A Year in Review
Mar, 2024
4 min read
An exhilarating spread spanning heritage-inspired watch icons to globetrotting creations set the tone for exciting times ahead.
From exploring ocean depths to traversing the globe in style, TUDOR made sure that it has a timepiece for watch lovers of all stripes in 2023. The storied watchmaking house rolled out an expansive repertoire last year. By paying homage to horological traditions while staying innovative—TUDOR has showcased its two-pronged approach that crystallises the company’s vision for its future endeavours.
Black Bay 54
The Black Bay collection, long a beacon of TUDOR’s commitment to blending traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design, expanded its horizons with a series of models that underscored the brand’s versatility and innovation. Among these, the Black Bay 54, the Black Bay Burgundy, and Black Bay GMT stood out as particularly noteworthy.
TUDOR described the Black Bay 54 as “the purest modern expression of the brand’s first-ever dive watch”—and the brand couldn’t have put it any better. Referencing the year 1954, when TUDOR launched its first-ever dive watch (the Oyster Prince Submariner Reference 7922), the Black Bay 54 paid homage to the incredible heritage through both form and function.
Housed in a 37mm steel case, the Black Bay 54 harks back to the proportions of the Reference 7922. Other throwback references include a pared-down unidirectional bezel, and a simple silver triangle at 12 o’clock that alludes to the look of the vintage model. Thoroughly modern on the inside, the Black Bay 54 is driven by TUDOR’s Manufacture Calibre MT5400 that is COSC-certified and accurate to -2/+4 seconds a day.
Black Bay Burgundy
Speaking of mechanical prowess, the new burgundy Black Bay took top spot as TUDOR's most technically accomplished offering of 2023. The model is the latest Black Bay to be certified as a Master Chronometer and now belongs to an exceptional class of mechanical timepieces that offers unmatched performance, precision and resistance.
The watch had to undergo eight punishing tests to earn its Master Chronometer title that is certified by METAS, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology. Among the Black Bay Burgundy’s superlative features are magnetic resistance of up to 15,000 gauss, and daily accuracy of 0/+5 seconds a day.
Black Bay GMT
Rounding up our pick of favourite Black Bay launches is the Black Bay GMT. The hugely popular range of two-time zone watches welcomed a new iteration that featured the beautiful blue-and-red 24-hour bezel, paired with a silver dial. Dashing colour combination aside, the 2023 Black Bay GMT offers familiar and uncompromising features tailor-made for the jet-set crowd, particularly its ability to display two time zones simultaneously, backed by TUDOR’s in-house automatic Calibre MT5652 with COSC certification.
Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing
2023 also saw TUDOR racing to take its Born to Dare spirit to the seas with its partnership with Alinghi Red Bull Racing. Introduced in 2012, the Pelagos collection demonstrates TUDOR’s proficiency in dive watches. Created to meet the demands of underwater professionals, the Pelagos watches are built to rigorous standards of robustness, waterproofness, legibility, and timekeeping precision.
On the Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing editions, which comprise time-only and chronograph models, TUDOR embraces the world of competitive yacht racing as it celebrates its partnership with the namesake racing team. The Pelagos FXD’s trademark toughness and performance virtues come sheathed in the team’s iconic blue-and-red colours, clad in cutting-edge and lightweight materials made of matte-finished carbon composite cases bearing the FXD collection’s fixed strap bars and titanium bezels.
Certainly, every single TUDOR creation introduced in 2023 has lived up to its billing. Whether crossing continents in style, scaling the heights of technical prowess, or celebrating the most demanding of seafaring sports, the watches demonstrate the spirit of boldness, innovation, versatility, and its deep respect for watchmaking heritage expressed by the horological savoir-faire of the TUDOR Manufacture. Most of all, they serve as harbingers for TUDOR’s future—one that we keenly await as the brand prepares to unveil its latest 2024 offerings.
