Tudor Launches The Black Bay Ceramic ‘Blue’
The watch was spotted on the wrists of Visa Cash App RB team drivers prior to the official launch.
The Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” was just launched but it had been spotted unofficially as far back as February of this year, about the same time that Tudor announced its partnership with Red Bull’s Visa Cash App RB Formula 1 team. VCARB’s Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda were seen wearing a black ceramic cased, blue dial Black Bay, leading to widespread speculation that the team-only model would eventually be released as a full production watch.
This is the first motorsports partnership for Tudor since 2014-2015, when the brand was a title sponsor for the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The Black Bay Ceramic Blue is a METAS certified watch, and further expands the number of Tudor watches which fulfill the criteria for Master Chronometer/METAS certification, which began in 2021 with the Black Bay Ceramic. A Master Chronometer certification is a logical feature for an F1 partnership given the degree to which advanced technical features are part of the world of Formula 1.
METAS Master Chronometer certification is worth reviewing briefly in its specifics, as the requirements are quite stringent. The precision requirements are strict. COSC chronometer certification specifies a maximum daily deviation in rate of -4/+6 seconds and Tudor’s own internal standard for its manufacture movements is -2/+4. The Master Chronometer standard is 0/+5. To be Master Chronometer certified by METAS, the movement has to first be COSC certified, and the watch itself must conform to the “Swiss Made” provenance requirements.
Power reserve, water resistance and accuracy of the cased watch are tested as well; precision timing is tested at two temperatures and in six positions, with the power reserve at 100% and at 33% (essentially, a test for isochronism). The most impressive requirement, however, is that the watch should be able to tolerate a magnetic field with a strength of at least 15,000 gauss, which you are unlikely in the extreme to encounter in every day life.
The black on black color scheme makes the blue dial stand out very prominently. Tudor has opted to leave the blue dial a solid blue with no other embellishments – no radial brushing, and with relatively minimal text on the dial. The solid blue color has an almost enamel-like quality and there are no gilt accents, which further emphasizes that this is a contemporary, high tech mechanical timepiece.
The Black Bay Blue is a thoroughly modern Black Bay, and represents yet another option in one of Tudor’s most popular watch collections, to own a watch which fulfills some of the most demanding technical criteria in the industry.
The Tudor Black Bay “Blue” In Partnership With VCARB F1: Case, 41mm black ceramic, monobloc case middle, micro-bead blasted. Open caseback in black PVD 316L steel, sapphire crystals front and back. One way timing bezel in black PVD treated 316L steel with black ceramic insert, sunray satin finish, and engraved dials and markers. Black PVD steel crown. Movement, caliber MR5602-1U, 31.8mm x 6.5mm automatic, COSC and Master Chronometer Certified; freesprung variable inertia balance, silicon balance spring, running in 25 jewels at 28,800 vph. Hybrid leather and rubber strap; fabric strap also included, with blue band and black PVD steel buckle. Price, $5150; for more info, visit TudorWatch.com.