Back in early 2024, TUDOR announced its return to motorsport, partnering with the new Visa Cash App RB Formula One team. To mark the occasion, TUDOR created a team-exclusive version of its Master Chronometer certified Black Bay Ceramic, complete with a blue dial that matches the team’s striking livery. Now you can finally wear the same watch as drivers Yuki and Daniel wear around the paddock.
TUDOR has established a long legacy of competing on the racetrack. TUDOR supported winning teams during the golden era of motorsport, starting with the TUDOR Watch Racing Team in the late ‘60s, all the way to the recent IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Now, in 2024, TUDOR has returned to the grid once more, this time with Visa Cash App RB, a brand-new Formula 1 team with fan-favorite drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda behind the wheel.
Formula One is widely considered one of the most tech-forward sports. This is the reason why the Black Bay Ceramic is strapped on the wrist of the Visa Cash App RB team. This model represents TUDOR’s relentless pursuit of mechanical performance. Tested by the Federal Institute of Metrology or METAS, the Black Bay Ceramic is the epitome of watchmaking innovation and high-tech aesthetic language. Master Chronometer certification is one of the industry’s most demanding standards in terms of chronometry and resistance to magnetic fields. Its matt black ceramic elements and black Manufacture Calibre accentuate this model’s outstanding performance.
Now offered in a Visa Cash App RB livery, with a blue dial and matching strap stitching, the same configuration the team has been wearing this season, the Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” writes a new chapter in TUDOR’s motorsport history.
Comprehensive independent certification and high standards
METAS Master Chronometer certification is comprehensive and covers the main functional characteristics of a watch including precision, resistance to magnetic fields, waterproofness and power reserve. Its standards are incredibly high, starting with precision. In order to qualify, a watch must be able to function within a 5-second range of variation each day (0/+5), that is to say 5 seconds less than the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) (-4/+6) carried out on uncased movements and a second less than TUDOR’s internal standard (-2/+4), which is applied to the brand’s models with a Manufacture Calibre. The certification also guarantees the timekeeping accuracy of a watch subjected to magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss. Finally, it also guarantees the waterproofness claimed by the manufacturer as well as the power reserve. It should also be noted that two prerequisites are necessary before the certification can be obtained: Swiss manufacturing must conform with the criteria of Swiss Made, and the movement must be certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).
Criteria and tests for Master Chronometer certification by METAS
All the tests and prerequisites leading to the Master Chronometer certification, which the Black Bay has achieved, are summarized below:
- Swiss Made
- Certification by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC)
- Precision at two temperatures, in six positions and at two levels of power reserve: 100% and 33%
- Smooth functioning when exposed to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss and precision following exposure
- Waterproof to 200m (660 ft)
- 70-hour power reserve
The Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U
The Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U, which powers the Black Bay Ceramic illustrates the technical development process signature of TUDOR, drawing on adaptable movement architecture capable of integrating new functions rather than resorting to additional modules. A minor detail for some, but a must for watchmaking purists.
Displaying hour, minute and second functions, it offers the general look and feel of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres with dedicated sun laser design and bears the Master Chronometer mention on its bridges, emphasizing its distinctive performance. Its rotor is fashioned in tungsten monobloc and is openworked. It also features the distinctive laser radial grooving with sand-blasted details. Its bridges and mainplate have alternate sand-blasted and polished surfaces and laser decorations.
The build of the Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U is designed to ensure robustness and precision. To do this, the variable inertia balance wheel is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge with two-point anchoring. It is certified as a chronometer by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with its performance going beyond the standards set by this independent institute. In fact, where COSC allows an average variation in the daily rate of an uncased movement of between -4 and +6 seconds and TUDOR applies a 6-second (-2/+4) variation standard on its fully assembled watches, METAS requires a Master Chronometer certified watch to run within a tolerance range of 5 seconds (0/+5). Not only is the Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U certified to be more accurate, it is also rated as anti-magnetic, making it impervious to magnetic fields below 15,000 gauss.
Another notable feature is that the power reserve of the Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U is “weekend-proof”, about 70 hours. This enables the wearer to take the watch off on a Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to reset it.
High-tech look
Aesthetically, the TUDOR Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” combines contemporary, high-tech details with subtle references to its significant heritage. Its matt black monobloc ceramic case has sand-blasted surfaces with beveled edges, mirror-polished for a striking contrast, and is finished with very pronounced lines. The insert of its rotatable bezel is also in black ceramic with a sunray satin finish. The engraved graduations in matching tones offer a complementary additional matt detail, which responds subtly to changes in light. Finally, a hybrid leather and rubber strap, black of course, with a “Snowflake” motif on the inside, blue stitching and a black PVD-coated stainless steel folding clasp, as well as a complimentary black fabric strap with blue band, completes the look of this model.
