Hands-On with TUDOR’s Baselworld 2018 Novelties

TUDOR is causing quite the stir this year. Here are some live photos and pricing details for some of the most talked about pieces.

By Josh Shanks

Contributor

As tradition tells us, the night prior to Baselworld, Tudor hosts press and important guests to a ‘Pre-Basel’ soiree. Typically, the brand will present one embargoed product and totally dominate the headlines for the primetime hours before Baselworld. This year, the brand broke with tradition and hosted a private preview for the Asian market. There, they introduced the 1926 line of affordably (starts at $1,600) priced unisex pieces. We of course knew this wouldn’t be the last word from Tudor, so flash forward to the first day of the fair when we got to experience all the new goodness from Tudor.

Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight

Black Bay Fifty-Eight

A smaller, thinner, lighter version of the Black Bay. At 39mm it’s a stunner on the wrist and the riveted bracelet is sure to capture the hearts of collectors. It’s hard to see in the photos, but the Fifty-Eight is also slimmer than previous models which is a welcome sign of innovation. Fitted with Tudor’s in-house MT5402 COSC certified movement and boosting a power reserve of 70 hours. This may be THE Tudor to own for emerging collectors. Pricing starts at CHF 3,100 on leather or NATO, and CHF 3,400 on bracelet.

Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight

Black Bay GMT

Long anticipated and delivered at Basel, the Black Bay GMT didn’t disappoint. Following the trend of their parent company, Tudor has fit a 24-hour bidirectional matte blue/red (Pepsi) bezel to the new travel time novelty. Measuring 41mm in diameter, the Black Bay GMT follows similar design cues of the popular Black Bay, including snowflake hands. It’s certainly strange to see a GMT hand on a Black Bay, but fitted to a retro rivet or leather bracelet, it’s still a standout watch. Waterproof to 200 meters (660 ft) so you can track your time zone even underwater. Powered by Tudor’s in-house MT5652 caliber with (you guessed it) 70 hours of power reserve. Starting price of CHF 3,400 on leather or NATO and CHF 3,700 on bracelet.

Tudor Black Bay GMT

Black Bay Blue Dial(s) in a range of dimensions

Which one do you want? Well it depends. Tudor has released another size variation of their base model Black Bay. The brand now has a Black Bay for every wrist. Available sizes of 32mm, 36mm, or 41mm, these pieces are sure to appeal to a unisex crowd. The new blue dial introduced at Baselworld 2018 looks fantastic in the metal. To keep prices down, Tudor kept ETA movements in these models as indicated by the curved water resistance text. Each has an ETA 2824 movement. A true workhorse. Sadly, only 38 hours of power reserve. The price? Well that’s the best part. These pieces start at just CHF 2,300 (for 32mm) and go up to CHF 2,800 depending upon configuration.

Tudor Black Bay with blue dial

Black Bay S&G

The Black Bay S&G (Steel and Gold) is a minor update to last year’s two-tone Black Bay. This time a champagne dial has been added to the 41mm timekeeper. The starburst dial looks impressive in person and lends a 70s look and feel. Powered by Tudor’s in-house MT5612 caliber with again 70 hours of power reserve. This watch may not be for everyone, but then again, maybe you don’t want to be like everyone else. Priced at CHF 3,600 on distressed leather or NATO and CHF 4,750 on two-tone gold capped bracelet.