The Tudor Black Bay GMT collection got a stunning blast from the past, as the new white dialled Black Bay GMT was introduced in Watches & Wonders earlier in March
25.5.2023
The black dial Black Bay GMT with the ‘Pepsi’ bezel, introduced in 2018 proved to be a surprise to Tudor. The model was extremely popular and it showed the runaway subsidiary of Rolex that their direction in design and pricing was a success. Emboldened by its success Tudor has continued the development of the series and again brings more variation to the collection. One of the novelties presented by Tudor in the Watches & Wonders 2023 convention in Geneva was the new version of Black Bay GMT with opaline white dial.
Even if the sportier watches tend to lean towards darker hues in dial design, a ‘Pepsi’ bezelled white dial GMT isn’t unheard of. It’s reminiscent in a very natural way of the mythical Rolex GMT Master “Albino” Ref: 6254, of even the very existence is a subject of discussion in horology circles.
If this combination of colours would’ve been constructed by Rolex, it would’ve diminished the myth a bit, but when released by the subsidiary Tudor it’s an abject nod towards their common history. Not that it needs Rolex in any way. The watch shines by it’s own right. The white dial is a fitting addition to the Black Bay GMT collection. As the specs of the watch are top notch, the future looks bright also for this version of Black Bay GMT.
The watch has the same movement as the 2018 Black Ba GMT, the COSC-certified in-house caliber MT5652 which gives the watch a weekend safe power reserve of 70 hours. The case size of 41 millimetres might be a tad large for some as the trend favours smaller watches but for those who are used to the bulkier look and the size of most sport watches, Black Bay GMT is perfectly sized. The white dial brings elegance without being overly luxurious like the steel-gold Black Bay GMT ‘Root beer’ last year.
In a nutshell
Manufacturer: Tudor
Collection: Black Bay
Reference: 79830RB
Movement: MT5652 (manufacture automatic, COSC)
Operating frequency: 4 Hz
Power reserve: 70 hours
Case material: stainless steel
Case diameter: 41 mm
Case thickness: 14.5 mm
Glass: domed sapphire crystal
Water resistance: 200 m / 20 bar
Bracelet width: 22 mm
Bracelet: steel
