As anyone who has ever met me on a horological level knows, I have a deep love for Tudor. It all started about 18 years ago when I got my first full-time job in watch media and a dear friend, collector and colleague gave me a watch as a congratulatory gift. It was a 1950s 34mm steel Tudor Oyster Royal ref. 7934 with manual-winding calibre 1156. The condition was — and remains — immaculate and I fell head over heels with everything from the glossy black dial to the shiny applied rose emblem and Rolex crown.

This was the pre-Black Bay era and, at the time, there was little interest in Tudor in the watch world — at least in the UK — beyond a handful of collectors of military and tool models. But that Royal set in motion an enduring relationship that saw me acquiring far too many Tudors, new, pre-owned and some vintage (thanks to ex-Revolution UK editor Ross Povey, better known to many as @tudorcollector). With every new purchase I promised myself it would be the last, but so far I have broken every promise because, while I can turn a blind eye to a new bezel variation, a new material, or even (when it came to the GMT) a new complication, Tudor just keeps bringing out designs with quirks that I can’t turn my back on.

My journey has taken me from the Black Bay Blue, to the Black Bay Black and the first Harrods model. A sucker for rarities, I needed to have the seriously limited Black Bay Chrono Dark celebrating the All Blacks, and the Pelagos FXD MN21. I fell for the Monte Carlo and couldn’t resist spending two months wages on a stunning NOS ref. 79160 Big Block, with full encouragement from @tudorcollector. The latest piece to join the party was last summer’s Chrono “Pink”, a watch that I loved on first sight and one that two members of my family envied and are now on retailer waiting lists for.

While I can’t quite put my finger on the attraction of the brand for me, one of the things that contemporary Tudor does so well is the element of surprise — if Rolex rocked the world with the totally unexpected Anniversary and Emoji watches in 2023, then it was really just taking a leaf out of the book of its younger sibling. With more recent drops, the brand has taken to giving some early teases, with the watches worn by Tudor ambassador and Taiwanese musician Jay Chou, often giving advance warning of things to come. The Chrono Pink was originally a piece unique made for Chou — and it was probably no coincidence that the dial hue matches the home kit color of Major League Soccer team Inter Miami CF, the expansion team co-owned by Tudor ambassador David Beckham.

The latest surprise launch was ‘leaked’ on 15 January when ambassador David Beckham was seen wearing a turquoise dial Black Bay Chrono two days before its official release, while Jay Chou had also been photographed a day earlier (although the colour was not clear in his leaked shot). Whether these beautifully staged shots were accidents is debatable, but the new dial colour was, of course, picked up by all the usual suspects on social media — including Revolution — and the hype around the new release began in earnest.

 

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There wasn’t long to wait, however, as on 17 January Tudor announced the official release of the Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue”, a reference, says the brand, to the tropical waters that these exotic birds inhabit.

Talking about the new release, Ross Povey points to Tudor’s historical relationship with color saying; “This is a nod to the 1990s when Tudor had all those wonderful colored chronos with vibrant dials and matching leather straps. The chronos have always been a platform for Tudor to play with color and this keeps that tradition alive. It’s going to be made in fewer numbers than other Tudor watches so collectors and fans will be drawn to it.”

A near match for the shade of Inter Miami’s third kit, which the club describes as an homage to the colors of Miami’s tropical landscape and culture, particularly the ocean and Art Deco aesthetic prevalent in the city, the aquamarine dial is a second nod to the US soccer team that Tudor sponsors – the first, of course, being the Black Bay Chrono “Pink”.

“I think it works well, especially in the context of Tudor Blue,” says Povey. “We’ve seen so many different shades of Tudor’s favourite hue and this one is the most extreme and furthest departure from previous shades. It is truly daring! The international flavour of the brand is changing too with partnerships in surfing, cycling, the Dakar Rally and Inter Miami, and the chrono seems to be a central character in these new chapters. And what could be better than a Flamingo Blue to celebrate Miami, baby?”

While the dial colour is a completely new look for the Black Bay Chrono, the watch itself is instantly recognizable thanks to the familiar 41mm brushed and polished steel case, fixed tachymeter bezel with black anodized aluminum insert, five-link bracelet, domed dial and Tudor’s signature – and controversial on a chronograph — Snowflake hands.

Within the case everything stays the same with a COSC-certified manufacture Caliber MT5813 with column wheel construction and vertical clutch.

As for the potential success of the Flamingo Blue, Kate Lacey, senior watch consultant at Roseberys Auctions and a valuer and buyer at London vintage dealer David Duggan (the only Tudor partner dealing in both vintage and new) predicts a bright future for the new watch. “Given the incredible success of the Black Bay Chrono Pink, it came as no surprise that Tudor brought another bright offering to the table,” she says. “Tudor has dared once again to branch out in a more playful direction than that of their more serious and sedate tool palette and it’s bound to be a hit.”

Tech Specs: Tudor Black Bay Chronograph “Flamingo Blue”

Movement: COSC-certified manufacture Caliber MT5813 with column wheel construction and vertical clutch
Functions: Hours and minutes; date; column wheel chronograph with central chronograph hand and two sub-counters – a small running seconds at 9’oclock and a 45-minute counter at 3
Case: 41mm; satin-brushed and polished stainless steel; fixed steel bezel with insert in black anodised aluminium
Dial: Domed “Flamingo Blue” dial, with contrasting circular sub-counters
Strap: Five-link bracelet in stainless steel; Tudor “T-fit” rapid adjustment clasp; silicon balance spring, 70-hour power reserve,
Availability: Available now
Price: USD 5,875