This year, to mark the Rugby World Cup 2019 and celebrate its partnership with New Zealand’s national rugby team, TUDOR created a Dark version of its Black Bay Chrono (Reference 79360DK) in a limited edition with the same number of timepieces as All Blacks players since the team’s creation. An additional model will be added every time a new player is selected.
To celebrate the All Blacks legacy and mark the Rugby World Cup 2019 (RWC) as the team will defend its back-to-back champion’s title, TUDOR is launching the Black Bay Chrono Dark model, a new black version – matching the All Blacks’ famous jersey– of its chronograph, fitted with a Manufacture Calibre with column wheel and vertical clutch.
Unusually for TUDOR, the new model is a limited edition: a watch to pay tribute to every player who has been selected for New Zealand’s national rugby team from its creation in 1884 to the RWC 2019. The number will be adjusted according to the final composition of the World Cup team. The series will grow over the coming years as new players join the ranks of the All Blacks.
The Black Bay Chrono Dark model features a characteristic satin-brushed steel bracelet for a matt effect, finished with a black PVD-treated coating. Directly derived from the thin-film technology originally developed by NASA for its various space programmes, PVD, or Physical Vapour Deposition, enables practically any inorganic material to be bonded with metals. Of course, the colour choice is a reference to the All Blacks team that TUDOR has been supporting since 2017, reinforced by the presence of a special engraving on the case back indicating the serial number of each timepiece.
Boasting a 70-hour power reserve, a silicon balance spring and a certification by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute, the Manufacture chronograph Calibre MT5813 that drives the Black Bay Chrono Dark model is a high-performance movement. It has been crafted in the purest watchmaking tradition, with column wheel mechanism and vertical clutch. In keeping with the TUDOR philosophy of quality, it presents extraordinary robustness and reliability, guaranteed by an array of extreme tests applied to all TUDOR products.
Derived from the Manufacture chronograph Calibre Breitling 01, with a high-precision regulating organ developed by TUDOR and dedicated finishes, the movement is the result of a lasting collaboration between the two brands. They have chosen to pool their expertise in the design and production of certain mechanical movements so that both parties can benefit from their use.
In 2017, as part of its #BornToDare campaign, TUDOR made a strong commitment to the world of rugby, signing major partnerships with World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby. TUDOR made this choice thanks to the sport’s noble, uncompromising and bold spirit that reflects the brand’s vision of watchmaking as well as its values.
Technical details
Model: TUDOR Black Bay Chrono Dark
Reference 79360DK
Case
41 mm matt black PVD-treated steel case with satin finish
Fixed bezel in matt black PVD-treated steel with matt black anodised aluminium disc with tachymetric scale, silvered markings
Screw-down winding crown in matt black PVD-treated steel engraved with the TUDOR rose
Matt black PVD-treated screw-down steel pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock
Domed sapphire crystal
Waterproof to 200 m (660 ft)
Dial
Black, domed
Date at 6 o’clock
Movement
Manufacture Calibre MT5813 (COSC) with chronograph function
Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system
Swiss chronometer officially certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute)
Total diameter: 30.4 mm
Thickness: 7.23 mm
Jewels: 41 jewels
Power reserve: Approximately 70 hours
Oscillator
Variable inertia balance, micro-adjustment by screw
Non-magnetic silicon balance spring
Frequency: 28,800 beats/hour (4 Hz)
Functions
Center hour and minute hands
Center chronograph seconds hand
Chronograph 45-minute counter at 3 o’clock
Small seconds at 9 o’clock
Instantaneous date at 6 o’clock with rapid adjustment without non-correction range
Stop seconds for precise time setting
Bracelet
Matt black PVD-treated steel bracelet with matt black PVD-treated folding clasp and safety catch
