Tudor just dropped the most fun watch of the year so far. Meet the Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee” – a bright yellow sports chronograph that can’t be ignored.
Forget the colour for a moment though, the big news is the case size. The Black Bay Chrono has gone from 41mm down to 39mm, which, in watch terms, is a sizeable shrinking.
It also sits at just 13.1mm thick (shrunk down from 14.4mm), which is impressively lean for a full chronograph. It’s a size Tudor fans have been begging for for years.
The dial is where Tudor has gone off piste. It’s a domed, vivid yellow with contrasting circular black sub-counters – incredibly bold.
Dial layout follows Tudor’s historic chronograph blueprint: 45-minute counter at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9, and the date sitting at 6 o’clock.
It joins the “Pink” and “Flamingo Blue” editions as part of Tudor’s Daring Watches collection, and honestly, it’s the more daring of the lot.
Inside is the Manufacture Calibre MT5813 – a COSC-certified movement with a column-wheel construction, vertical clutch, silicon balance spring, and a 70-hour power reserve. Tudor actually holds its assembled watches to a tighter standard than COSC requires, allowing just -2/+4 seconds per day versus the institute’s -4/+6.
The movement itself is still derived from Breitling’s Calibre B01.
There are some welcome refinements elsewhere too. The Snowflake hands have been redesigned specifically for legibility over the sub-dials, and the pushers feature a new knurling pattern that Tudor’s own press release refers to as “MK2.”
The new three-link bracelet is an improvement as well. Smooth link sides give it a cleaner look, and the T-fit clasp allows 8mm of fine adjustment across five positions without tools.
Waterproofing is rated to 200m, and the watch comes with Tudor’s five-year transferable guarantee.
The Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee” is priced at $6725 in the US and £5270 in the UK.
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