Tudor has brought back the Northflag. It’s one of my favourite, more niche Tudor watches out there, and this new version makes it better and more useful than ever.
The watch first launched back in 2015. It was Tudor’s first ever model to run with an in-house Manufacture movement, which alone made it kind of a big deal.
This time round, Tudor has added a GMT function, turning it into a proper adventure watch (one of my favourite genre of watches).
The name comes from the British North Greenland Expedition of the 1950s. Tudor watches were strapped to explorers’ wrists for two brutal years out in the arctic.
That heritage still has been carried through to the modern design. The dial keeps its bold, oversized Arabic numerals, now rendered in monobloc luminous ceramic.
A 24-hour rehaut sits at a 45-degree angle, a nod to the 1973 Ranger II that originally inspired the Northflag.
The new arrow-shaped 24-hour hand is the headline addition. In places affected by polar night or the midnight sun, telling day from night on a normal watch can be tricky – this new model solves that problem.
That GMT hand replaces the power reserve indicator of the previous generation. To be honest, I’m glad Tudor dropped the power reserve indicator here – it gives the dial a cleaner, more symmetrical look, and honestly, I’ve always thought power reserve indicators are a bit pointless on automatics anyway.
Under the hood is the new Manufacture Calibre MT5652-U. It’s certified by both COSC and METAS.
It also runs for 65 hours on a full wind, so you can take it off Friday night, leave it on the shelf all weekend, and it’ll still be ticking when you pick it back up Monday morning.
The case is 40mm across and 12.7mm thick (which is thinner than the previous generation), in a mix of satin-brushed and polished 316L steel. It sits on a two-link integrated bracelet, designed to flow straight into the case with no visible break.
The bracelet features Tudor’s T-fit clasp, which lets you adjust the fit on the fly, no tools required, across an 8mm range.
Flip it over and there’s an open case back with a domed crystal, showing off the movement. Personally, I’d have preferred a solid caseback here – it feels truer to that tool watch, adventure-ready design. But I get the appeal of a sapphire caseback for showing off the movement.
The new Tudor Northflag is available now, exclusively through Tudor Boutiques, priced at $5525 in the US and £4310 in the UK.
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