Since the 1960s TUDOR’s catalogue has presented a wide variety of watches with blue dials and details, a mark of the brand’s discreet yet pioneering creativity and a symbol of its connection to water. On divers’ watches, as well as chronographs and sports watches with an integrated strap, this colourful signature has long been common to all categories of the TUDOR collection, a tradition the brand continues to this day with its blue ladies’ and men’s models.
Royal is a name that TUDOR began using in the 1950s to highlight the extraordinary quality of its watches and give them an aura of watchmaking nobility. The characteristic crenelated bezel that alternates between surface polish and cut grooves joined the TUDOR aesthetic in the 1960s at a time when the blue signature – today synonymous with the brand’s creativity – became a permanent feature of the collection. In 1973, the concept of the bracelet integrated into the watch case first appeared in the brand’s catalogue with the launch of the Ranger II model. All these historical elements converge in the new TUDOR Royal line, which includes a configuration with a striking blue sunray satin-finished dial. With day of the week and calendar functions for the 41 mm model, calendar for the other diameters and the option of diamond-set hour markers for all sizes, the blue TUDOR Royal models can adapt to any situation.
Bridging the gap between TUDOR’s design tradition and its future, the models in the Royal line represent the essence of the TUDOR spirit where quality and benefits to the wearer meet accessibility. Like all the watches in the collection, TUDOR guarantees the Royal models for five years, without registration or mandatory maintenance checks. The brand recommends that its self-winding movement, whose chronometric performance is equivalent to those tested by the COSC, should be serviced every ten years.
The Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue”
39 mm steel case, blue fabric strap, $3850
For vintage watch enthusiasts, blue TUDOR divers’ watches are inextricably linked to the French Navy. In the mid-1970s, this institution, which had trusted TUDOR to deliver robust, technical watches for nearly 20 years, opted for blue. For several years, the brand had offered a blue alternative to the classic black dial typical of the divers’ watches of the time. This feature, coupled with the specific inscriptions engraved on the back (M.N. together with the last two digits of the year of issue), which evoked a life of aquatic adventure, quickly made these watches, dubbed “TUDOR MN”, extremely popular among collectors.
It is to these models, and this period, that Black Bay Fifty-Eight “Navy Blue” alludes. In addition to the matt navy blue colour of its dial and bezel, this model also adopts the proportions of this generation of watches. With its 39-millimetre diameter, it is ideal for narrow wrists, for those who prefer a smaller watch and, of course, for vintage enthusiasts. Its configuration on a fabric strap, also in navy blue and woven in France using traditional techniques, is the strongest visual evocation of the famous “TUDOR MN”s. These watches were in fact delivered to the French Navy without TUDOR bracelets and were then fitted with various types of fabric straps, particularly woven ones.
Pelagos
Ceramic matt blue disc, titanium bracelet, $5,240
If a watch in the current TUDOR collection were to represent the brand’s close ties with the sea, its exploration and its pioneers over the last six decades, it would without doubt be the Pelagos model in its blue configuration.
A worthy heir to the TUDOR watches used by diving professionals of the world’s greatest navies since the 1950s, the Pelagos model is synonymous with cutting-edge mechanical watchmaking for underwater use. Presenting an impressive list of technical characteristics developed specifically for underwater work, starting with a helium escape valve for saturation dives and a rotating bezel in ceramic with phosphorescent hour markers, it also offers a unique bracelet with a patented clasp. Made of titanium and steel, its length automatically adjusts to the wrist during a dive, adapting to the differences in thickness of the dive suit caused by changes in pressure when descending or surfacing.
Black Bay Bronze Bucherer Blue
43 mm bronze case, fabric strap, $4,760
Another famous Swiss watch brand, and one of TUDOR’s oldest retailers, has made the colour blue its own: Bucherer. The Black Bay Bronze Bucherer Blue is dedicated to this long-lasting relationship. This blue and bronze model stems from TUDOR’s naval history without referencing any particular watch. It presents a number of aesthetic nods to the rustic nature of life at sea and refers to anecdotes about the way generations of sailors have used TUDOR watches. Starting with its fabric strap: following a parachuting incident during which a member of the French Navy’s diver-paratrooper unit was momentarily left dangling from the plane door by his fabric watch strap, the group decided to produce their own, more supple bracelets using elastic straps recycled from the emergency opening system of the rescue parachutes they used at that time. This strap presented a central yellow stripe, which is now found on the blue fabric strap of the Black Bay Bronze Bucherer Blue model.
In the same spirit, the bronze used for the model’s case, a high-performance cupro-aluminium alloy widely used in naval engineering for submerged parts and required to demonstrate a high level of resistance to corrosion, further evokes naval activity. The nature of this metal guarantees the development of a subtle and unique patina to match its user’s habits. The overall visual effect is of a rich, patinated object that might have battled the waves of the seven seas for years on a sailor’s wrist, and which is “made” for him and his lifestyle.
Black Bay 32
32 mm steel case, steel bracelet, $3,250
A blue watch from the Black Bay line that presents a perfectly feminine form. With its petite diameter, the Black Bay 32 model brings the emblematic design of the TUDOR tool-watch to women’s wrists. Refined as well as functional, it presents all the design codes of its family, historically and technically, to which are added an electric blue lacquered dial with a delicately glossy effect and a highly multifunctional personality. In the artificial light of an office it will look discreet and tasteful, shining with understated elegance, while under the weekend sun it will be set ablaze, revealing unrestrainedly its dazzlingly vibrant blue.
Waterproof to 150 metres (500 ft), with a self-winding mechanical movement and highly legible, the Black Bay 32 model presents a steel case with alternating polished and satin finishes. Available with a choice of a steel bracelet, leather strap with folding clasp or black fabric strap, it is resolutely multifunctional.
Heritage Chrono Blue
Opaline and blue dial, fabric strap, $4,820
Tinged with Mediterranean blue, the Heritage Chrono Blue model evokes warmth, a holiday spirit and a hint of nostalgia for the flamboyant creativity of the 1970s. Inspired by the brand’s very first blue chronograph, reference 7169 of 1971, TUDOR’s Heritage Chrono Blue model is, like its predecessors, known as the “Monte-Carlo” in collectors’ circles. It owes its name to the composition of the dial, reminiscent of the legendary roulette wheels of Monaco’s casinos.
This blue, inspired by the brand’s history, is also found on the chronograph’s fabric strap, hand-crafted in France using traditional techniques by a family firm that keeps the almost lost art of Jacquard shuttle loom weaving alive. Fitted with a fabric strap, the Heritage Chrono Blue model takes on an even sportier dimension, the defining features of which are the rotating bezel – blue of course – and the 45-minute counter.
