In a surprise launch just before Watches & Wonders 2024, Tudor has just revealed the Black Bay Chrono “Pink”. Departing from the brand’s typical no-nonsense and occasionally military aesthetic, the new chronograph is based on a watch created for Jay Chou, the Taiwanese musician who’s one of the biggest stars in Asia. Though not a limited edition, Tudor states “few of [Black Bay Chrono “Pink”] will ever be made”.

Initial thoughts

Tudor’s watches are almost uniformly good value, regardless of model, so I am a fan. But most have either a sporting instrument or military equipment, which is to say the variety in design is limited (save for a handful of unpublicised special runs). It’s difficult to describe most Tudor watches as fun, which this certainly is.

The Black Bay Chrono “Pink” is appealing because, well, it’s pink. The colour instantly sets it apart from the average Tudor watch, while also having being a subtle reference to historical models. And of course it is the value proposition that a Tudor always is, particularly with the high-spec Breitling-derived MT5813 movement.

I like the watch, but I am unsure about the “5-link” bracelet (that is clearly Jubilee inspired), particularly on a watch of this size. Still, it’s a compelling enough proposition I would buy one given the opportunity.

Jay Chou

Otherwise serious looking

This is based on the standard Black Bay Chrono that is ordinarily a low key watch, available either as a “panda” or entirely in black. The “Pink” on the other hand, is a striking shade of relatively dark pink. Done in a matte finish with a faint graining, the dial has black registers, white lume, and a red depth rating.

The rest of the watch is identical to the standard model, save for the bracelet.

So the case is 41 mm wide and 14.4 mm high, which makes it a chunky watch – size is the only weakness of the model. The bezel insert is black anodised aluminium.

The thickness stems from the MT5813 inside. A sophisticated calibre with a 70-hour power reserve, it’s an automatic, integrated chronograph movement constructed with amenities like a vertical clutch and column wheel.

The MT5813 is derived from the Breitling B01, but heavily modified by Tudor. Amongst the Tudor upgrades are a free-sprung balance and a silicon hairspring. 

Pink is also the colour of Inter Miami, the football team part owned by Tudor ambassador David Beckham

Key facts and price

Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Pink”
Ref. 79360N-0019

Diameter: 41 mm
Height: 14.4 mm
Material: Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 200 m

Movement: MT5813
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, and chronograph 
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 70 hours

Strap: 5-link steel bracelet

Limited edition: No, but “few of them will ever be made” according to Tudor
Availability: Now at Tudor boutiques and retailers
Price: US$5,550

For more, visit Tudorwatch.com.

Biver concludes the 50-piece run of its flagship Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon with a striking pair featuring its first guilloche dials.

Instead of the conventional engine turning on metal, the dials are either black obsidian or white mother-of-pearl, both finished with three-dimensional guilloche. Inspired by the links of the brand’s bracelet, the guilloche forms a terraced geometric patterns in dial centre that’s elegantly accentuated by baguette-cut diamond indexes.

Initial thoughts

Despite being neither a watchmaker, engineer, nor constructor, Jean-Claude Biver is an individual who personifies the Swiss watch industry – and he isn’t even Swiss. In his career so far, he revived two brands, Blancpain and then Hublot, and in between the two turbocharged Omega, in the process becoming one of the most influential and respected personalities in watchmaking.

So when Mr Biver announced that he and his son Pierre would be starting their own brand, everyone was paying attention. The brand’s inaugural watch, the Carillon Tourbillon, is a grand complication executed to an impressive degree of quality. The design, however, was debatable. Consequently the brand got off to a tough start, particularly on social media where the criticism of its design was free flowing.

With a one-off created for charity auction Only Watch, Biver eliminated the dial, resulting in a striking, appealing watch. Here the brand has retained the dial, but with new materials and decoration.

The guilloche dials enhance the aesthetics by a large margin. More like engraving than typical engine turning, the three-dimensional guilloche is unusually intricate, made up of pyramids in progressively smaller sizes arranged in concentric rows. Interesting, the guilloche dials feel more balanced, even though the proportions of the various elements remain largely identical.

Pyramid guilloche

Limited to 50 pieces, the Carillon Tourbillon is now in its final ten examples, which are being offered with either of the new guilloche dials, both of which sport baguette-cut diamond indices.

The first is black obsidian, which is actually volcanic glass that resembles rock. The central section features pyramid guilloche, while the chapter ring is polished obsidian. This is matched with a rose gold case, resulting in a high contrast aesthetic.

The chromatic opposite is the version in mother of pearl, which has a mother of pearl dial paired with a titanium case. Here the dial is similarly made of two parts, with a pyramid guilloche centre and polished chapter ring.

Dials aside, the final edition Carillon Tourbillon is identical to the earlier variants. Featuring distinctive soldered lugs that are a key element of its design, the case is 42 mm in diameter and 13.7 mm high.

Below the see-through back is the JCB.001, a self-winding movement with a micro-rotor. Developed with the help of  Le Cercle des Horlogers, the movement specialist that’s a sister company of Speake-Marin, the JCB.001 beats at 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz) and offers 72 hours of power reserve.

The minute repeating function is notable for being a carillon, meaning it is equipped with three instead of the usual two sets of hammers and gongs, so the repeater strikes a high note for the hours, triple note for the quarters, and a low note for the minutes.

Key facts and price

Biver Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon
Ref. Black Obsidian
Ref. White Mother of Pearl

Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 13.9 mm
Material: Titanium (mother of pearl) or 18K rose gold (obsidian)
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: JCB.001
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, tourbillon, and minute repeater
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 72 hours

Strap: Alcantara or Buffalo leather with folding clasp

Limited edition: 10 pieces across both dials
Availability: At authorised retailers
Price: CHF560,000 for mother of pearl; CHF630,000 for obsidian

For more, visit jcbiver.com.

In its first stop outside of Japan, Alive in Time Through the Five Senses just concluded in Singapore, with other cities possibly being on the cards.

Conceived to present the spirit of the brand by engaging all five senses, the exhibition was made up of five sections: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

The exhibition began with sight, where guests were greeted by watchmakers Satoshi Hiraga and Ikukiyo Komatsu, representing the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi and Shinshu Watch Studio respectively.

The former specialises in mechanical movements, while the latter is responsible for Spring Drive, so each watchmaker demonstrated his speciality: Mr Hiraga worked on a 9S automatic calibre while Mr Komatsu on a 9R Spring Drive movement. Also on display was the third Grand Seiko movement family, the 9F Quartz.

The visual transitioned to the aural in the sound section where visitors were treated to an immersive film experience depicting the 340 parts of the Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon. Despite the impressive mechanical complexity of the Kodo, one of the distinguishing elements of the movement is its 16-beat rhythm resulting from the overlapping ticks and tocks of both the escapement and the remontoir.

The exhibition continued in the area dedicated to touch simulating a precisely prepared Zen garden. Guests could try various Grand Seiko models – and take the obligatory wrist shot against the tranquil beauty of the garden.

The taste and smell area concluded the experience with snacks and drinks thanks to a chef from a Japanese restaurant who created a menu intended to convey the passage of the seasons, a recurring motif in Grand Seiko watches.

Singapore is the second location outside Japan to host Alive in Time Through the Five Senses. Subsequent countries for the exhibition have yet to be revealed by Grand Seiko.

For more information, please visit grand-seiko.com.