Several months back, Tudor quietly released the Black Bay Ceramic Blue exclusively for the Visa Cash App RB (VCARB) Formula One team, with the dial colour modelled on the Visa logo. Today, the watch is available to the public (while the VCARB drivers will sport the more recent rainbow-dial “Chameleon” edition).

Initial thoughts

Tudor often listens to its audience, giving them what they want. Examples include the more compact Black Bay 58 GMT, and now the Black Bay Ceramic Blue. Intrinsically, the new Black Bay is technically and aesthetically perfect in its own way. It is the same Black Bay that has remained the brand’s bestseller since its launch, but in an unusual combination of black ceramic and blue.

The brand has rolled out a number of special editions recently, which might dilute the concept somewhat. That said, this is the first instance of a publicly available Black Bay Ceramic special edition (unlike say the Black Bay 58), which makes it appealing.

That said, the Black Bay Ceramic Blue is a great value proposition, as is usually the case for Tudor. It combines a ceramic case with an impressively spec’ed in-house movement that’s both METAS- and COSC-Certified, all for US$5,150, a price that few can rival.

Visa Blue

The highlight of the new Black Bay Ceramic is the matte blue dial (that’s arguably similar to the discontinued Rolex Submariner “Smurf” ref. 116619). It’s matched with applied hour markers and snowflake hands filled with white Super-LumiNova.

The ceramic case remains unchanged from the original model with the same dimensions of 41 mm in diameter and 14.4 mm in thickness. Water resistant to 200 m, it’s mostly satin brushed with hints of mirror polishing along the bevels on the edges of the lugs. And the unidirectional bezel is black-coated steel with a 60-minute insert in black ceramic finished with sun-ray brushing.

Visible through the open back is the in-house MT5602-1U that’s made by Kenissi, the movement maker owned by Tudor.

It is both METAS- and COSC-certified with a silicon hairspring that helps it withstand magnetism of up to 15,000 gauss. The movement offers 70 hours of power reserve.

The watch is delivered with two straps, one in a leather-covered rubber with blue stitching, and the other in black fabric with a blue stripe

Key facts and price

Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue”
Ref. M79210CNU-0007

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

Movement: Cal. MT5602-1U
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and date
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 70 hours

Strap: Leather-covered rubber and black fabric strap with blue middle

Availability: Now available at Tudor boutiques and retailers
Price: US$5,150

For more, visit tudorwatch.com.