Tudor by Wagner

Tudor Black Bay P01

TUDOR introduces the Black Bay P01, a watch based on a legendary prototype developed in the late 1960s and proposed to the US Navy, and in so doing lifts the veil on a little-known aspect of its history.

Why this watch
In 1967, TUDOR, who had been supplying the US Navy with divers’ watches since the late 1950s, began development of a technical model to replace the Oyster Prince Submariner 7928 reference, which was standard-issue at that time. This new watch needed to meet a set of specifications decreed by the American government and incorporated the results of the latest research into functionality and ergonomics carried out by the brand’s engineers. A development phase was launched which resulted in the production of prototypes, as well as a patent for a hitherto unseen function. This ambitious project, which carried the code name “Commando”, never came to fruition as the regular TUDOR divers’ watch, reference 7016, which replaced reference 7928 in the TUDOR catalogue, was eventually adopted by the US Navy. In 2019, the TUDOR Black Bay P01 model – which stands for prototype 1 – is inspired by a prototype developed as part of this study and kept in the brand’s archives, only to have its unique aesthetic brought to life and mass-produced 50 years later.

Key Points
1. 42mm satin steel case with winding crown positioned at 4 o’clock
2. Hinged end-link with rotating bezel blocking system
3. Manufacture Calibre MT5612, COSC-certified with silicon balance spring and 70-hour power reserve
4. “Snowflake” hands, a signature of TUDOR divers’ watches introduced in 1969

What’s more the prototype spirit
Crafted in a contemporary sport-lifestyle spirit, while at the same time adopting the principle of the winding crown at 4 o’clock and the prominent end-links of the 1960s model, the Black Bay P01 reflects the exploratory nature of the project, a cross between a divers’ watch and a sailing watch. The hinged end-link system on the period prototype was the subject of a patent in 1968, which covered a locking and dismantling system for the bezel to aid maintenance of the watch. The Black Bay P01 model does not literally reproduce this mechanism but borrows liberally from it, providing a stop system for the bidirectional rotating bezel via a mobile end-link at 12 o’clock. Black Bay P01 is waterproof to 200 metres and features hours, minutes, seconds and date functions. It is fitted with a domed matt-black dial with painted luminescent hour markers. Respecting the utilitarian aesthetic of the prototype that inspired it, the case is entirely satin-brushed for a matt finish.

The Manufacture Calibre MT5612 that drives the Black Bay P01 model displays the hours, minutes, seconds and date functions. Its finishes are typical of TUDOR’s Manufacture calibres. Its openwork rotor is satin-brushed with sand-blasted details, and its bridges and plate have alternating polished sand-blasted surfaces and laser decorations. Its build has been designed to ensure robustness, longevity and reliability, as has its variable inertia balance, which is maintained by a sturdy traversing bridge fixed in two-points. Thanks to these qualities, together with its non-magnetic silicon balance spring, the Calibre MT5612 is certified as a chronometer by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). Finally, with a 70-hour power reserve, a wearer can take off the watch on Friday evening and put it back on again on Monday morning without having to re-set and wind it.

A hybrid leather and rubber strap
The strap developed for the Black Bay P01 model is a rubber base with “snowflake” motif on the back, finished with a brown leather trim. In the spirit of the period prototype, mobile satin-brushed steel attachments connect the strap to the watch case.

Hublot by Wagner

Reference 70150

Case
42 mm steel case
With satin finish

Bezel
60-notch, 12-hour graduated steel
bidirectional rotating bezel
with stop system for the bidirectional rotating bezel
via a mobile end-link at 12 o’clock

Winding crown
Screw-down steel winding crown at 4 o’clock,
with the TUDOR rose in relief

Dial
Black, domed
Date at 3 o’clock

Crystal
Domed sapphire crystal

Waterproofness
Waterproof to 200 m (660 ft)

Bracelet
Rubber strap trimmed with brown leather
with folding clasp and safety catch,
entirely satin-finished

Movement
Manufacture Calibre MT5612 (COSC)
Self-winding mechanical movement
with bidirectional motor system

Power reserve
Approximately 70 hours

Precision
Swiss chronometer
officially certified by the COSC
(Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute)

Functions
Central hour, minute and second hands
Stop seconds for precise time setting
Instantaneous date at 3 o’clock with rapid adjustment
without non-correction range

Oscillator
Variable inertia balance, micro-adjustment by screw
Non-magnetic silicon balance spring
Frequency: 28,800 beats/hour (4Hz)

Total diameter
31.8 mm

Thickness
6.5 mm

Jewels
26 jewels

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