The instruction manual on how to use the watch’s GMT function is largely useless. That said, this could also boil down to me being pretty much numerically illiterate. However, after some help and a simply-worded explanation, learning and understanding the GMT function isn’t too hard. The way the movement is designed, the long, red 24 hour GMT hand is meant to always read “home” time and would be set first. From there, you jump the local hour hand wherever it needs to be. A third time zone can be tracked using the bezel and the appropriate GMT offset. Don’t get me wrong, there is a genuine question of whether the manual GMT function is a relic of the past, and given how easily smart devices can display multiple time zones, then yes, it probably is. However, it’s bloody cool and a pleasant throwback to another era – full props to watchmakers who still persevere with it.
And persevere Tudor has! The watch is powered by Tudor’s in-house developed calibre MT5652, an automatic COSC chronometer offering a 70-hour power reserve and an accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day. Unlike most watches at this price point, the movement’s GMT functionality is integrated rather than modular – in other words, instead of buying in a base movement such as an ETA or a Sellita and modifying it accordingly to save time and money, Tudor went out of its way to adapt its calibre MT5621 it introduced in 2015, when it began producing its own movements and is a GMT adaptation thereof.
If you’re looking to purchase a Black Bay GMT on the secondary market, do be aware that a handful of the early “first-gen” watches from 2018/2019 were affected by a sticking date wheel issue. This meant that in some cases, the date would advance earlier than midnight, and sometimes the date would advance by up to 1.5 days, meaning it would get stuck halfway in the date window. However, it has since been widely-reported that the issue was fixed mid-way through 2020. Please note that Tudor has since gone on to use the calibre MT5652 in its Black Bay GMT Steel & Gold (or “S&G” in Tudorese) and Black Bay Pro, both of which debuted in 2022.
So, how do I sum things up? Tudor Black Bay GMT has proven to be a great jumping off point. Research into Tudor’s backstory and the history of the GMT complication has opened up a whole new appreciation for the brand and this type of watch. It’s just utterly romantic, and if you’re still operating on the premise that “Tudor is a poor man’s Rolex”, then please give your head a wobble. I love that the Black Bay GMT is a distant relative of the Rolex GMT-Master, and Tudor hasn’t succumbed to making it flashy or particularly modern looking – in fact, I’d say it’s pretty timeless. I love that its “go anywhere, do anything” personality shines through when being used as a watch and ultimately, a tool and not a showpiece. Tudor