An ode to a century of watchmaking - The Business Times

TUDOR TURNS 100 THIS YEAR. While its three latest watches were not designed for its centennial, they bear all the hallmarks of the brand’s signature innovation and feats in watchmaking. 

The Northflag didn’t catch a cold in the frigid climes of North Greenland. Not even after two long years in this remote, ice-covered region far above the Arctic Circle in the 1950s, when the watch continued ticking steadily on the wrists of members of the British North Greenland expedition team.

Because of this, it earned the reputation as a “bulletproof” tool watch, while chalking up a few “firsts” at the same time. “North” is a nod to the North Greenland expedition, while “flag” refers to the standard planted by explorers reaching a destination first. 

The name also recalls the fact that this was Tudor’s first timepiece powered by a mechanical movement developed and made in-house. It was also the brand’s first model with an open case-back.

Tudor’s tool watches have long been the choice of adventurers whose fearless spirit reflects the marque’s heritage. Continuing its legacy, it unveiled a redesigned Northflag with a GMT function and the Master Chronometer certification. 

With its robust timekeeping mechanism and 24-hour hand, this second-generation model is “of particular interest in places where the polar night or midnight sun phenomenon, respectively, bring months of darkness or twilight to one’s life”, says the brand.

The Northflag sports a trendy, integrated bracelet look. Both the bracelet and 40 mm case come in matching stainless steel with a satin-brushed finish, seamlessly linked to produce a visually continuous effect. Large Arabic numerals mark the hours on a black dial.

The sapphire crystal open case-back offers a peek at the in-house self-winding movement, which has “Master Chronometer” stamped on it. This refers to the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (Metas) certification which attests to the watch’s precision, water resistance and resistance to magnetic interference.

At 35, the Tudor Monarch is comparatively young, but it carries with it Tudor’s 100 years of watchmaking prowess. All the components that go into the new model meet the highest standards, made by a network of in-house and independent suppliers that the brand has been building since 1926.

While the watch’s design recalls Tudor’s early aesthetic, its execution and level of performance is only possible today thanks to the high-precision production process in the watchmaker’s state-of-the-art factory in Switzerland.

The timepiece’s vintage-looking dial, with hours marked by Roman and Arabic numerals, has a dark champagne tone and texture akin to papyrus, the ancient material made from the processed pith used in Egypt and the ancient world. 

It is framed by an eye-catching 39 mm faceted stainless steel case with razor-sharp lines. The case is integrated with a two-link faceted stainless steel bracelet.

The self-winding movement has all the hallmarks of traditional watchmaking, but its Metas certification puts it firmly in the modern age.

The Black Bay Ceramic is the poster child for Tudor’s technical ingenuity in watchmaking. This latest all-black watch offers another technical marvel – a matching all-black ceramic bracelet.

Ceramic is tough to machine and it takes great technical skill to craft a 41 mm case from a ceramic monobloc, not to mention the matching ceramic bracelet.

The new Black Bay Ceramic highlights Tudor’s mastery not only in material science, but also in movement manufacturing. The self-winding movement that keeps it ticking is Metas-certified and has a power reserve of 70 hours, longer than the 65 hours for many Tudor models.

The Black Bay Ceramic’s outstanding technical capabilities are played up by a new aesthetic that befits Tudor’s tradition of “going dark”. The all-ceramic motif is well paired with a uniform colour theme – matte black monobloc ceramic case and bracelet, as well as a charcoal dial and black hands, coated with dark luminescence.

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