Tudor has never been shy about color on its chronographs, and its newest one leans all the way in. The Black Bay Chrono 39, reference 79310N, arrives with a domed yellow dial and two black sub-counters that have earned it a nickname: the “Bumblebee.” It joins the “Pink” and “Flamingo Blue” models in what the Swiss brand calls its Daring Watches collection.
The color is the headline, but the bigger story for collectors is the size. The Black Bay Chrono now comes in a brand-new 39mm steel case that Tudor lists at 13.1mm thick and 47mm lug to lug, proportions that sit comfortably on a wider range of wrists.
A Dial With a Back Story
Bright yellow is not a random choice. Tudor’s first chronograph, the Oysterdate of 1970, was embraced by the racing world and known for bold colors, a 45-minute counter and a date window at 6 o’clock. The brand also points to a yellow “Tiger” chronograph it made in the 1990s. The new dial keeps that early layout: a 45-minute counter at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9 and a date at 6.
The hands are Tudor’s angular “Snowflake” design, a signature of its divers’ watches since they first appeared in the 1969 catalogue. Here they have been reworked so the sub-dials read more clearly, and they carry Grade A Swiss Super-LumiNova for low light.
Asphalt Meets Sea
The Black Bay line borrows from Tudor’s divers’ watches, and the chronograph folds in the brand’s motorsport history. The watch keeps the Black Bay family traits, satin-brushed and polished surfaces, bevelled lugs and a crown stamped with the Tudor shield, and adds a fixed steel bezel with a black anodized aluminum tachymeter insert.
The screw-down pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock take their shape from Tudor’s second generation of chronographs and get a new knurled pattern. The watch is water resistant to 200 meters, according to the brand.
The Movement Inside
Powering the watch is the Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813, a self-winding column-wheel movement with a vertical clutch, a silicon balance spring and a power reserve of about 70 hours. Tudor says the calibre is derived from Breitling’s B01 chronograph movement, fitted with a regulating organ Tudor developed and its own finishes, the result of a long-running collaboration between the two houses.
The movement is chronometer certified by COSC, the Swiss testing institute. Tudor says it holds the fully assembled watch to a tighter standard of -2 to +4 seconds a day, compared with the -4 to +6 seconds COSC allows for an uncased movement.
A New Bracelet
The Bumblebee comes on a new three-link steel bracelet with smooth link sides. Its “T-fit” clasp adjusts by hand, with no tools, across five positions within an 8mm window, and uses ceramic ball bearings for a smoother close.
At a Glance
- Reference: 79310N
- Case: 316L stainless steel, 39mm diameter, 13.1mm thick, 47mm lug to lug
- Dial: domed yellow with black sub-counters, date at 6 o’clock
- Bezel: fixed steel with black anodized aluminum tachymeter insert
- Crystal: domed sapphire
- Water resistance: 200m (660 ft)
- Movement: Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813, COSC-certified, about 70-hour power reserve, 4 Hz, 41 jewels
- Bracelet: three-link stainless steel with “T-fit” clasp
- Warranty: five years, transferable, no registration required
- Swiss retail price: CHF 5,500 including VAT, according to Tudor
Pricing outside Switzerland varies by market; check with an authorized Tudor retailer.
