Choosing what material you want your watch made of can be tricky. On the one hand steel can sometimes be a little dull to look at, but on the other gold watches can lack robustness. Fortunately, watchmakers have a solution for you in the form of bi-metal watches that mix steel and gold into their designs.
Tudor have announced they are expanding their S&G collections with a GMT model, a Chrono and a handful of time only watches.
Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G
A GMT watch is a natural fit for the S&G treatment. As the iconic traveller’s complication, it needs to be durable enough to withstand the knocks of constant movement while capturing the sense of style and luxury that accompanies first class flights and sumptuous train journeys through gorgeous scenery. The body of the watch is steel while the bezel is yellow gold. The gold adds a warmth that works well with the 24-hour scale’s day/night spilt between black and brown and gives it a rich, vintage vibe.
Inside, the Black Bay GMT S&G uses the Calibre MT5652, a 2018 movement also used in the new Tudor Black Bay Pro. It has a weekend-proof 70-hour power reserve and is COSC chronometer certified. It’s priced at £4,290 making it over £1,000 more than the Pro.
Price & Specs
Ref: M79833MN-0001 (steel and yellow gold bracelet), M79833MN-0003 (brown leather strap), M79833MN-0004 (black fabric strap with beige band) | Case/dial: 41mm diameter, stainless steel case with polished and satin finish, gold bezel, black dial | Water resistance: 200m | Movement: Manufacture Calibre MT5652, automatic, COSC certified, 26 jewels | Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz) | Power reserve: 70h | Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, GMT | Strap: Stainless steel and yellow gold bracelet, brown leather strap or black fabric strap with beige band | Price: £3,320 (brown leather strap and black fabric strap with beige band) and £4,290 (steel and yellow gold bracelet)
More details at Tudor.
Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G
Another complication that rides the line between sporty and elegant is the chronograph, making it another natural fit for a steel and gold reinterpretation. Compared to the GMT above, the gold takes on a larger role for the Chrono, which has a gold bezel, crown and pushers. There’s more gold on the dial in the form of a golden champagne colour base with black chronograph subdials, which is also available with reversed colours on a pre-existing model.
It houses the chronometer certified Calibre MT5813. An automatic movement with hours, minutes, central chronograph seconds, small seconds, 45-minute timer and date functions. And on top of all that it has a 70-hour power reserve. With a price of £5,590 it’s definitely not accessible but is also substantially less than most full gold watches.
Price & Specs
Ref: M79363N-0007 (steel and yellow gold bracelet), M79363N-0008 (brown leather strap), M79363N-0006 (black fabric strap) | Case/dial: 41mm diameter, stainless steel case with polished and satin finish, gold bezel, black dial | Water resistance: 200m | Movement: Manufacture Calibre MT5813, automatic chronograph, COSC certified, 47 jewels | Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz) | Power reserve: 70h | Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph | Strap: Stainless steel and yellow gold bracelet, brown leather strap or black fabric strap | Price: £4,620 (brown leather strap and black fabric strap) and £5,590 (steel and yellow gold bracelet)
More details at Tudor.
Tudor Black Bay S&G
For the standard Black Bay model there are new S&G references at 31/36/39/41mm sizes. At each size there are two versions of the bi-colour design, one with a masculine slant and the other feminine, proving that his and hers watches aren’t completely dead in the water (although perhaps they should be). They each have steel cases with gold bezels and because “feminine” is synonymous with “diamonds” for most watchmakers, the second versions have diamond set bezels and indexes.
As for the dials there are black, grey and champagne gold colours on offer. There are also some patterned examples with a repeating octagon and star motif. They all come on five-link bracelets with the second and fourth link in gold and the rest in steel, which gives them a distinctive look.
Due to the different sizes there are a range of calibres used, all COSC certified with power reserves between 50 and 70-hours depending on size. The prices also vary from £3,890 – £5,260.
Price & Specs
Case/dial: 31mm, 36mm, 39mm or 41mm diameter, stainless steel case with polished and satin finish, gold bezel, black or silver dial | Water resistance: 100m | Movement: Manufacture Calibre MT5201 (31mm), MT5400 (36mm), MT5602 (39mm), MT5601 (41mm), automatic, COSC certified | Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz) | Power reserve: 50h (31mm) and 70h (36mm, 39mm, 41mm) | Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds | Strap: Stainless steel and yellow gold bracelet | Price: £3,890 – £5,260
More details at Tudor.
