Tudor Black Bay GMT Pepsi Review

The 2010s were truly Tudor’s decade — their comeback can be called the greatest revival of a watch brand in recent history. Tudor launched hit after hit, from 2010’s Heritage Chronograph, 2012’s Tudor Pelagos, to the Black Bay in the same year, and its subsequent models in the following years.

For these watches, the brand references a single watch or several watches from its past, and it’s a strategy that worked very well for them. Tudor doesn’t have much history when it comes to GMT watches despite being around when sibling brand Rolex launched the GMT-Master.

In 2018, they launched the Heritage Black Bay GMT — the first watch since the revival that did not pull a historical reference from the brand. Read on to learn more about the Tudor Black Bay GMT and why this watch was a major move for Tudor.

While the Heritage Black Bay GMT is part of the vintage Tudor-inspired Heritage Black Bay collection, one doesn’t have to look far to know which watch it’s referencing. None other than the most famous GMT watch of all time – the GMT Master “Pepsi” from sibling brand Rolex.

That said, it’s a rather new path for a Tudor: it preserves much of the appeal of the Heritage Black Bay while offering a true GMT complication ; and it also follows both the aesthetic and functionality of the Rolex GMT Master II.

Since its inception in 1954 with the reference 6542, the GMT Master has been equipped with a 24-hour bezel in a bi-colored blue-red scheme. The split-colored Pepsi bezel helps delineate nighttime and daytime hours, while the 24-hour red GMT hand tells time in the second time zone.

The Black Bay GMT is configured on the classic silhouette of Tudor Black Bay dive watch, with a 41mm stainless steel case. It also has an oversized and unguarded winding crown. This combination is reminiscent of the earliest Rolex Submariner references.

The Black Bay GMT‘s bezel comes in two colors: a more burgundy-like shade of red and a dark blue. Daylight hours are indicated on the red section, nighttime hours on blue. One can say that the bezel is closer in color to vintage models of the Rolex GMT Master Pepsi. Unlike recent models of the GMT Master Pepsi, there is no ceramic bezel here. It has an anodized aluminum bezel, which some collectors actually prefer, as it will age with the watch over time; and even add character.

The matte black dial provides the perfect contrast for its large, luminous markers and hands. In true Black Bay fashion, it has the iconic Snowflake hand style, from the hour hands, to the seconds and GMT hand. The date is nicely integrated into the dial and is legible without needing a Cyclops.

The Tudor Black Bay GMT comes with three bracelet options: a riveted steel bracelet, black fabric strap with a red stripe, and the “Terra de Siena” brown leather strap. The steel and leather bracelets, both use a safety folding clasp, while the textile strap comes with a pin buckle.

THE MOVEMENT

Inside the Tudor Black Bay GMT is a new in-house movement created especially for the watch: the caliber MT5652. This self winding mechanical movement allows the watch to operate like a “true GMT”. That is, with a jumping local-hour hand, where you can jump the hour hand forward or backward and set your watch to the local time after crossing time zones. Meanwhile, the 24-hour hand remains linked to the home time zone.

It’s no surprise that the Tudor Black Bay GMT is one of the most popular watches in Tudor’s current catalogue. It has a superb build, stylish vintage-cool aesthetic, an in-house caliber, and of course, excellent pedigree. What more can you ask for?