Hands-On With The Daring And Downsized Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee”

Just like an actual bumblebee, Tudor’s new Black Bay Chrono 39 appeared out of nowhere at the beginning of June. We hadn’t even had a chance to recover properly from Watches and Wonders yet. Tudor, on the other hand, was ready to go again with one of the most exciting releases of the year. Following the 41mm Flamingo Blue and Miami Pink Black Bay Chronos, this one comes in a smaller 39mm case and features a bright yellow dial with black sub-dials. That’s not all, though, because Tudor really paid attention to the details on the new Bumblebee.

I think it’s safe to say that the Tudor Black Bay Chrono in Flamingo Blue and Miami Pink — shouldn’t those color descriptions be the other way around, by the way? — are some of the most desirable models from the Swiss brand’s current catalog. They both sell well above their retail price on the secondary market, and wearing out in the wild is a true flex. Will the same be true for the downsized Bumblebee, a watch from the same Daring Watches collection? Let’s go hands-on to find out.

The new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee”

I’ll start with what I feel is the most important update here — the Bumblebee’s new 39mm case size. Many enthusiasts had wished for this feature. I’m happy to say it doesn’t just have a smaller diameter; it’s also significantly thinner and shorter. Unlike the 14.4mm-thick “full-size” Black Bay Chrono, the new Bumblebee now has a very acceptable 13.1mm thickness, including its double-domed sapphire crystal. While the 41mm Chrono has a 50mm case length, the 39mm version claims a more wearable 47mm lug-to-lug span. All these changes mean the Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 has shed some serious weight, making it more suitable for smaller wrists.

The 316L stainless steel case features the same circular satin-brushed lugs, polished bevels, and polished case sides as the larger models. However, this smaller variant comes on an Oyster-style bracelet with a fully brushed finish rather than a brushed-and-polished Jubilee-style bracelet of the larger versions. The T-fit clasp is still the same, offering an 8mm toolless micro-adjustment divided over five positions. Oh, and there are no fake rivets on the links. I’m sure that makes a lot of people happy. Despite its smaller size, the Bumblebee is also still water resistant to 200 meters,

The same MT5813 automatic chronograph movement

Surprisingly (to me), the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee” houses the same caliber as the 41mm models. Sure, I know it’s a lot of effort to develop a completely new movement, but I thought the 41mm versions were that big precisely because of the movement. Well, I guess I was wrong. Inside the new Bumblebee is the same Breitling B01-based MT5813 automatic chronograph movement. That’s certainly not a bad thing, as it has state-of-the-art specs.

Tudor regulates this COSC-certified movement to an even stricter -2/+4 seconds per day after casing it up. The silicon balance spring ensures magnetism doesn’t affect the accuracy, and it has a comfortable, weekend-safe 70-hour power reserve. A column wheel and a vertical clutch make for a smoothly operating chronograph, which you operate through the screw-down pushers. Even though the movement lies hidden behind a stainless steel case back, it features an openworked tungsten rotor and sand-blasted, satin-brushed, and polished finishes.

The screw-down pushers on the new Bumblebee feature a sharper knurled design, just like the screw-down crown in between them. That crown is still signed, but instead of a vintage Tudor rose, there’s now a more modern shield logo.

The yellow and black Bumblebee dial

Then, we get to the Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39’s most daring part — its matte yellow and black Bumblebee dial. But the designers went much further than just changing the main dial hue. Yellow is already quite a daring color on a watch, but when you look closely at the 39mm and 41mm versions side by side, you’ll find many more subtle changes.

Of course, on a smaller watch, proportions are important. Thankfully, Tudor optimized them on the 39mm Bumblebee. To me, the signature Snowflake hands — now black, just like the hour markers — seem a little shorter than before. This is probably so that they won’t cover the sub-dials too much. Those sub-dials, by the way, seem to be in almost the same position as on the larger 41mm models, which looks great but isn’t always the case when a watch changes size. On the larger 41mm models, the recessed sub-dials feature a sloped design, while the 39mm Bumblebee has a more aggressive silver edge. I much prefer the latter.

Are you ready to dive even a little deeper into the details? Unfortunately, my colleague Thomas is on paternity leave, but I’m sure he’d be very happy to hear about the more consistent use of fonts on the Bumblebee’s dial. On the 41mm versions, the font used for the numbers doesn’t match the one used for the text. Tudor has fixed this on the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39, just like the font size and spacing on the anodized aluminum bezel insert. Finally, the ring around the minute track is no longer there, and there’s less unused space around the dial. These are both logical consequences of the Bumblebee’s smaller size, but they make it look a lot better, in my opinion.

The Bumblebee on the wrist

But the most important part might actually be the wearing experience of the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 Bumblebee. The mid-case is nice and slim, which makes the slab sides less daunting than on some other Black Bays, and the whole package feels very well proportioned and just as sturdy as any other Tudor watch. All of this makes the new Bumblebee a very comfortable watch to wear on my 17cm wrist.

With its 39mm case diameter, 13.1mm thickness, and 47mm lug-to-lug span, it comes very close to the Rolex Daytona, which many consider one of the best-wearing automatic chronographs out there. All right, that watch is still more than a millimeter thinner, but the Bumblebee’s case back sinks nicely into the wrist, hiding some of its bulk. Yes, the 39mm Black Bay Chrono 39 wears very well indeed.

One of the best automatic chronographs out there

You might have already noticed throughout this article, but I’m quite fond of Tudor’s new Black Bay Chrono 39 Bumblebee. I even like the yellow-and-black colorway and the nickname Tudor gave it. Sure, black or white are always nice, and Miami Pink and Flamingo Blue are great for summer. However, yellow is a distinctive color that doesn’t look out of place in any season. It perfectly matches the Bumblebee’s sporty character, and the subtle touches of deep red finish it off in style. I also love how much attention the designers at Tudor paid to the proportions and details, like the black hands, black markers, and font consistency.

So, is there nothing to complain about, then? Well, some might want a less daring color option, but for me, there’s very little to wish for. I can imagine the Bumblebee would look great on a black rubber strap like the one on the Tudor Black Bay 54. Unfortunately, though, Tudor told me those end links don’t fit the Bumblebee’s 39mm case, despite the same 20mm lug spacing. Oh well; that might become available in the future anyway. Even without that option, I think the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 Bumblebee is one of the best-looking and best-wearing automatic chronographs out there.

Limited production

The new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee” costs €6,200, which is €220 less than the 41mm versions. As it’s part of Tudor’s Daring Watches collection, it will be produced in limited quantities. Let me know what you think of this watch in the comments below!