Hands-On With The New Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25”

Tudor released the Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25” for this year’s Miami F1 Grand Prix. The watch celebrates the collaboration with the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB) Formula 1 team with a 2,025-piece limited run. I got a chance to go hands-on to see what’s what.

I was delighted to get this opportunity because it allowed me to test my preconceptions. I must admit, I am not a big fan of collaborative special-edition watches. I am also not generally a fan of the Tudor Black Bay Chrono, so I shouldn’t like this watch at all. Let’s see if that is indeed the case!

The Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25”

But first, let’s quickly recap the specifications of the Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25.” You get a 42mm forged carbon case, which is 1mm wider and 0.1mm thinner (14.3mm) than the steel versions. The same 200m water resistance remains. A sapphire crystal sits surrounded by an integrated carbon tachymeter bezel.

Inside ticks caliber MT5813. This column-wheel chronograph caliber is based on Breitling’s B01. It beats at 28,800vph and offers an ample 70-hour power reserve. Tudor specifies an accuracy of +4/-2 seconds per day. The same movement powers the regular Black Bay Chrono.

The Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25” comes on a hybrid leather/rubber strap with blue stitching. The strap pieces tuck into a pair of fitted carbon end links. You get two spring bars on each side — one for the end link and one for the strap. This offers you the choice of wearing the strap with or without the end links.

Not as advertised

So, as explained above, I went into this review with low expectations. I am delighted to report that the watch was nicer in real life than I gathered from the press images — much nicer! The forged carbon looks more subdued than most competing offerings. It is much less flaky and three-dimensional in appearance. I would argue it sits somewhere in between carbon and ceramic in looks.

It was the blue, white, and black combo, however, that most surprised me. The blue accents are much less in-your-face in real life than in press images. I like this hue’s almost Yves Klein brightness, especially in this sparing application. It provides the watch with a ton of character without being overpowering.

The white dial, similarly, looks subtler than I expected. It has an ever-so-slight opaline effect, pulling it away from overly clinical pure white. The sub-dials are more textured, flakier forged carbon, offering a bit of added detail. And speaking of detail, even the date window’s frame matches the carbon construction of the sub-dials. All in all, my first impression was radically different from what I expected from the press materials.

Wearing the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25”

I was in for a second positive surprise. I remember the Tudor Black Bay Chrono as a watch that I consider unwearable on my 18cm wrist. In my humble opinion, it is too clunky and unrefined. This is also a matter of style, so your mileage may vary. For me, though, it is simply too massive. Naturally, then, my expectations of this even larger model were low.

It must be the slimming effects of the dark material and the watch’s overall lightness, but I genuinely liked the fit of this Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25.” Sure, it is still too thick, but I now find it very wearable.

I also liked the watch’s dynamic behavior. The dial, the blue accents, and the lume respond strongly upon moving indoors from bright sun. In certain light, the dial appears silvery, while in others, it turns a bright, crisp white. I do miss the depth of flakier forged carbon, but this looks nice and clean nonetheless.

Closing thoughts

I love it when a watch defies my beliefs. If you do this for a living, it is quite easy to become a bit jaded. You think you’ve seen it all and know what you like. But then, a watch comes along that somehow doesn’t fit any of the well-organized compartments in your mind. This is such a case for me.

Would I buy one? Well, no. For starters, the VCARB F1 team carries no significance for me. And even if this were a regular production model, it wouldn’t be quite my style. However, those are subjective matters. On the objective side, I have very little to complain about. I simply think this is quite well done.

I would urge you to seek out the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25” (€7,460 / US$7,575 / CHF 6,800) in real life. As mentioned above, the press images don’t do it justice. It is much subtler, more wearable, and generally less brash than it appears in Tudor’s images. Be careful; you just might like this watch quite a lot more than you planned to.

What do you think of the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25”? Let us know in the comments section below.