Tudor Unveils The Colorful Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee”

Ask Tudor fans what they would like to see from the brand, and one of the top answers would be a smaller Black Bay Chrono. Well, that wish has been granted with the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee.” The watch introduces a new, smaller 39mm case that is also a good bit slimmer. Add a bright yellow dial, and the new addition to Tudor’s Daring Watches collection is a release that fans will be talking about. With this new release, Tudor gives us a glimpse of the future for the brand’s racing chronograph.

We have come to know the Tudor Daring Watches collection as a series full of surprising versions of existing models. Good examples are the “Pink” and “Flamingo Blue” versions of the Black Bay Chrono and the Black Bay 54 “Lagoon Blue.” All three introduced colorful dials to existing models. For the new Black Bay Chrono 39 Bumblebee, Tudor takes a different approach. While this new chronograph presents a new colorful yellow dial, there is more to the story. The new watch comes with a 39mm stainless steel case with a 13.1mm profile. Compared to the regular 41 × 14.4mm Black Bay Chrono, that is a very welcome change.

The details of the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee”

Let’s go over all the details of the new release. As mentioned, the new stainless steel case has a 39mm diameter and a 13.1mm thickness (including the crystal). It also has a 2mm-smaller 20mm lug spacing for the Oyster-style bracelet, but the case retains the larger version’s 200m water resistance rating.

On the right side of the case, you will find the Tudor-branded crown and two screw-down pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock. The new case features a predominantly vertically brushed finish with a polished bezel frame, bevels, and sides.

The stainless steel bezel features a black anodized aluminum insert with a contrasting silver tachymeter scale. It contrasts nicely with the bright yellow dial with its black sub-dials. Obviously, it’s this combination of yellow and black that gives the watch its “Bumblebee” nickname.

Furthermore, the yellow dial features a black minute track and black indexes filled with white Super-LumiNova. In line with the hour markers, the Tudor designers use a white date disc with black printing for the domed date at 6 o’clock. As a result, it visually completes the full set of indexes. Hovering over the dial are Tudor’s signature Snowflake hands in black, filled with white Super-LumiNova. Lastly, the red tip of the black central chronograph hand and the red “200m:660ft” text on the lower half of the dial add a nice extra touch of color.

The Tudor MT5813

Inside the case, Tudor equips the new Black Back Chrono39 with its Kenissi-produced MT5813 caliber. You would think that a smaller, slimmer version of the chronograph would require a different movement, but Tudor managed to design a smaller and slimmer case that can house the same MT5813. The automatic chronograph caliber, based on the Breitling B01, operates at 28,800 vph, features 41 jewels, and offers a 70-hour power reserve.

This movement contains both a column wheel and a vertical clutch for smooth chronograph action. Additionally, it features a nonmagnetic silicon balance spring. Unlike the regular daily accuracy standard of -4/+6 seconds for uncased COSC-certified calibers, Tudor regulates the assembled watches to run within a -2/+4 seconds per day.

The 20mm three-row bracelet eschews the much-debated fake rivets and now features smooth sides. This is a detail that many fans will like. Additionally, the bracelet features Tudor’s much-praised T-fit clasp with a toolless micro-adjustment system, making sizing super simple.

Final thoughts on the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee”

This new Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee” is a nice surprise release from Tudor. With this new chronograph, the brand shows that a smaller, slimmer chronograph is possible with the same caliber. It’s the same exercise the brand did with the Black Bay 58 GMT versus the chunkier Black Bay Pro, which also uses the same caliber. On top of that, it follows the Black Bay 58’s optimization, introduced six weeks ago during Watches and Wonders 2026. While the yellow dial is certainly an acquired taste, the overall takeaway from this new release is that the smaller, slimmer Black Bay 39 chrono opens many doors for future releases. For now, the first of these is the “Bumblebee.”

As the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 “Bumblebee” is part of the Daring Watches collection, it will be produced in limited quantities. The watch is available now and retails for €6,200 / US$6,725 / £5,270 / CHF 6,000. It will be interesting to see how quickly we will see the “Bumblebee” in the wild. On top of that, it offers a great opportunity to create new, striking versions of this smaller Black Bay Chrono 39.