Tudor’s Flagship Racing Chronograph Gets a Lightweight Performance Upgrade

Formula 1 returns to action in Miami this weekend following an impromptu month off due to the cancellation of April’s Middle Eastern races on account of the ongoing war in Iran.

When the lights go out this Sunday in Florida, Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad will find themselves in a curious position, as their team trails RB’s senior team, Red Bull Racing, by just two points in the constructors’ standings. With a good run from either driver and a poor showing from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, RB could find themselves ahead of Red Bull come Monday.

Tudor knows what it’s like to be the junior team longing to step out from the shadow of its big brother. That’s what makes Rolex’s sister brand such an ideal sponsor for Team Racing Bulls, a position it’s held since the 2024 season.

Now, just ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Tudor is celebrating its track team’s success this season with a new Racing Bulls-themed edition of the Black Bay Chrono in lightweight carbon fiber.

Tudor

Shedding weight

The new Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” is an update to last year’s Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25” and again features a 42mm x 14.3mm case in lightweight black carbon fiber composite. The high-tech material is also used for the fixed tachymeter bezel, while black PVD-coated titanium is used for the screw-down crown and pushers, and the screw-in caseback.

The domed dial is in “Racing White,” with black surrounds on the white-lumed snowflake hands and applied indices to enhance legibility. Yellow accents are found on the minute track, subdials and date in reference to the yellow highlights on RB’s new car this season. There’s also a touch of red on the tip of the chronograph seconds hand and in the water-resistance rating above 6:00 on the dial.

Tudor

Uniquely, the dial also incorporates carbon fiber, though Tudor says this is more for aesthetic purposes than performance enhancement. Both subdials are made of carbon fiber, as is the frame for the 6:00 date window. Tudor used a layered dial construction with a sheet of carbon fiber below the brass plate of the main dial to accomplish the look.

Carbon fiber is even used on the end links that integrate the strap seamlessly into the case. The strap is a stitched-together hybrid with black leather on top and rubber on the bottom for comfort.

Tudor

The closed caseback features a checkered flag motif and is individually numbered out of 2,026, as that’s how many examples of the watch will be made.

Hiding behind that fun caseback is the Black Bay Chrono’s usual engine, the COSC-certified Manufacture Chronograph Calibre
MT5813 automatic. It boasts both a column wheel and a vertical clutch, along with a robust power reserve of 70 hours and an amagnetic silicon hairspring.

Tudor

Availability and pricing

Of all the F1 watch brand sponsorships, and there are quite a few of them, the Tudor-RB connection has always struck me as one of the most sensical. Two underdogs with something to prove, consistently outperforming their expectations… it’s like a Hollywood sports story come to life.

And, of course, the relationship also drives Tudor to innovate and give us cool new watches like this. I think the “Carbon 26” is the best watch to come out of the brand’s F1 sponsorship yet, and I’m excited to see what future collabs will look like. (Maybe a Big Block return??)

For this season, you can pick up the Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” for $8,625 from Tudor, and again, the watch is limited to 2,026 pieces.

Tudor

Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26”

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Tudor Cal. MT5813 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	200m

• $8,625 at Tudor

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