This is the Monarch that we are talking about.

When you get to 100 years old, how are you gonna mark the occasion? A city-wide parade? One hundred presents? Whatever it is, the centenarians would usually go for something earth-shaking but for TUDOR, it chose to present a century of innovation with a revisitation. Welcome back, the Monarch.

The original Monarch timepieces were quartz-powered, had a sporty elegance to them, and were pretty big in Asia. For the new Monarch, this is a 39mm watch with a stainless steel case that’s 100m water resistant. It has a screw-down crown and an open back; the two-link faceted bracelet comes with the TUDOR T-fit clasp.

At its heart, beats a new in-house calibre MT5662-2U that’s anti-magnetic, and has a power reserve of 65 hours. Oh, and it’s METAS Master Chronometer certified. But let’s talk about the dial.

What’s the Deal with the Dial?

It’s known as an “error-proof” dial and was created during WWII to be easily readable in low-light combat conditions. For maximum legibility, the wearer needs to instantly distinguish top from bottom, even in darkness or underwater. To reduce any ambiguity, the top half of the dial has Arabic numerals, while the bottom has Roman numerals. So, you’ll immediately notice if you’re holding your watch upside down.

(It’s also known as a California Dial, because there was a boom in the 1980s for that particular face and a California-based company met the demands by refurbishing watches in the style.)

A champagne colourway for the dial gives the new Monarch watch a classical aesthetic. A running seconds subdial lies at 6 o’clock; snowflake hands wipe the face, and a railroad minute track circles the dial.

Other Novelties

TUDOR Black Bay Ceramic.

The Black Bay line has its moments when it had black in its make-up but they had never really gone all the way. TUDOR Black Bay Ceramic will change all that. This blacked-out monobloc piece is sleek and sexy: matte black ceramic, charcoal dial, noir rotatable bezel. When it is dark, the luminescent markers and black hands accentuate the blackness of the watch. Completing the look is the METAS certified Manufacture Calibre MT5602-U, a self-winding mechanical movement with bi-directional rotor system.

Black Bay 58 GMT.

For the jet setters, there’s also the new Black Bay 58 GMT in 39mm, which has a bi-directional 24-hour bezel in black, burgundy and gilt. Its calibre is the MT5450-U, which has a 65-hour power reserve and, again, is METAS certified.

Black Bay 58.

As one of TUDOR’s signatures, the Black Bay 58 now has a bevvy of new tech features and a new look. Together with a five-link bracelet, the Black Bay 58 is now thinner, which makes it comfortable on the wrist. Another change are the pinched hands at the base and a new bezel and crown design.

Another TUDOR’s signature. Once more, it has been given a better lease of life for within its 37mm case, it has the ticking powers of the Manufacture Calibre MT5400. Also, note the “TUDOR blue” colour (sooo different from the “ZENITH blue”), where a sapphire blue sunray dial and bezel are paired with a 37mm.

Lastly, the sporty TUDOR Royal line gets a boost in calibres (MT5201, MT5412 and MT5633) and more colourways.