Fair warning: if you grew up in a home that featured funky shag carpet and walls lined with the finest wood paneling 1970’s-era money could buy, you might get a pang of nostalgia when you see Tudor’s new Black Bay GMT. Yes, the color scheme is colloquially called “root beer,” but since Tudor’s big brother beat everyone to the punch with that name a few years ago, we’ll have to find something else. While the watch world stews on whether or not to call this one the “Tootbeer,” we’ll be happily basking in the mega-nostalgia that only Earth, Wind & Fire tracks and two-tone watches can provide.

Joining the Pepsi-themed Black Bay GMTs that debuted in March 2018, the new steel and gold style appears in the same 41mm case with all the same dimensions that made the M79830RB variants some of the hottest (and hardest to find) watches of the last five years. This time, however, gold accents have replaced every steel surface beneath the dial, from the edges of the indices to the hands. A crown of gold sits at the 3 o’clock position, providing the biggest visual contrast to the steel case, aside from the finely-toothed gold bidirectional bezel. Atop this sits the bit everyone is talking about: the brown and black anodized aluminum insert. Giving off major vintage vibes, it’ll surely set the tone for the 2022 Black Bay GMT as a modern-heritage piece. Groovy.

Rounding out the piece are all the elements that made the original great, such as a domed sapphire crystal, water resistance to 200m, and COSC-certified Calibre MT5652 GMT movement with 70 hours of power reserve. While available on brown leather or black fabric with a beige stripe, we’re predicting the two-tone bracelet variant will see the highest demand. The riveted steel and yellow-gold build features the same attractive taper that made the original GMT’s bracelet so great, but the two-tone quality takes the new GMTs to another level in images.

All in all, Tudor didn’t reinvent the wheel with the new Black Bay GMT, but it didn’t need to either. If any brand has a finger on the pulse of the watch public, it’s Tudor, and in bringing a heritage-inspired two-tone GMT to market, it’s combined one of the best Black Bay variants with one of the most popular emerging styles. To learn more, please visit Tudor’s website.

Specifications:

Brand: Tudor
Model: Black Bay GMT S&G
Dimensions: 41mm
Water Resistance: 200 meters
Case Material: Stainless Steel with polished and satin finish
Crystal: Domed sapphire
Movement: Tudor “Manufacture” Caliber MT5652 (COSC automatic GMT movement)
Frequency: 28,800 bph
Power Reserve: Approx. 70 hours
Strap/Bracelet: Two-tone riveted steel bracelet (M79833MN-0001), Brown leather strap (M79833MN-0003), or Black fabric strap with beige band (M79833MN-0004)

Price: $5,550 USD (bracelet), $4,300 (brown leather or black-beige fabric)

Availability:  Available now on the Tudor website.