A manufactured movement with a 70 hours power reserve and certified as a chronometer: 2015 will be remembered as a milestone in the history of Tudor, the brand belonging to the Rolex group. The chance to discover the brand’s flagship even before the official opening of Baselworld 2015, presented itself during a private event organized by Tudor in some woodland outside of Basel where, in a set inspired by adventure and exploration, and at the end of a private dinner, Philippe Peverelli and Davide Cerrato (the brand’s CEO and Global Creative Director respectively) unveiled this year’s true novelty.
The Tudor North Flag is a 41mm stainless steel three hands timepiece, with a 70 hours power reserve visible in a small counter placed at 9. It adopts a new manufactured caliber, internally coded as MT5621, a movement that has needed five years to develop; perhaps this will not just be a stand-alone project, but most probably a platform that Tudor will upgrade year after year with additional complications, in order to replace, in time, all its ETA sourced movements.
Its design draws inspiration from the seventies' Tudor Ranger 2, both in the dial's style (take a look for example at the hours, minutes and seconds) and the case, which features a square design on its side and an integrated bracelet.
Between the bezel and the case, designers at Tudor have inserted a thin matte black ceramic ring. The caliber MT5621, visible through the case back, is quite compact and COSC certified.
On the wrist it is perfect for dimensions and style (understatement is one of Tudor watches' main features) and it is a perfect everyday watch. Moreover, the case treatment and the yellow accents give it a vague diver's watch feeling.
The Tudor North Flag will come with a stainless steel bracelet or a leather strap with folding buckle and Tudor logo, at a price of 3500€ and 3400€ respectively; this makes it the most attractive (in terms of price to quality ratio, in my opinion) manufactured timepiece available on the market.
(Photo credit: Google; Horbiter®'s proprietary photo-shooting)
Federico Nolfi @Horbiter®
