Hodinkee
Hands-On: The Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 'Bumblebee' Ref. 79310N
Among the ever-evolving sizes and colors of modern Tudor, we now have the latest (and smallest and most colorful) iteration of the brand's dive-inspired chronograph, the Black Bay Chronograph 39. Dubbed the "Bumblebee" for its bright yellow dial and black accents, it marks the progressive 39-ification of Tudor's core lineup and forms what I think will be a very appealing new offering for the brand. When Tudor returned to the American market in 2012, the brand's core offerings evolved around an initial 41mm footprint. This includes early hits like the Black Bay, the Heritage Chrono, and the Ranger. Then, in 2017, Tudor announced the Black Bay Chronograph 79350, a 41mm steel chronograph with 200 meters of water resistance and snowflake hands. Since then, the Black Bay Chronograph range has been tweaked, improved, and expanded considerably, with additional colors (including the recent pink and flamingo blue). But while we saw the Black Bay eventually offer the 39mm 58 range and the Ranger drop to 39mm (and later to 36mm), the Chronograph range remained steadfast at 41mm. While 41mm is within the range for a conventionally sized modern sports watch, the enthusiast taste has shifted toward the 39mm sweet spot (likely at least in part due to the success of the Black Bay 58 and the Pelagos 39). Additionally, as slightly smaller cases continue to be in vogue, more attention is (and was) being paid to case thickness. The 41mm spec of the Black Bay Chrono wears well, but it's not sm...