Over the past few years, TUDOR watches have experienced a huge surge in popularity. While Tudor’s history dates back to 1926, it is only in the last decade that the brand has begun to re-establish itself globally as a major luxury watchmaker in the industry.
A central part of Tudor’s recent success has been its numerous heritage models, which are inspired by important vintage replica watches from the brand’s history. Tudor’s archives are filled with iconic designs, and the brand’s Heritage Collection has reinvented some of its most noteworthy models with modern materials and manufacturing techniques. In addition to the highly successful Black Bay collection and the alarm-equipped Advisor model, there is also TUDOR’s Heritage Chrono collection, inspired by the brand’s vintage sports chronographs. The first Heritage Chrono appeared in 2010, but it was the addition of a striking blue and orange variant in 2013 that really brought this vintage-inspired model to the attention of collectors. Enter Tudor’s Heritage Chrono Blue.
The overall design of the Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue is based in large part on the famous Tudor “Montecarlo” chronographs of the 1970s. Produced from 1971 until around 1977, this second generation of Tudor chronographs earned the nickname “Montecarlo” for the colorful appearance of its dial, which is slightly reminiscent of a casino roulette wheel.
Like the original reference number 7169/0 from the 1970s, the modern TUDOR Heritage Chrono Blue features a stainless steel case, a 12-hour rotating bezel, a double dial layout, and a date window at 6 o’clock. However, while the original vintage model featured an acrylic crystal with a Cyclops magnifying lens above the date window, the modern version features a scratch-resistant synthetic sapphire crystal and omits the Cyclops lens of its predecessor.
While the modern example has some minor updates and technical improvements (such as the interchangeable positions of the sub-dials), the overall aesthetic of the TUDOR Heritage Chrono Blue is almost a recreation of a vintage fake Rolex watch and follows the exact same color profile as the 1970s blue version with bright blue and orange accents on the dial. Moreover, thanks to its modern materials and build quality, the 42 mm stainless steel case of the TUDOR Heritage Chrono Blue offers users sufficient water resistance to 150 meters (500 feet), thanks to its screw-down crown, caseback, and chronograph pushers.
