Tudor Black Bay Pro White Opaline Watch Review

2025 feels like a really strong year for Tudor so far and their Watches & Wonders releases only build on that. It’s a story of back to basics while improving the baseline quality of each collection. For example the Pelagos going to a 1,000m water resistance rating and the Black Bay receiving a new size variation as well as upgrading to a METAs movement in the 58. The same is true for the Black Bay Pro, which is available in a new colour thanks to an opaline white dial, which we got up close with for a hands-on review.

When the Black Bay Pro was first launched in 2022 I feel like it had a bit of a rocky start. For one thing it was released in close proximity to the Ranger meaning it was competing to be Tudor’s entry level adventure watch right from the get go. For seconds, with its fixed bezel GMT, it couldn’t fail to draw comparison to big sister Rolex’s Explorer II.

Those latter comparisons are not helped by the new opaline dial variant which looks more like the Explorer II than ever in its polar dial form. However, I think people are less vitriolic about the similarities because it’s not a new collection now and we’ve had three years to get used to it. Plus, when you strap the watch to your wrist, any similarities start to feel less important when it looks this good for less than half the price of the Explorer II.

It measures 39mm which sits right in the goldilocks zone of sizes, large enough to be wearable without being so big that you snag it on every branch or boulder during your countryside excursions. Or doorknobs which are a watch’s most common nemesis. It’s very comfortable too, presented on a three-link steel bracelet.

Of course, the biggest update to this version of the watch compared to the original is the dial. It’s not an opaline white colour with oversize, lumed hour markers. That’s paired with Tudor’s signature snowflake hands and a yellow GMT hand that displays a second time zone. The origins of a 24-hour hand on explorer watches has a two-fold purpose. If you’re overseas it allows you to keep track of the time at home or if you’re underground spelunking (that’s exploring caves to you or I), then it serves as a 24-hour day/night indicator so that you can regulate your sleep properly on multi-day expeditions.

The light colour works really well for the model, giving it an extra sense of energy as opposed to the more serious black edition. Plus, as the nickname ‘polar’ suggests, it suits more arctic environments. You can imagine it as part of a researcher’s outfit in the cold tundra.

Beneath the dial is the COSC Chronometer calibre MT5652. It’s one of the few watches Tudor has released at Watches & Wonders not to have a master chronometer movement, which is a slight disappointment. But the reality of the situation is that it just goes to show how common master chronometers have become for the brand that it now stands out when they’re not used, when it was only a few years ago they introduced the first one. Plus, the MT5652 is a good calibre in its own right with a 70-hour power reserve and that chronometer certification.

As I set out in the introduction, the Black Bay Pro opaline isn’t a release that completely rocks the world, it’s just a nice addition that introduces more options for collectors. And that’s great in and of itself.

More details at Tudor.

​Oracle Time 

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