Tudor Black Bay Chrono M79360N

The Tudor Black Bay Chrono (reference M79360N) is a stainless-steel automatic chronograph introduced at Watches & Wonders 2021 to mark 50 years of Tudor chronographs. It is powered by the COSC-certified Manufacture Calibre MT5813, a column-wheel, vertical-clutch movement derived from the Breitling B01, with a silicon balance spring and roughly 70 hours of power reserve. The 41mm case is 14.4mm thick and water resistant to 200m, with a fixed tachymeter bezel, screw-down crown and pushers, domed sapphire crystal, and Snowflake hands. It was offered with either an opaline (panda) or a black (reverse-panda) dial, each carrying a running-seconds sub-dial at 9 o'clock, a 45-minute chronograph counter at 3 o'clock, and a date at 6 o'clock.

Tudor's chronograph line began in 1970 with the Oysterdate, sold in three variations that included references 7031 and 7032. Per Swisswatches Magazine, these were 39mm sports watches powered by the manually wound Valjoux 7734 and marked by pentagonal hour indexes, the trait that earned the nickname "Home Plate." A second series arrived in 1971, the "Montecarlo" (Series 7100, e.g. ref. 7149), whose roulette-style dial accompanied a column-wheel Valjoux movement.

Swisswatches Magazine records that in 1976 Tudor released the 9400 Series, its first automatic chronograph, built on the Valjoux 7750 and nicknamed "Big Block" for its thicker case. This established the mechanical, tool-watch character that Tudor would later revive in the Black Bay family.

The modern chapter opened in 2017, when Tudor introduced its first Black Bay Chrono (ref. 79350) with an integrated column-wheel movement, the Manufacture Calibre MT5813. Caliber Corner and Swisswatches Magazine both note the MT5813 is derived from the Breitling B01, the product of a 2017 collaboration between the two brands. A steel-and-gold (S&G) version followed in 2019.

At Watches & Wonders 2021, Tudor updated the model as reference M79360N to mark 50 years of Tudor chronographs. Deployant reports the revised steel case is 0.5mm thinner than the 2017 edition, and the watch was launched with two panda-style dials.

The MT5813 is a self-winding column-wheel chronograph. Caliber Corner lists it as derived from the Breitling B01 framework, running at 28,800 vph (4 Hz) on 41 jewels, with a silicon balance spring and a power reserve of approximately 70 hours. Both Caliber Corner and Deployant note the movement uses a vertical clutch and is COSC-certified, with Caliber Corner citing a rated accuracy of −2 to +4 seconds per day.

The display layout is a bi-compax chronograph. Caliber Corner lists central hours, minutes and chronograph seconds, small running seconds at 9 o'clock, a 45-minute chronograph counter at 3 o'clock, and a date at 6 o'clock. The 45-minute counter (rather than the more common 30-minute counter) is a distinguishing feature of the caliber. Caliber Corner gives the movement dimensions as 30.4mm by 7.23mm.

The caliber's origins lie in the 2017 movement collaboration between Tudor and Breitling: Swisswatches Magazine states the MT5813 was derived from the Breitling B01, and Tudor fitted it with a silicon hairspring for improved antimagnetic and temperature stability. The same base architecture carried through unchanged from the 2017 Black Bay Chrono into the 2021 M79360N.

The case measures 41mm in diameter and 14.4mm thick, with a lug-to-lug span of about 50mm, according to Deployant; Teddy Baldassarre's review lists a 22mm lug width. Deployant frames the 2021 case as a comfort improvement over the 2017 model, writing that "the case thickness is now slimmer than before and more comfortable on the wrist."

Monochrome Watches, reviewing the same reference, observes that despite the roughly 50mm lug-to-lug measurement the watch is "surprisingly ergonomic" and "sits flat on the wrist," while cautioning that it remains "a fairly large and heavy watch." These are the reviewers' own wearing impressions rather than manufacturer claims.

The 2021 M79360N was launched in two dial configurations. Monochrome Watches describes them as an opaline (silver-white) dial with black counters — the "panda" — and a black dial with silver counters, the "reverse panda." Both use Snowflake hands and applied indexes with Super-LumiNova. Monochrome notes each dial was offered on a riveted steel bracelet, a bund leather strap, or a textile strap.

The M79360N sits within a broader Black Bay Chrono lineage. Swiss Watch Expo traces the line to the original steel Chrono of 2017 and a steel-and-gold (S&G) version in 2019, which the M79360N's slimmer case superseded. Teddy Baldassarre's later review of the reference notes the wider Black Bay Chrono family has since expanded with additional dial colors beyond the original two panda variants.

At its 2021 launch, Deployant reported US pricing of $4,900 on a leather or fabric strap and $5,225 on the steel bracelet, with each dial available across the strap and bracelet options. This positioned the watch among the more affordable COSC-certified Swiss chronographs at the time.

Swiss Watch Expo notes the reference is distributed through Tudor's authorized retail network as well as secondary-market dealers. Buyers choosing between configurations are effectively selecting dial color (panda or reverse panda) and the strap or bracelet, since the case and MT5813 movement are common to every M79360N.