There are a small handful of events where you just know you’re going to see new watch releases. Watches & Wonders, obviously. Our own Windup Watch Fairs, as well. And, as of late, missions to space of one kind or another tend to inspire brands with watches themed to space exploration, usually in partnership with organizations that have a stake in the mission. Oh, and F1 weekends in the United States. You can pretty much count on at least one of any number of brands tied to an F1 team to uncork something as interest in the sport peaks around races in one of our local time zones.
This past weekend saw the return of the Miami Grand Prix, and right on cue Tudor was ready with a new watch to mark the occasion. This one, the Black Bay Chrono Carbon 26 is a direct follow up to last year’s Carbon 25, and like that watch is also a bit of a coproduction with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 team. Tudor began their partnership with the team relatively recently, in 2024, and have already released two limited edition watches, as of this weekend.
The Carbon 26 sees Tudor returning to the carbon fiber Black Bay Chrono case introduced last year, but in an updated dial color. This one borrows from the yellow, black, and white livery of the VCARB 03 car, with a white main dial, black subdials, and yellow accents throughout.
The case remains the same, measuring 42mm in diameter with a fixed tachymeter bezel along with screw down pushers and crown. It has the familiar lines of a Black Bay, but in carbon fiber weighs significantly less, and obviously has a sporty black appearance that makes it appropriate for a collaboration like this. The watch is powered by Tudor’s MT5813 automatic movement, which is COSC certified and has a 70 hour power reserve.
The Carbon 26 is priced at $8,625, and is a limited edition of 2,026 pieces. We’d be remiss not to point out that last year’s carbon chronograph, which many immediately criticized for being a little pricey, came in at around $7,500. That is a big jump in the course of one year.
This year’s Carbon 26 is also the latest in a series of watches tied to Tudor’s many athletic partnerships. In addition to F1, Tudor has partners in cycling, rugby, and soccer, and has released watches tied to all three sports recently. These watches tend to show Tudor’s more experimental side, mixing newer tech forward materials and color combinations that you wouldn’t expect to see in their more conservative catalog. Tudor
