Baselword 2015: Tudor Event launching the North Flag with in house caliber
andrewluff
I was lucky enough to have been invited again to a pre-release event last night by Tudor watches and to celebrate the launch of their new North Flag watch and their totally new in house caliber, the MT5621. This is not a comprehensive report, but I just wanted to share the experience and information imparted to us yesterday at what was a fantastically coordinated event by the brand.
Tudor is all about adventure this year and after meeting at a location near the Basel Messe we were whisked into the countryside in 10 branded Land Rover Discoveries, all geared up for what appeared to be a real African safari!
On arrival, we found ourselves deep in the forest on the outskirts of Basel and were met with a path of burning logs leading us mysteriously further into the forest with the noises of wolves and other wild animals lurking somewhere in the dark... yes it was a real adventure!
The guests were greeted to the sight of a giant 'Tippi-Tent' surrounded by burning fires and were warmed with glasses of mulled wine while standing and chatting around a huge fire pit.... this really was like Africa! Luckily everyone had dressed accordingly as we were given the instructions prior to event to dress for the outdoors (and no other information). I am fan of unusual events and Tudor had gone out of its way to organise this event which had all been put together especially for the evening.
We are then led inside to enjoy a fantastic dinner amongst old and new friends before the big unveiling after the main course.
Without doubt, this is a huge move forward for Tudor to start producing in house movements and I personally see it as a great thing after being a fan of Tudor for a few years and wanting to see more development and exciting things coming from the brand.
The technical side of release will be covered in their press release (posted later), however the salient point of the MT5621 are that it has a power reserve of approximately 70 hours together with a new type of laser finishing to give it a rather unusual look. It also uses an anti-magnetic silicon hair spring and on top of all this, it is a fully COSC tested movement.
All in all, pretty impressive and has allowed the brand to start using open case backs for the first time in their history!
After the presentation by Mr Peverelli of the new caliber, the next question of course is you have a new movement... where is it going to go? This was the introduction to the new North Flag novelty being released at Basel 2015. Again from memory as no press kits were given out on the evening, the new North Flag goes back to heritage size watches with a 40mm Stainless Steel case and a really nice clear and beautifully presented dial with accents of yellow. There is the choice of a steel bracelet or leather strap option with yellow stitching and lining (my personal favourite).
Personally, I find the watch a little small on my wrist, but am impressed with the attention to detail both in the finish of the watch and movement together with huge step forward for Tudor. I apologise for the quality of the pictures which were taken in very low light using my mobile telephone, but I know that more detailed pictures and reports will follow in greater depth.
All that is left was for me to test out some of the vintage rums and whiskies that they had bought in for the event for us to taste... I couldn't resist posting a picture of my old Tudor Sub with their newest addition.
I hope you enjoyed sharing the adventure with me!
Cheers
Andrew
Comments:
ThomasM March 18th, 2015-09:45
Thanks for the on the ground report, Andrew! The movement looks interesting... typical "tool watch" style of the house, no fancy flourishes here. Looking forward to further new models from the House of Tudor. TM
Ornatus-Mundi March 18th, 2015-10:41
Andrew, I foresee a special edition that needs only a touch of a change... ;-)
amanico March 18th, 2015-23:21
Very happy to know that there is a new movement. But not very happy with this new Watch. I find it... sad. Unhappy. Common. Now, the new movement is an excellent news. Will there be an impact on the retail? Best, Nicolas
andrewluff March 19th, 2015-01:51
The good news... is that it is being put into other watches too. It is also in the new Pelagos Blue and I believe the price increase (of course there has to be one ;) is around a few hundred CHF's. Not bad in my opinion and compared to other brands who sell big time on th...
amanico March 20th, 2015-14:58
The Blue Pelagos is the best offer from Tudor, this year, in my opinion. And yes, even better since I've read that it housed the new movement... Still, we'll have to compare the previous ETA versus this one. Best, Nicolas
patrick_y March 19th, 2015-12:00
Hmm... I really like the Heritage Black Bay and the Heritage Chrono. In fact, those two are very good watches with beautiful designs. And even last year's Baselworld Heritage Ranger was a nice watch. The Pelagos is nice enough and extremely capable. But this one...
cazalea March 20th, 2015-14:42
I like that watch. I can definitely see one on my wrist and that's a rare thing for me and Rolex oops I mean Tudor. Mike
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