While Tudor was onto something with the release of the new Black Bay Pro and I told you already how much I liked it and how much I want one, I don’t feel the same way about the Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G 'Root Beer'. In my humble opinion, this was a weak release that didn’t really capture what Tudor was trying to do here. The new Black Bay GMT S&G ‘Root Beer’ was somewhat inspired by the Rolex GMT-Master 16753 ‘Root Beer’ but not necessarily by the Rolex GMT Master II Everose Gold ref. 126715CHNR as many would think. Why? Because Tudor releases certain watches with a vintage flair and that’s where the inspiration comes from.

Now, while the new Tudor Black Bay S&G ‘Root Beer’ is a good-looking watch, it missed the point with several elements that were forgotten in the overall design of the watch. This could’ve been a great-looking watch but sadly it ended up being a really ‘meh’ one, at least for me.

Also known as the 'eye of the tiger', 'tigerauge' or 'occhio di tigre' because of the resemblance of its dial to the semi-precious stone with the same name, the GMT Master ref. 16753 with brown dial is an iconic vintage Rolex reference and the Black Bay S&G ‘Root Beer’ could’ve captured that had it been fitted with a different color combination on its bezel or at least with a brown dial like the one on the Tudor Heritage Black Bay Bronze Brown.

Rolex GMT Master II Everose Gold ref. 126715CHNR

Fitted with a 41 mm stainless steel case and powered by the automatic in-house movement Tudor calibre MT5652 with a power reserve of 70 hours, the Black Bay GMT S&G allows the user to keep track of up to three time zones thanks to its 24-hour GMT red hand, its independently moving hour hand, and its bidirectional 24-hour rotating bezel.

While the matte black dial works well with the black and brown bezel, it was definitely a missed opportunity not to go with the same color scheme of the 16753 ‘Root Beer’. Had Tudor gone that route, the new Black Bay GMT S&G 'Root Beer' ref. M79833 would’ve been an absolute home run and I would’ve purchased one for sure.

On the wrist, the new Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G ‘Root Beer’ ref. M79833 wears true to its size and just like all other Black Bay 41 mm watches. The riveted bracelet is satin-brushed finished throughout including its gold-capped center links and it does look and feel great.

Sticker Price $5,550 USD on a bracelet and $4,300 USD on a leather or fabric strap. For more info on Tudor click here.