Carbon is a fundamental building block of nearly everything on this planet, both living and inanimate. Yet it often gets a bad rap — scapegoated for the extreme systems of production and consumption that have thrown its natural cycle into disarray. This points to the complex politics of materiality and the deep interconnectedness of all things. Political theorist Jane Bennett’s Vibrant Matter reminds us that “people-materialities” and “thing-materialities” shape and are shaped by human actions and intentions. Cultivating an awareness of where materials come from, how things are made, and by whom, helps us make more informed, sustainable choices.
A recent tour of the new Tudor Manufacture in the heart of Swiss-watchmaking country deepened my appreciation for the Tudor Black Bay 58 “Blue”, without which I feel quite naked. I was taken not only by the design and technical finesse but also with the material origins and the many human hands behind its creation. Sidestepping a few robotic assistants tasked with delivering components to work stations, I was introduced to the “cell” of watchmakers who had brought my actual timepiece to life on June 13 2020: Dopé secured the MT5402 movement; Gina fitted the dial; Isabelle placed the hands; Marina attached the strap, and Karine gave the final eye.
Located in the small town of Le Locle, the new state-of-the-art facility is the first to be fully dedicated to the watchmaker since Tudor’s founding in 1926. Completed in 2021 and inaugurated in 2023, the manufacture combines traditional watchmaking with advanced logistics and automated testing. Spanning five floors and 5,500m2, this is where every Tudor watch is assembled and tested by a team of 150. The building was designed for optimum manufacturing efficiency and sustainability, incorporating material-conscious construction and hi-tech HVAC climate control systems. Adjoined to the Kenissi Manufacture, the facility where all high-performance in-house mechanical calibres are developed and assembled, the building is also closer to Tudor-owned affiliates and suppliers in the Jura Mountains. It is here that the new Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25” was born.
Kenissi was set up in 2010 to also produce mechanical movements for other brands. Breitling was their first client, most notably the B20 from the Kenissi MT56 family. A 2018 partnership with Chanel (which owns a 20% stake) led to the production of the Calibre 12.1 and 12.2 for the J12. Other clients now include Norqain, Fortis, TAG Heuer, Bell & Ross and Ultramarine.
Le Locle and neighbouring La Chaux-de-Fonds have been central to Swiss watchmaking since the 17th century, designated UN World Heritage status in 2009. From the Tudor building’s north-facing windows at Rue de France 63, I was thrilled to see another site of significant cultural heritage: Villa Favre-Jacot — Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, aka Le Corbusier’s first architectural commission designed for Zenith founder Georges Favre-Jacot and completed in 1913.
On the first floor of the Tudor building, the brand’s watchmaking heritage is presented with contemporary curatorial finesse. Here, the chronographs of the 1970 to the 1990s — including the Oysterdate 7031/0, “Montecarlo” 7169/0, the Daytona-looking “Big Block” 9430/0, and Prince Oysterdate 79280 — remind us of the lineage of modern Tudor chronographs and, of course, the new “Carbon 25”.
To ensure the highest quality and value to each customer, Tudor does not keep stock of assembled watches, instead every unit produced is pre-assigned to a client. To achieve this, every watch is tracked for increased efficiency at each stage of the agile and adaptable workshops. Watchmakers work in autonomous “cells” of four, each trained in all assembly processes and references, always working as a team on dial-fitting, hand-setting and casing. To maintain a spotless, dust-free working environment, all staff and visitors pass between departments through airlock chambers to remove any impurities from their clothing. On our tour, we wore hazmat-style suits and bootees. Staff wear static-free coats at all times and the HVAC climate control system creates a ceiling-to-floor airflow, which helps to prevent dust from floating around and getting into watches and machinery.
The Kenissi production line leverages the combined power of advanced tech and the expertise of human hand. Beginning with the mainplate, all movement components are embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking tags to ensure production efficiency, quality and the correct routing of the emergent calibre. All movements first go through a fully automated test cycle before being sent to COSC, the official Swiss chronometer testing institute, for chronometer testing. Tudor’s Performance Control guarantees that fully assembled watches equipped with a manufacture calibre meet -2/+4 seconds precision per day, and -4/+6 with other calibres. Watches are also tested for waterproofness in hyperbaric water chambers. While only a few models currently hold METAS Master Chronometer certification, Tudor plans for all models to eventually meet those standards, covering precision, magnetic resistance, power reserve and waterproofness.
Launched during the 2025 Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix, this neo-vintage-style watch is a celebration of Tudor’s partnership with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team with aesthetic codes that allude to the 2025 season livery of their F1 car.
When every gram affects speed, carbon fibre is the ideal material choice for both racing car and chronograph. The 42mm forged carbon case, tachymetric bezel, sub-dials, and end-links are all carbon fibre, making the watch lightweight yet robust.
The domed dial has a “racing-white” finish with contrasting carbon-fibre circular sub-dials and Grade A Super-LumiNova-coated Snowflake hands for optimal legibility. The dial includes a 45-minute counter and a date window at 6 o’clock, echoing Tudor’s earliest chronograph layouts with titanium pushers inspired by the very first Oysterdate models. Its engine is the COSC-certified Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813, featuring a silicon balance spring, a column-wheel construction and vertical clutch, and 70 hours of power reserve. The MT5813 is derived from the Breitling Calibre B01, with a high-precision regulating system developed by Tudor and displaying exceptional in-house finishing and decoration on its rotor, bridges, and main plate. The tyre-patterned, hybrid leather — rubber straps have carbon-fibre end-links. Watches are waterproof to 200m. Limited to 2,025 examples, each watch is individually numbered on the PVD-finished titanium case back.
Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25”, R139,800, tudorwatch.com
From the July edition of Wanted, 2025
