Montres Tudor SA was registered in 1926 by Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex. The recipient of a large spectrum of Rolex-themed nicknames that range from derogatory to borderline complimentary, Tudor has remained a sister company to Rolex to this day and continues to serve its original purpose: Offering watches at more accessible prices while retaining a quality within a reasonable proximity to Rolex. Today they are perhaps best known for their highly rated and sometimes confusing Black Bay line.
Official Timing Partner of Ducati
Tudor was announced as the official timing partner of Ducati in 2011. The first collaboration was the Fastrider Chronograph, followed by a 2015 update and the introduction of the Black Shield in the lineup later in the same year. There does not appear to be any specific connection to Ducati Corse.
Visa Cash App RB F1
Having previously been involved in sports car racing in the 1960’s, Tudor announced a return to motorsport on February 1, 2024, with the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team. This also gives Red Bull’s sister team a watch sponsor again after a brief drought since their partnership ended with Casio Edifice. Early press photos showed the Tudor logo appearing prominently on both the VCARB 01 as well as the racing suits of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo.
Yuki Tsunoda drives the VCARB 01 at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix. (Photo: Liauzh, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Black Bay Ceramic
2024 pre-season photos showed Daniel Ricciardo wearing a then-unidentified blue-dialed Tudor Black Bay Ceramic. After several months of speculation that it would remain a team-exclusive watch, the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” was announced in July of 2024.
Two other team-exclusive Black Bay Ceramic models were also spotted in 2024. The first was the the Black Bay Ceramic “Chameleon”, worn by Tsunoda and Ricciardo at the Miami Grand Prix Las Vegas Grand Prix in May. In November of the same year, Tsunoda and Ricciardo’s replacement Liam Lawson wore the Black Bay Ceramic “Las Vegas Grand Prix”. Both versions mirrored the special team liveries at each respective event.
Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25”
Tudor announced the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25” on May 3, 2025, the Saturday of the Miami Grand Prix. The 42mm carbon fiber-cased chronograph features an integrated tachymeter bezel and like standard Black Bay Chronos, is powered by a Breitling 01-derived MT5813 movement. Unlike the Black Bay Ceramic “Blue”, the “Carbon 25” does give a nod to the VCARB team with an image of a Formula 1 car on the case back and has a limited run of 2,025 pieces.
Austin-Exclusive “Carbon 25” Inspired by Shaboozey
The Racing Bulls VCARB 02 ran a tortoiseshell livery at the 2025 United States Grand Prix, inspired by musician Shaboozey’s signature pattern that has been used by team sponsor Visa. Tudor also unveiled two tortoiseshell dial Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 25” prototypes, one each for drivers Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar.
Related Pages
References
https://blog.crownandcaliber.com/the-tudor-fastrider-a-relationship-with-ducati/
https://www.tudorwatch.com/en/tudor-mag/news/tudor-returns-to-motorsport-with-visa-cash-app-rb-f1-team
https://monochrome-watches.com/spotted-daniel-ricciardo-tudor-black-bay-ceramic-blue-dial-visa-cash-app-rb-formula-one-team-watch/
https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/tudor-formula-1-black-bay-ceramic-blue-1235696655/
https://www.tudorwatch.com/en/tudor-mag/news/tudor-celebrates-the-miami-gp-with-a-unique-black-bay
https://www.tudorwatch.com/en/tudor-mag/news/vegas-grand-prix
https://www.tudorwatch.com/en/watch-family/daring-watches/m79377kn-0001
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-tudor-black-bay-chrono-carbon-25
https://www.instagram.com/p/DP6bT7ACNBu/
https://www.stuff.tv/hot-stuff/the-tudor-black-bay-chrono-gets-a-tortoiseshell-dial-for-the-united-states-gp/