The Anti-Tudor

The North Flag -

Courtesy of Tudor

Regular readers will know by now that I am nothing if not contrarian. I was a Tudor fan from way back. Now to be clear, not in the growing a beard to be ironic (I grew mine to camouflage a weak chin), wearing "heritage brands" (who the hell can afford brand new Red Wing boots, and have you ever tried to walk more than a mile in work boots?) or pouring over historical data so that I can seem clever and witty at the next "meet up".  Yeah, I gotta' be me ; ). 
Editors note - if you ever see this author at a watch enthusiast "meet up" wearing a "trucker" hat, drinking a "budget" beer and trying to one-up those gathered on arcane, esoteric watch knowledge (particularly anything about mvt. references) you have the express permission of Tempus Fugit to smack him.

I am the guy who nearly pulled the trigger on a circa early 90s Tudor Sub back in Turku Finland in 1997, swapped an Omega for a vintage Tudor Prince and probably is not really swayed by the Black Bay collection with the exception of the GMT (probably because most of these "born again purists" poo-poo it from the comfort of their Brooklyn hangouts).

Courtesy of Tudor

I got introduced to the North Flag at BaselWorld 2015.  And it's ironic to look back, because at that time, it was the darling of the fair. But like that catchy pop record that rules the airwaves over the summer months, once September rolls around it is consigned to the odd iTunes "Shuffle" rotation.

Courtesy of Tudor

But for me, this one is still deep. A manufacture movement, a contrarian design - not a dive watch! And it is still The Shit That Killed Elvis!

Here are the pertinents -

• 

  Guarantee

  Five year guarantee
• 

  Case

  40 mm steel case with satin finish, open back with sapphire crystal
• 

  Movement

  Manufacture Calibre MT5621 (COSC)
  
  Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system
• 

  Power Reserve

  Power reserve of approximately 70 hours
• 

  Winding Crown

  Steel winding crown with TUDOR logo in relief
• • 

    Waterproofness

    Waterproof to 100 m (330 ft)
  • 

    Bezel

    Double bezel in steel and matt black ceramic
  • 

    Dial

    Black
    Power reserve disc at 9 o’clock
    Date at 3 o’clock
  • 

    Crystal

    Sapphire crystal
  • 

    Bracelet

    Steel bracelet with folding clasp and safety catch

The North Flag

From Tudor!

Now point of full disclosure, several of my European colleagues got treated to a very fun preview of this watch the night before BaselWorld. But all jealous feelings aside, I have to say that this was the watch that just about everyone was talking about. One of my colleagues from the magazine that I sometimes write for said - "That is the one watch I would be ready to take out my credit card for."

I got to see this early on at BaselWorld, but I wanted to give it time to sink in before writing about it.  And after seeing everything else on offer from all of the brands, I can honestly say that this made my top 3, no question!

This model is called the North Flag.  A closer look will reveal that the lugs are "integrated" just like those of the Ranger 2 of "yesteryear".  It comes in a few options in terms of bracelet -
stainless steel, or matte black leather with yellow stitching and lining. Secured by a satin finished stainless steel clasp.
The case is stainless steel measuring 40 m in diameter.  The back is a sapphire crystal display.  Water resistant to 100 meters.

And wait - there's more!  Not only is this a certified chronometer, it also utilizes a Tudor manufacture movement!  That would be:
Manufacture Tudor MT5621 
Self-winding mechanical with bidirectional rotor system and COSC certified.  Hours, minutes, seconds, rapid date set and power reserve indicator.  70 hours of power reserve!

If I am honest, I was a wee-bit underwhelmed by last year's Ranger.  But this one, this one I think is a home run!  Well done Tudor!