The pink flamingos smell very unique. The result of a strict shrimp-only diet does it for birds. Blue flamingos, on the other hand, smell like roasted peanuts. Do you know the reason? That’s because they feed only blue M&M, like spoiled rock stars. Now, take a break. So if you can name your watch after a bird that Tudor only lives in catalogs, you can also share crazy thoughts in your head. Still, I was happy to try the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue” and find out if the South Beach vibe on the watch is working in Sheveningen too.
He can be called the Dutch, the equivalent of South Beach, Florida. Certainly, the climate is getting worse. There are no palm trees and the water is not exactly the same colour, but still. Just like South Beach, Sheveningen is a party place, and uh, well, that’s where the similarities end. For example, the average seawater temperature in summer is chilly at 18.2°C. When soaking in the waters of South Beach in winter, the temperature increases by 4°C. Still, will the imaginary blue flamingos fly in this beach town on the North Sea coast?
Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue” and Shebenningen’s South Beach Vibe
Scheveningen is just a 10-minute drive from the Hague Fratero Office. Is it worth a visit in February? Well, if chilling on the beach is what you want, then it’s not. It will be “cold”, but not the way you want it. Bringing the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue” (€5,990/US$5,875) doesn’t change that. However, the chronograph’s dial collar features the Miami Vice Vibe, which has permeated South Beach, reminiscent of speedboats, linen suits and pastel-colored T-shirts. Tudor introduced these vibes with his pink black bay chrono. The new pastel blue watch doesn’t look like it’s paired with the pink colour, but this watch is not linked to the soccer team and is not limited to production. It’s the open season for Blue Flamingo – sorry. “Flamingo Blue.”
Anyway, what kind of blue is “Flamingo Blue”?
If you’re wondering what kind of blue looks like an imaginary flamingo, it’s turquoise. And if you’re wondering whether turquoise is a shade of blue or green, here’s the answer: turquoise is between the blue and green of the color wheel. It is a light blue and green or blue mixture, with a small amount of yellow. When you give a dial in a turquoise-like color to your watch, it will be examined first and likely only by the dial.
Now I’m not saying that the dimensions of the watch (41mm diameter, 14.4mm thickness, 50.1mm lug) are not counted. It offers 70 hours of power reserve, including using a COSC certified 4Hz MT5813, and does not run Tudor in -2/+4 seconds. Still, if you don’t like the colours of the ornate dials, they make little sense.
Can I ask a personal question? thank you. What is your favorite color? Your answer is not open to discussion, but some colors are actually more polarized than others, and Tudor recognizes that. The brand has created special categories of watches with exotic dials, such as the “Flamingo Blue,” known as “Daring Watches.” For now, there are only three watches there. Apart from the “Flamingo Blue” and the aforementioned Black Bay Chrono “Pink”, you can find the Black Bay ceramic “Blue”. Incidentally, that black and blue three-hand watch reminds me of Monty Python’s dead parrot sketch. There, the rare Norwegian blue is “resting” at the bottom of the cage. Anyway, I’m sure there’s plenty of room for more exotic clocks in the closed-off section of the catalogue, but start speculating about future “specimens” and don’t focus on “Flamingo Blue” instead.
The shade of blue
The “Flamingo Blue” turquoise dial didn’t hit me like a pink dial. The pink dial has a soft quality that appears to be missing from turquoise. It’s a little harsh and cold. And my brain had a hard time at least putting the turquoise dial in the right color category. I continued to move between green and blue. It wanted me a different colour. No, two colors – either light blue like the sky on the South Beach, or a color my fellow bike enthusiasts know as Celeste. Celeste is a light, light colour of cyan, which became famous by Italian bicycle builder Bianchi. It’s also the colour I wore by Don Johnson character Sony Crockett on the TV hit show Miami Vice.
I was surprised that he didn’t fall in love with Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue” at first sight. Given its specifications and prices, it leaves little to want. I wear that too. The proportions are good and the bracelet is comfortable. However, as I said before, with a dial like this, the specifications are far second. I also felt that the black bezel insert and the black subdial contrasted too violently with the turquoise dial. However, the brown bezel inserts and subdials of that colour would have worked. Ah, wait, I understand that color combinations are out of the question of Tudor chronographs.
What do you think? Is “Flamingo Blue” your shade of blue, or do you want to have a sparkling pastel yellow, a sweet, pink orange, or a juicy watermelon red along the way? Florida has a lot of inspiration.
View specifications
Model
Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue”
Dial
Turquoise with two black subdials, applied luminous indexes and 6 o’clock date window
Case Material
316L Stainless Steel with Polished Satin Brush Finish, Black Anodized Aluminum Statimeter Bezel Insert with Silver Marking Bezel Insert
Case dimensions
41mm (diameter) x 50.1mm (lug-to-lug) x 14.4mm (thickness)
crystal
Double Dome Sapphire
Case back
Solid stainless steel, Schew-in
Movement
Tudor MT5813: Breitling 01 base, automatic with manual winding and hacking, 28,800VPH frequency, 70 hours of power reserve, 47 gems, pillar wheels, COSC certified chronometer
water resistance
200 meters (20 atm)
strap
Stainless steel 5-row bracelet (22/18mm) with polished satin brush finish, quick adjustment clasp from Tudor T-fit
function
Time (hours, minutes, small seconds), chronograph (45 minutes register and middle seconds), date, tapimeter
price
€5,990/US $5,875