Case #617 — Tudor Black Bay GMT "Pepsi" Ref. 79830RB

 Case #617 — Tudor Black Bay GMT "Pepsi" Ref. 79830RB

Status: Available
Condition: Excellent Pre-Owned
Scope: Box, Papers, and Cards

🔎 Case Notes

The Black Bay GMT takes Tudor’s unmistakable vintage-inspired design language and adds one of the most useful complications in everyday watchmaking: a true traveler’s GMT.

Its matte burgundy-and-blue 24-hour bezel gives the watch the familiar “Pepsi” identity, while the black domed dial, snowflake hands, riveted steel bracelet, and substantial 41 mm case keep the execution unmistakably Tudor.

Dating from 2022, this example presents in excellent pre-owned condition and includes its box, papers, and cards.

The bracelet is currently sized to accommodate approximately a 7½–7¾-inch wrist.

🕰️ The Evidence

• Reference: M79830RB
• Model: Black Bay GMT
• Year: 2022
• Case: Stainless Steel
• Case Diameter: 41 mm
• Case Thickness: 14.6 mm
• Lug Width: 22 mm
• Dial: Black, Domed
• Crystal: Domed Sapphire
• Bezel: Bidirectional 24-Hour Bezel with Matte Burgundy and Blue Anodized Aluminum Insert
• Crown: Screw-Down
• Movement: Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5652
• Movement Type: Automatic GMT
• Certification: COSC Chronometer
• Power Reserve: Approximately 70 Hours
• Functions: Hours, Minutes, Central Seconds, Date, GMT / Second Time Zone
• Water Resistance: 200 meters / 660 feet
• Bracelet: Riveted Stainless Steel
• Bracelet Fit: Approximately 7½–7¾-inch wrist
• Condition: Excellent Pre-Owned
• Included: Box, Papers, and Cards

🌟 Collector Provenance

Introduced in 2018, the Black Bay GMT brought a true travel complication into Tudor’s rapidly expanding Black Bay family.

The Calibre MT5652 was developed around the GMT function rather than adding it as a module. Its independently adjustable local hour hand allows the wearer to move between time zones without disturbing the minutes or reference time—a detail that separates a genuine traveler’s GMT from simpler dual-time watches.

The burgundy-and-blue bezel naturally recalls one of the most familiar color combinations in sports-watch history, but Tudor’s snowflake hands, matte aluminum bezel, riveted bracelet, and heavier Black Bay proportions give the watch an identity of its own.

🌟 Design Provenance

There is a reason the black-dial Black Bay GMT has become one of the most recognizable watches in Tudor’s modern catalog.

The muted bezel colors feel deliberately less glossy and contemporary than ceramic alternatives, while the domed dial and sapphire crystal give the watch the visual cues of an earlier generation of professional sports watches.

On the riveted steel bracelet, those proportions feel especially appropriate. It is substantial, purposeful, and very much a Tudor.

🧾 From the Case File

The Black Bay GMT works because it is genuinely useful.

The independently adjustable local hour hand makes travel simple. The 70-hour power reserve allows it to come off the wrist for a weekend without immediately requiring a reset. And 200-meter water resistance gives it considerably more everyday durability than most conventional travel watches.

This 2022 example adds the pieces collectors want to see in the secondary market: excellent condition, BPC, the classic black-dial Pepsi configuration, and enough bracelet to accommodate up to approximately a 7¾-inch wrist.

🗝️ BST Verdict

A proper GMT wrapped in one of Tudor’s most recognizable modern designs.

The black dial and burgundy-and-blue bezel remain the classic Black Bay GMT combination, while the steel bracelet gives the watch its strongest all-around configuration.

Excellent condition and complete presentation make Case 617 a particularly clean example of a reference that has already become a staple of the modern Tudor catalog.

👉 Every case deserves a closer look.