TUDOR, the prestigious Swiss-made watch brand, is the official timekeeper and timepiece of the Rugby World Cup 2019 that will be held in Japan for the very first time on 20 September to 2 November.

The 9th edition of Rugby World Cup (RWC), the world’s largest sporting event that is held only every four years, will take place in Asia for the very first time with TUDOR as the official timekeeper. The sport has seen rapid growth in Japan since the unexpected success of its national team at the last RWC in 2015.

A sport for the bold — requiring speed, power, and an excellent team spirit — rugby is considered as the ultimate sport with 30 strapping players on the field striving to score a try against their opponents. Despite this, the sport stays true to its values and authentic tradition of teamwork, camaraderie, and the outstanding respect for the opponent or the referee. It has lost none of its authenticity although it has become professionalised over the past 20 years.

These noble values and the sport’s robust image reflect the uncompromising watchmaking philosophy that has defined TUDOR since 1926. Over the course of history, TUDOR watches became the choice of different daring individuals worldwide on land, ice, in the air, and even underwater as it offers high quality tool watches and sport watches with unique sophisticated style.

In 2017, the Swiss watch brand joined forces with World Rugby as part of its #BornToDare campaign. It supports the annual U20 World Cups, an international platform to the sport’s future stars and has also partnered with the World Rugby Awards, which recognise the season’s best teams, players, and officials every year. TUDOR also backs the Rugby Hall of Fame, an institution established in the town of Rugby, in the UK, where the sport was born in the 1820s, featuring those who have contributed towards the sport’s reputation.

This year, the competing teams include New Zealand’s All Blacks, three-time World Champions (1987, 2011, 2015) and also TUDOR’s ambassadors. They remain as one of the most successful teams of all time in any sport with a win rate of over 75%, along with their collective strength and their bold free-flowing style, which make them strong contenders for this year’s Rugby World Cup.

To celebrate its partnership with All Blacks and to mark the RWC 2019, TUDOR presents the Black Bay Chrono Dark model, a new black version that matches the team’s famous jersey. The limited edition model is made to pay tribute to every player who has been selected for New Zealand’s national rugby team from its creation in 1884 to the RWC 2019. As of writing, there will be 1181 timepieces. The number will be adjusted o to the final composition of the World Cup team. The series will grow over the coming years as new players join the ranks of the All Blacks.

As the official timekeeper and timepiece of this year’s Rugby World Cup, the referees will be able to count on the robustness and precision of TUDOR chronographs to keep time during the matches. All 23 of the RWC 2019 match officials can trust the new Black Bay Chrono Dark model that boasts a high-performance chronograph powered by the Manufacture Calibre MT5813, with a column wheel, silicon balance spring and a 70-hour power reserve. It is fitted exceptionally with a characteristic satin-brushed steel bracelet for a matt effect, finished with a black PVD-treated coating.

As we can see upfront, this new model features a characteristic satin-brushed steel bracelet for a matt effect and finished with a black PVD-treated coating. Derived from the thin-film technology originally developed by NASA for its various space programs, PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) enables practically any inorganic material to be bonded with metals.

Inside, deep within the case is the beating heart of the Black Bay Chrono Dark: the Manufacture chronograph Calibre MT5813. This high-performance movement—derived from the Manufacture chronograph Calibre Breitling 01 as the result of a lasting collaboration between the two brands—comes with a 70-hour power reserve, a silicon balance spring and a certification by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute.

To make it more special, this new watch comes in a limited edition with the same number of timepieces as All Blacks players since the team’s creation in 1884 to the RWC 2019—1181 timepieces at the time of writing—with the presence of a unique engraving on the case-back indicating the serial number of each watch.

The number of the watch will be adjusted according to the final composition of the World Cup team, and the series will grow over the coming years as new players join the ranks of the All Blacks.

The number of the watch will be adjusted according to the final composition of the World Cup team and the series will grow over the coming years as new players join the ranks of the All Blacks.

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