BLACK ON BLACK
AS PART OF ITS BORN TO DARE CAMPAIGN, TUDOR JOINS FORCES WITH THE LEGENDARY ALL BLACKS
famous for being the watch brand of choice for daring individuals across every field imaginable, this year, tudor fully embraced this particular facet of its long legacy with the aptly-named Born to Dare campaign. more than just a catchy slogan, Born to Dare embodies a daring approach to life and—particularly for tudor—to watchmaking as well. This idea is perhaps best explained by the campaign’s official manifesto:
“we are devoted to the classic. But reject the status quo. we keep the best of the past, the best watchmaking practices, the best designs. And push the boundaries of what’s new. Born for a purpose. field-tested to the extreme. for those who are up for anything. for those who face their fears. for those who reinvent themselves every day a tudor is born to dare.”
And now, the brand has added one more name to its long list of ambassadors who are most definitely “field tested to the extreme,” “up for anything” and, of course, daring beyond compare: The new Zealand All Blacks.
On the Field
even for those unfamiliar with rugby, the aforementioned name might ring a bell. The All Blacks are hands down the most successful international rugby team of all time. more than that, they count themselves among the most successful sport teams in the world, with a winning test record of over 77 percent. A “test” match in rugby, by the way, refers to an international match between two national teams. it goes without saying that their performance on the field has been legendary.
The All Blacks are named after their signature team kit: The black jersey adorned with the team’s silver fern emblem which was officially adopted back in 1893. it’s no exaggeration to say that the All Black’s jersey is one of the most well-known pieces of sport apparel in the whole world. That and, of course, their famous haka, a māori challenge dance, that they perform before every match.
today, the All Blacks have taken up a new challenge as brand ambassadors of tudor. The watch brand has also signed up as an official sponsor of the Dhl new Zealand lions series 2017. in this international rugby series, held once every four years, the All Blacks will be facing the combined might of england, ireland, scotland and whales under the banner of the British and irish lions.
The clash, as it turned out, ended in a draw. “But without doubt new Zealand are the best team in the world. They're back-to-back world champions,” said British and irish lions captain sam warburton. “just because we drew it doesn't make us the best. They've earned the right to call themselves that because they've played so well over the last 10 years.” if the leader of your rivals says something like that about you, then you know that you are born to dare.
Another Touch of Black
perhaps it should come as no surprise that tudor has the perfect watch to be worn by these champions. for their part in the Born to Dare campaign, members of the All Blacks can be seen sporting the Black Bay Dark. not only do these vintage-inspired all-black diver’s watches perfectly match the team’s legendary colors, they are famously robust and have been field-tested to withstand extreme conditions.
first and foremost, the Black Bay Dark’s 41mm steel case features a sleek black coating that has been thoroughly treated with PVD. Derived directly from a thin film technology developed for NASA’s space programs, PVD, or physical Vapour Deposition, has become the finish of choice for heavy duty watches like the Black Bay Dark. furthermore, this remarkably designed case houses one of tudor’s in-house movements, the calibre mt5602. Besides boasting excellent precision, this movement is also known for its robustness and has a reliable power reserve of up to 70 hours.
precision, robustness and reliability. if anything, these three qualities perfectly illustrate the mutual strengths shared by the All Blacks, tudor’s Black Bay Dark as well as all of us who feel in our hearts that we are born to dare.
“The New Zealand All Blacks are hands down the most successful international rugby team of all time”