Tudor North Flag 91210N
I purchased the Tudor North Flag (NF) used from a trusted seller in January 2020 and have been wearing it as part of a 5 watch rotation for a little over 6 months. These are my own impressions of the watch in terms of form and function.
Timekeeping
A watch’s primary function is timekeeping. Whenever I purchase a new watch, I check it’s timekeeping by comparing the time against an atomic clock (time.gov) twice a day for a week. I repeat this process annually to monitor for significant deviation and gauge a watch’s health. It is a rudimentary method that serves my purpose well. At the time of purchase, the NF maintained +0.5 sec/day.
Watch case
The NF is constructed with 316L steel. The factory finish for the entirety of the watch case is satin brushed. The steel bezel is outlined by a ceramic ring that supposedly minimizes light reflection when checking time in bright and snowy conditions.
Steel bezel with ceramic ring
The integrated bracelet case design of the NF is reminiscent of Gerald Genta’s popular designs of the 70s such as the Royal Oak and Nautilus. That being said, the more likely inspiration behind the NF is the combined elements of the
Tudor Ranger II and an obscure Rolex design, the
Rolex 1530.
Rolex 1530 & Tudor Ranger II
(From HQMilton)
However, it adopts the classic designs of its progenitors while maintaining modern aesthetics by incorporating highly angular and sharp case lines combined with modern case dimensions;
Diameter - 40mm
Lug to lug length - 50mm
Lug width - N/A
Case thickness - 13.3mm
Warning: Sharp!
The sapphire crystal of the NF is flat and set flush with the steel bezel. It lacks anti reflective coating on either side of the crystal, a trait shared with other watches from both Tudor and Rolex. This makes the watch quite challenging to photograph and requires masterful (time consuming) manipulation of lighting to overcome.
Dial, hands, & hour markers
The NF has a time, date, and power reserve layout set against a matte black dial that upon closer inspection has a grainy texture.
The hour and minute hands, as well as the applied hour markers (both index and Arabic) are outlined in white textured paint and adequately filled with lume. Similarly, the seconds hand is also coated in textured paint, albeit in a bright yellow color.
Hour hand, seconds hand, & applied numeral
The date window is unlined and occupies the 3 o’clock position while the 9 o’clock position is occupied by a power reserve indicator.
Power reserve indicator
The dial is surrounded by a minute track that is primarily indexed in white with intermittent yellow indexes at 5 minute intervals.
The overall combination of pure white timing elements set against a matte black dial with minimal yellow accents results in a strong contrast that allows the wearer to tell time effortlessly in both bright and dim conditions.
Blue lume
Spear hour, pencil minute, yellow seconds hands, & hour markers
The dial is minimally decorated save for the branding below 12 o’clock and COSC designation above 6 o’clock.
Tudor Shield & COSC
Caseback
The Tudor NF features a sapphire crystal display back with a clear view of Tudor’s crowning achievement housed within. It is noted that display backs are rarely utilized by both Rolex and Tudor with the only other watch in the family featuring one being the
Rolex Cellini Prince.
Sapphire display back
Movement
Since it is visible, let’s discuss the beating heart of the NF, the
MT5621 which is the first in house movement produced entirely by Tudor (likely with a lot of help from big brother). An undertaking that spanned 5 years, it features designs and components that are typically synonymous with “higher end” luxury brands including a free sprung balance, the use of a balance bridge vs. balance cock, silicon hairspring, and ball bearing rotor, all within view of the display back. That being said, the movement lacks any kind of embellishment and is spartanly finished using sand blasting which falls in line with the emphasis of function over form that holds true to the movements of the Wilsdorf brands.
Tudor MT 5621
(From Tudor)
Functionally, a fully wound mainspring lasts the full 70 hours as advertised and correlates accurately with the power reserve indicator featured on the dial. The date wheel snaps at midnight give or take a minute. The winding of the rotor is neither audible nor tactile while on the wrist.
Crown
The NF has a smaller sized crown that tapers down distally. The entirety of the crown has a sandblasted finish including the embossed Tudor shield logo on the cap. Pulling the crown out can be challenging especially with wet fingers due to the smaller size but is still manageable. With regard to winding the movement, the tactile sensation is slick and any audible sound is minute.
Crown side view
Bracelet
The bracelet is an integrated H-link design with a brushed satin finish throughout. Despite the sharp lines, the bracelet wears comfortably on my 6.5in wrist, has ample spacing between the articulating links for breathability (and not catch hair). It is also worth mentioning that the NF bracelet includes a
HALF LINK from the factory, something that is lacking in the more popular Black Bay oyster style bracelet. This half link can be included/excluded to allow for better fitting to a variety of wrist sizes.
Bracelet & half link
The clasp that comes with the NF bracelet is similar to the one on the Black Bay oyster style bracelet. It is a clamshell design with a flip lock that keeps it securely shut. It has a 3 position pin adjustment within the clasp for adjustability. I have noted that the length of the clasp on the NF bracelet is slightly shorter than the one on the Black Bay oyster style bracelet.
Clasp
Water resistance
The NF is water resistant to 100m/330ft or 10 bar which is very adequate for a sport watch. I have yet to take this watch scuba diving but have no doubt it would out-survive me in the depths.
Splash!
Final remarks
The NF is a field style sports watch that looks sharp (
) and fits Tudor’s “born to dare” theme without being overtly outlandish. However, no watch is perfect and the NF certainly has its share of flaws. The most obvious being that it lacks versatility and doesn’t fit business attire well (depending on your personality). Although it doesn’t bother me personally, it must be mentioned that the sharp and highly angular case lines while visually appealing will incur dents and dings when the watch is used as intended. Being an integrated bracelet design, the NF will lack variety in terms of strap choice with the only 2 options from the factory being the leather strap and bracelet. Lastly, the power reserve isn’t exactly the most useful complication on an automatic watch and either could have been omitted, or the watch itself be a manual wind only which would have allowed for a thinner case without a rotor. Regardless, I would have placed the power reserve in the back where it would still be viewable via the display back.
In any case the NF is undoubtedly a winner in my book and a watch that I intend to keep indefinitely.
Tudor North Flag
