When Tudor arrived at Baselworld in 2015 with the MT5621 — fitted in the North Flag, the first watch to carry a Tudor manufacture movement — it signalled a turning point. The Rolex sibling had long relied on ETA movements, solid and proven, but increasingly at odds with a brand repositioning itself at the serious end of the sport-watch market. Within months Tudor had extended its in-house platform to the Pelagos and the Black Bay. Over the decade that followed, the calibre family grew to cover three-hand, GMT, and chronograph complications, with a METAS-certified generation now entering the full Black Bay lineup.
This guide covers every Tudor manufacture calibre — MT5612, MT5602, MT5652, MT5813 and the METAS-certified “-U” generation — with verified specifications, the watches that use them, and what each certification standard means for buyers in practice.
The ETA Years — and Why They Had to End
For most of its modern history, Tudor was an ETA house. The movements were reliable — Tudor assembled finished watches to its own tolerances — but ETA’s parent Swatch Group began restricting external supply after 2003, pushing Swiss watchmakers either toward Sellita or toward investing in proprietary production. Tudor chose the second path.
The in-house programme crystallised around a team assembled in Le Locle. By the time Tudor formalised that operation as Kenissi S.A. in 2016, the foundation calibres had already debuted publicly. Switching to manufacture movements also let Tudor set a stricter internal timing standard — −2/+4 seconds per day on the fully assembled, cased watch — tighter than the COSC chronometer threshold of −4/+6 seconds, which is measured on the uncased movement.
Inside Kenissi: Tudor’s Movement Manufacture
Kenissi S.A. was established in 2016 in Le Locle, next to Tudor’s Swiss manufacture. The name derives from the Greek kinesis, meaning movement. Tudor controls the facility; Chanel holds a 20% stake, taken as part of a 2018 alliance that led Kenissi to supply movements to the updated Chanel J12 (Calibre 12.1). By 2026, Kenissi’s client list also includes Breitling, Norqain, Bell & Ross, Fortis and TAG Heuer.
The Le Locle site was built from 2018 to 2021. Movement assembly runs on two parallel production lines where watchmakers work by station — each handling a specific sub-assembly — with robots transporting batches between departments. Testing for precision, waterproofness, anti-magnetism and power reserve is performed on-site. COSC testing goes off-site; a dedicated METAS department on the Kenissi floor handles Master Chronometer certification, staffed by METAS officials. For the broader history of the Tudor brand, see our Tudor history in 10 references.
MT5612 and MT5602: The Foundation Calibres
The MT5612 is Tudor’s core three-hand with date calibre. Beating at 28,800 vph (4 Hz), it offers approximately 70 hours of power reserve, 26 jewels, and measures 31.8 mm in diameter by 6.5 mm thick. The oscillator uses a variable-inertia balance with screw micro-adjustment and a non-magnetic silicon balance spring — a material that eliminates lubrication requirements and maintains rate stability across temperature changes more reliably than traditional steel. A traversing bridge spans the full rotor width, stiffening the movement against shock.
COSC certification is standard on the MT5612. Tudor adds its own assembly-stage check that pushes accuracy to −2/+4 seconds per day on the finished, cased watch — a figure Tudor prints in its specification sheets as distinct from the COSC baseline. The MT5612 is found in the Tudor Pelagos and the Black Bay P01.
The MT5602 is a close sibling: same dimensions (31.8 mm × 6.5 mm), same 28,800 vph frequency, one fewer jewel (25) and no date complication. It powers the standard Black Bay and Black Bay Dark models where a clean, uncluttered dial is the design priority. Both calibres carry COSC certification. For buying advice on watches that use these movements, see our Black Bay 41 buying guide.
MT5652: The GMT Complication
The MT5652 extends the platform into GMT territory, adding an integrated jumping GMT hand and a retrograde date — a mechanically unusual combination. Unlike a standard date that advances continuously, the retrograde date snaps instantly across the display; the GMT hand advances in one-hour increments, allowing independent time-zone tracking without touching the main hour hand.
Specifications: 28,800 vph, approximately 70 hours power reserve, 28 jewels, 31.8 mm × 7.52 mm (the thicker profile accommodates the GMT and date mechanism). COSC certified, with Tudor’s internal −2/+4 sec/day fully-assembled standard. The movement powers the Black Bay GMT ref. M79830RB, a 41 mm steel case rated to 200 m water resistance. Swiss retail pricing for the Black Bay GMT in steel on bracelet stood at CHF 4,100 in 2025.
The jumping GMT hand is worth highlighting for practical reasons: it allows correction in full-hour steps without unwinding the mainspring, which simplifies adjustment when crossing time zones. For current availability and pricing, see our Tudor GMT buying guide.
MT5813: The In-House Chronograph
The MT5813 is Tudor’s most complex manufacture calibre. It carries 41 jewels, beats at 28,800 vph, delivers approximately 70 hours of power reserve, and measures 30.4 mm in diameter by 7.23 mm thick — slightly smaller in diameter than the three-hand family to suit the chronograph architecture.
The movement shares its mechanical basis with the Breitling B01, both produced at Kenissi under a cross-supply arrangement: Kenissi provides three-hand and GMT calibres to Breitling; Breitling contributes the column-wheel chronograph architecture to Tudor. The column wheel governs start/stop/reset switching with consistent, tactile resistance. A vertical clutch engages the seconds train without a jump at the moment of start — meaning the central seconds hand sweeps cleanly from zero rather than lurching when the pusher is first pressed, a refinement that matters for precision timing.
COSC certification applies, with Tudor’s internal −2/+4 sec/day fully-assembled standard — stricter than COSC’s −4/+6. The MT5813 powers the Black Bay Chrono family. The ref. M79360B in steel carries a 2025 Swiss retail price of CHF 5,450.
MT5400 and the COSC Bridge Generation
The MT5400 represents Tudor’s manufacture movement expansion into the compact Black Bay 54 (a 37 mm case inspired by the original 1954 reference). It carries the standard 28,800 vph frequency and approximately 70 hours of power reserve, shares the silicon balance spring of the MT5612 family, and meets Tudor’s internal −2/+4 sec/day assembly standard.
The MT5400’s significance is partly architectural: it established the compact movement platform that was subsequently updated to the MT5400-U, the METAS Master Chronometer-certified version that powers the current Black Bay 54. For buyers, the distinction matters in practice: MT5400 is COSC-certified; MT5400-U is COSC plus METAS Master Chronometer, with the full anti-magnetic and accuracy requirements that entails.
The METAS Generation: MT5602-U, MT5400-U and Beyond
METAS Master Chronometer certification adds a substantial test regime on top of COSC. A movement must already hold COSC certification and meet Swiss Made criteria before it can enter METAS testing. The protocol then verifies precision in six positions at two temperatures, at both 100% and 33% power reserve levels, and smooth operation in a 15,000-gauss magnetic field — far above the 60-gauss limit that standard COSC requires. The accuracy target is 0/+5 seconds per day on the cased watch; Tudor’s own internal standard of −2/+4 sec/day is tighter still. Power reserve is independently measured and certified. Tudor’s METAS-certified calibres carry a “-U” suffix.
The MT5602-U powers the third-generation Black Bay and runs to 0/+5 s/day. Its specification matches the MT5602 in core dimensions — 25 jewels, 31.8 mm × 6.5 mm, 28,800 vph — but adds a tungsten monobloc openworked rotor and the full METAS anti-magnetic and shock-resistance upgrades. Power reserve is 70 hours, independently certified by METAS.
The MT5400-U powers the Black Bay 58, delivering 65 hours of power reserve with the same tungsten monobloc openworked rotor architecture and METAS certification.
The MT5450-U powers the Black Bay 58 GMT, extending METAS-level magnetic resistance — 15,000 gauss — to the two-time-zone model, with approximately 65 hours of power reserve.
The MT5662-2U powers the Tudor Monarch, with 65 hours of power reserve, full METAS certification, anti-magnetism rated to 15,000 gauss, and an 18ct gold rotor inlay — the first Tudor manufacture calibre with a precious-metal finishing detail. Tudor has stated its intention to extend Master Chronometer certification across its entire collection over time.
Tudor In-House Calibres at a Glance
| Calibre | Type | Vph | Power Reserve | Jewels | Diameter × Thick | Certification | Key Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MT5612 | 3H + date | 28,800 | ~70 h | 26 | 31.8 × 6.5 mm | COSC | Pelagos, BB P01 |
| MT5602 | 3H no date | 28,800 | ~70 h | 25 | 31.8 × 6.5 mm | COSC | Black Bay, BB Dark |
| MT5652 | 3H + GMT + date | 28,800 | ~70 h | 28 | 31.8 × 7.52 mm | COSC | Black Bay GMT |
| MT5813 | Chronograph | 28,800 | ~70 h | 41 | 30.4 × 7.23 mm | COSC | Black Bay Chrono |
| MT5400 | 3H + date | 28,800 | ~70 h | — | — | COSC | Black Bay 54 |
| MT5602-U | 3H no date | 28,800 | 70 h | 25 | 31.8 × 6.5 mm | COSC + METAS | Black Bay (3rd gen) |
| MT5400-U | 3H + date | 28,800 | 65 h | — | — | COSC + METAS | Black Bay 58 |
| MT5450-U | 3H + GMT | 28,800 | ~65 h | — | — | COSC + METAS | Black Bay 58 GMT |
| MT5662-2U | 3H + date | 28,800 | 65 h | — | — | COSC + METAS | Tudor Monarch |
Service and Ownership
Tudor recommends servicing its manufacture-calibre watches approximately every ten years. The silicon hairspring used throughout the calibre family reduces lubrication requirements compared with older movement designs — a primary reason the extended service interval is achievable. All current Tudor watches with manufacture calibres carry a five-year transferable guarantee, requiring no registration and no periodic servicing checks to remain valid.
Tudor service pricing typically falls below equivalent Rolex references, reflecting Tudor’s market positioning. For a full picture of what Tudor ownership costs — including depreciation, resale benchmarks and long-term running costs — see our Tudor cost to own guide.
Tudor’s first in-house manufacture calibre was the MT5621, introduced at Baselworld 2015 in the Tudor North Flag. The MT5612, found in the Pelagos, debuted at the same event in a different model. Both marked Tudor’s departure from ETA-sourced movements, which the brand had used for most of its modern history.
Kenissi S.A. is Tudor’s movement manufacture, established in 2016 in Le Locle, Switzerland, next to Tudor’s main facility. The name derives from the Greek “kinesis” (movement). Tudor controls the company; Chanel holds a 20% stake following a 2018 partnership. Kenissi also supplies movements to Breitling, Norqain, Bell & Ross, Fortis, Chanel and TAG Heuer, making it one of the more commercially active independent manufacture suppliers in Swiss watchmaking.
METAS certification requires a movement to first pass COSC testing, then undergo a further series of tests: precision in six positions at two temperatures, at 100% and 33% power reserve levels, and verified operation in a 15,000-gauss magnetic field. The accuracy target on the cased watch is 0/+5 seconds per day, tighter than COSC’s −4/+6 seconds on an uncased movement. Tudor’s METAS-certified calibres carry a “-U” suffix in their designation.
The MT5652 powers the Tudor Black Bay GMT, most recently available as ref. M79830RB-0010. The calibre features a jumping GMT hand — which advances in one-hour increments independently of the main hour hand — and a retrograde date display. It is COSC-certified, runs at 28,800 vph, and delivers approximately 70 hours of power reserve.
Both share the same fundamental architecture — 25 jewels, 31.8 mm × 6.5 mm, 28,800 vph and a silicon balance spring — but the MT5602-U adds METAS Master Chronometer certification. This upgrades magnetic resistance to 15,000 gauss, sets the accuracy target at 0/+5 s/day on the cased watch, and certifies the 70-hour power reserve independently. The MT5602-U also carries a tungsten monobloc openworked rotor.
Tudor recommends servicing its manufacture-calibre watches approximately every ten years. The silicon hairspring used throughout the calibre family reduces lubrication requirements, extending the recommended service interval compared with older movement designs. All current Tudor watches with manufacture calibres carry a five-year transferable guarantee that requires no registration.
The MT5813 is architecturally related to the Breitling B01 — both are produced at the Kenissi facility in Le Locle. The arrangement is a cross-supply: Kenissi provides three-hand and GMT calibres to Breitling, while Breitling contributes the column-wheel chronograph architecture. Both calibres carry COSC certification and are assembled to the same standard at the shared facility.
The Bottom Line
Tudor’s manufacture calibre programme is one of the more credible in-house stories at the sub-CHF 6,000 price point. The MT5612 family delivers COSC accuracy and silicon-spring reliability in watches that remain serviceable at a sensible cost. The MT5652 and MT5813 extend that logic into genuinely useful complications, both COSC-certified and built to Tudor’s own −2/+4 sec/day assembly standard. The METAS generation adds independently certified anti-magnetic performance and a more demanding accuracy window. What started in Le Locle in 2015 as a single movement in a single watch has become a coherent, well-documented family — and one that continues to expand.
Official specifications and the current collection: Tudor Watch SA and Tudor Press Room.
