Tudor GMT Date wheel issue
In 2018, Tudor released the Heritage Black Bay GMT reference 79830RB. This watch was an important release for the brand as it is the first GMT watch for Tudor, but most importantly, it is inspired by the heritage of its bigger brother Rolex’s GMT watches. And it’s safe to say that Rolex makes what is possibly the most recognized GMT watches in the world.
As you can expect, the Tudor GMT 79830RB became an instant success after its launch. This model was on a waiting list around the world, and getting one could even take a year, maybe more. Just like with Rolex, the demand for this model just seemed to be too high.
But the life of the Tudor GMT 79830RB has not only been a smooth one. Already since the beginning of its production, the heritage Black Bay GMT has been haunted by a date wheel issue.
If you look online, much of what is being shared related to this watch is about the date wheel issue. But what is it really, and what can you do about it? In this article, we will go into detail about the Tudor GMT date wheel issue.
What is the Tudor date wheel issue?
The Tudor date wheel issue is something that seems to affect a number of heritage Black Bay GMT owners. The issue is that sometimes, the date advances earlier than midnight, sometimes the date advances 1.5 days or 0.5 days, which means it is stuck halfway in the date window.
Tudor has other watches featuring a date function, and there have been no reports that the date wheel gets stuck between two dates. As such, the movement, which is exclusive to the Black Bay GMT seems to be what is causing it.
The movement used in the Heritage Black Bay GMT is the MT5652. MT stands for Manufacture Tudor and tells us that it is an in-house movement. When Tudor launched the GMT, they launched a brand new movement, developed specifically for the watch.
This also means that the movement is not tried and true. Although, of course, the movement has undergone countless tests during its development stages. And speaking about the development stages, the deliveries of the Tudor GMT were actually postponed and delayed by Tudor, which is rumored to have been caused by the date wheel issue. This is even before the watch was available to the general public.
Tudor is just like Rolex, privately owned. Furthermore, it is just as secretive as its bigger brother in communicating information to the public. Of course, Tudor has not commented on or recognized the date wheel issue publicly. Even though, it seems that it is a somewhat widespread issue. But again, we want to emphasize that we have no idea how many people experience a date wheel issue on their GMT.
Then, of course, you can always debate how big of an issue it really is, but that is a topic for a different time. The majority of Tudor GMT owners likely do not complain about the date wheel issue if it appears. Others, however, take it to social media, and the reason the topic of the Tudor date wheel issue has gotten so much traction in recent times is that it’s not just one or two people reporting about it.
The delayed release of the Tudor GMT
The Tudor Heritage Black Bay GMT was released at Baselworld in 2018. But the watch didn’t seem to reach authorized Tudor retailers until late summer/autumn of 2019. Whilst there is some time between Basel and the actual release, the GMT had documented delays according to dealers. This is said to have been caused by the date wheel issue that Tudor identified and then tried to resolve.
Furthermore, authorized Tudor retailers have reported that at the beginning of its production, Tudor temporarily halted production as a result of the date wheel issue. This further caused delays in the deliveries of the Black Bay GMT. This is partly the reason for the waiting list for this model, as the production of the model hasn’t been up to full speed. But now, in recent times, almost one year after the release of the model, it seems that Tudor has finally caught up with production and more and more people are able to get it.
What is causing the Tudor GMT date wheel issue?
A common question we get is what is causing the date wheel issue.
We have gotten different information and responses, so it is difficult to say exactly what is causing it, but one issue that is mentioned is related to a teething issue on the movement. Another issue that has been discussed is the oil used in the movement. Another authorized Tudor retailer has said that the issue is related to a specific part of the movement which was faulty and needed to be replaced.
Only Tudor knows in detail what the issue that is causing the date wheel issue is.
But what is safe to say is that developing a new mechanical movement is no easy feat. A mechanical movement consists of hundreds of parts, and so getting it perfect is extremely difficult. It’s not uncommon that watchmakers identify flaws with their movements that they need to fix later on. It’s just that the date wheel issue is so noticeable.
Is the Tudor GMT date issue fixed?
There are mixed answers to this question. According to many authorized Tudor retailers, the date wheel issue is in fact resolved. But if you look at social media, you can see that some people who have bought a GMT recently have experienced the date wheel issue.
And the fact is that only Tudor knows the answer to that question. Most likely, Tudor has identified the issue and done something about it. It may be slightly improved but as cases seem to be appearing still, it seems it is not completely resolved just yet.
What should you do if you have the Tudor date wheel issue?
There are several things you can do if you notice that your Tudor GMT watch has a date wheel issue.
1. Leave it
One thing you can do (and that a lot of people do) is to leave it as it is and hope that it will get better. We all react to things in different ways, and some people will barely raise an eyebrow if they notice the date has jumped a bit too far or a bit short and gotten ”stuck” in the middle
2. Wait and see if it gets better
It all depends on what your attitude is towards this issue. Do you not care that much or are you a person who will take it to social media to complain and let out your frustration? If you are the first, you can simply wait and see if the date wheel issue gets better and only something temporary. You can also wind the date when and if it gets stuck to get it into position again. If it proves not the be temporary, you can think about if it bothers you and if you want to have it fixed.
3. Take it to a service center
The date wheel issue with the Tudor GMT will be covered under its warranty. Since the watch didn’t start hitting the shelves until the late summer of 2018, it means that the vast majority of them will have a 3.5-year warranty due to the extended warranty that Tudor announced in 2020.
Tudor will fix this issue free of charge under the warranty if you complain about it and take it to a service center. In most cases, the watch will have to be sent back to Tudor in Switzerland, in others, it may be fixed at the service center. Bear in mind that it normally takes about 6 weeks to get it back, but can take longer. We have been informed that many GMTs that have the date wheel issue get the movement replaced with a brand new one.
The issue is that we have heard many reports of people who have handed in their Tudor GMT to have the date wheel issue resolved, only to find that it gets the date wheel issue again, shortly thereafter. However, for the majority of people, the issue seems to be resolved when it gets back from the service.
If you have had the date wheel issue, it may be a good idea to have it fixed whilst you still have the warranty left. The date wheel issue is covered under the Tudor warranty, so it will be resolved free of charge.
Conclusion
Should the date wheel issue stop you from getting the GMT? We think not. It seems like some people decide not to get the Tudor GMT because of the reported date wheel issue, but we think you shouldn’t let it stop you if it speaks to you. Bear in mind that the majority of watches seem to have no issues at all. If the issue appears, you can simply wind the date so it gets into position again. If you do indeed get the issue and it bothers you a lot, it will be resolved under warranty.
It’s a stunning watch that offers great value for money, with its well-finished case and dial, its vintage-inspired design, and its in-house caliber. It’s just a great watch.
Let us know in the comment section below! Do you have a Tudor GMT and have you had the date wheel issue? Is this a major dealbreaker for you?
I have just purchased a Tudor GMT after reading a few articles on the date wheel issue. The AD where I purchased the watch told me that they had only received one returned GMT in 2022 and felt that the problem was more isolated. They did feel quite strongly that Tudor should have issued a general recall for all GMTs, this would only have been successful if they had sufficient watches in stock to replace the faulty versions and would have taken months or years to resolve. Whilst GMTs are available, they are not in plentiful supply
Hi Patrick,
Thank you for sharing. Yes, you are absolutely right about that. The availability and Tudor’s production capacity has most certainly played a role in Tudor’s decision not to make a recall.
Congratulations on a beautiful timepiece!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
I was the second person in my country to receive the Tudor GMT since I put a order the day it was announced.
After a few months the issue appeared.
Sent for service and dealer said the movement was replaced.
The issue was back again so I sent it to service again under still warranty.
Tudor service said they could not find any issue with the watch and returned it.
Worked well for 15 days and now it is again faulty. The date jumps 2 days every 24h.
I think Tudor is doing a very bad service to them as a brand as I cannot really on them anymore.
I remember Leica had a serious problem of corrosion on the sensor of the Leica M9 camera. They called in all cameras for sensor replacement to avoid damaging the brand status. That is what to expect when we pay premium for a product. I now own 5 Leicas!
With Tudor I am done.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Yes, it seems like Tudor has not handled this issue in an ideal manner.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
I’m seriously looking at this watch to make a purchase as honestly I’m tired with the Rolex Bling and prefer the tool watch style but don’t want to be stuck with a watch with a movement that possibly by design has an issue that can’t be rectified. Don’t really know what to do as I think that Tudor may be proving themselves that their reputation means nothing as long as they make a profit. The whole situation could have been handled a lot better if the issue is the in house movement then recall but just be honest.
Yes, we would agree it could have been handled better.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
Just had my sent in for the third time via my AD… Now Rolex is arguing, that the watch is out of warranty (bought it before the new 5 year warranty timeframe) and they are not willing to repair it within goodwill. Not happy at all…
Hi,
Sorry to hear about your experience. One may think that with this type of well-known issue, they should resolve it within goodwill but seems like they strictly follow their policies and rules regardless.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
I had mine fixed for free (mouvement replaced) although I had no papers (2nd hand bought) plus they gave me a warranty…. Until June 2025. It is so strange how cases are handled…
I brought in my Tudor GMT to the Rolex Service Center here in Manila, Philippines, and the service advisor told me after 5 days that my watch, which was bought in 2018, was out of warranty since at my time of purchase, the warranty was only for 2 years. They can repair it but at a cost of US$ 352.00.
Hi,
Sorry to hear that you have been experiencing issues. It is true that watches bought in 2018 have a warranty of 2 years.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
I bought my TGMT 2nd hand without papers in 2021. The model serial number was from 2020 and supposedly from the batch with the corrected mouvement. Fast fwd Dec 2022, it started jumping one day. I took it to the Tudor official retailer in my country and I told them about the issue plus that I don’t have papers. Within 4 days I was asked to pick the watch back. They replaced the mouvement for free plus gave me a warranty until June 2025 (the watch was from June 2020) :). Then I was told that Tudor had three mouvements, the 1st gen “almost” certain to fail.. the 2nd with a patch solution that was ok but could still fail ( what I had) and a 3rd gen with the issue fully fixed (the movement I got)
Thank you very much for sharing your experience! That sounds like excellent service form their end.
And it sounds about right with the modifications of the movement from Tudor which they have done to try and resolve this issue.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
That’s interesting to hear concrete details on the movements. It’ll be interesting as time goes on to see if watchmakers are able to pinpoint the issue, and what differentiates the different ‘versions’.
I purchased a new Tudor Black Bay GMT in November of 2022. I hesitated in making the purchase because I was aware of the date wheel issue, but I decided to go ahead hoping that enough time had passed since the watch was released for the issue to be resolved. I did hedge my bet by buying the watch from an AD so that it had the full warranty coverage. I wore it for about 3 months without issue. However, the date wheel began getting stuck intermittently (about every 7-10 days) at the 3-month point. Within a month after that, it was occurring more days than not. After putting it off for a couple of months, I finally sent it in for service last week and am awaiting a response from the service center.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience. Sorry to hear that you also experienced it!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
I got mine secondhand from a highly rated dealer who said he’d seen 50 or so of them and none had issues.
Well, mine turned out to be the 1 out of 50 with the issue. The AD didn’t seem to believe the problem was real (or was just lying to save face) and I had to ultimately go in twice to get it sent out for repair. I ended up having to send it back AGAIN after this service due to debris in the dial, but that’s another story…
The warranty card on mine dates it to Dec. 2018, so it’s definitely an early one. It’s been over a year since it did both rounds of service, and it’s been flawless. I’m curious if the issue ended up being tied to adjustment of the hour hand since I never had issues until I took it on a trip across time zones.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Tudor has not officially communicated the exact reason for the issue but some have stated that it has to do with the lubricant used (which has since been changed), It’s difficult to know whether they knew or not, but if they haven’t actively checked the watches and sold them the minute they come in the door, it’s not unlikely that they haven’t had them for a long enough time to discover it.
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches