The New Tudor Royal 28mm: Blue Dial, Diamonds, and a Touch of Flash

Tudor’s Royal line has always been a bit of an oddball in the brand’s catalog. It isn’t the Black Bay with its tool-watch heritage, and it isn’t the Pelagos with its titanium diver credentials. The Royal sits somewhere else entirely - in that space Tudor calls “sport-chic.” Now, the brand is leaning into the “chic” side with two new 28mm versions, both featuring blue dials dressed up with diamonds.

The timing of the release isn’t random. Tudor paired the launch with its ambassador, Chinese actor Cheng Yi, which makes sense if the goal is visibility in Asia, where jewelry-forward watches tend to resonate strongly. This release is mainly bout Tudor showing that even the Royal can be the hot thing.

Source: Hodinkee

What’s New

The main story here is the dial. Tudor has taken its familiar Royal aesthetic and added diamond-set Roman numeral markers, plus a bezel sprinkled with even more diamonds. Paired with a lacquered blue dial, it’s a combination that feels instantly more classy than most of the brand’s offerings.

The watch comes in two versions: one entirely in stainless steel, and the other in a mix of stainless steel and yellow gold. Both are compact at 28mm, which puts them firmly in the unisex-but-leaning-feminine category, especially when you factor in the gem setting.

On the wrist (or rather, in theory - since most of us won’t have this one in hand immediately), the five-link integrated bracelet ties the whole design together. Tudor’s Royals have always had this bracelet, and while integrated bracelets can be polarizing, there’s no denying that it gives the watch a sense of cohesion.

Under the Hood

The movement here isn’t in-house, and Tudor isn’t pretending otherwise. Inside you’ll find the T201, which is essentially a modified ETA 2671. It’s 25-jewel, runs at 4Hz, and delivers around 38 hours of power reserve. On paper, that’s… fine. Not extraordinary, not terrible, just solid and reliable.

And maybe that’s the point. With a watch that’s this much about the look - blue, gold, diamonds - nobody’s expecting a groundbreaking caliber. What matters is that it works, and that servicing won’t be a nightmare.

Source: Hodinkee

Price & Positioning

Here’s where things get interesting. The stainless steel version is priced at about €3,900, while the steel and yellow gold model comes in at roughly €5,450.

That puts the Royal well below the price of a diamond-set Rolex, but comfortably above a plain-jane Black Bay. Which makes sense, because this isn’t about ruggedness or diving credentials - it’s Tudor leaning into a more elegant, jewelry-like watch.

Is it worth it? That depends on who you are. For someone who wants an entry into Swiss luxury watches that has a bit of sparkle, it’s compelling. For someone looking purely at movements and horological prestige, probably not.

The Design Quirk

One detail that continues to divide opinion on the Royal is the “half III” at 3 o’clock, cut off by the date window. On the standard dials it already looks a little forced, but when the rest of the numerals are replaced by diamonds, it stands out even more. Some will argue it adds character, others will say it’s a design compromise that cheapens the aesthetic. Personally, I lean toward the latter - if you’re going to go all-in on diamonds, the chopped numeral feels unnecessary.

Source: Hodinkee

Big Picture

The Royal doesn’t get much love compared to Tudor’s more “serious” models, but maybe that’s why it exists. It’s not trying to be a Submariner alternative. It’s not trying to make collectors nostalgic. It’s a flashy, accessible watch for people who like the idea of a luxury Swiss brand name on the dial and a bracelet that shines under city lights.

And in that sense, these new 28mm versions do their job well. They look pricey, they feel distinctly Tudor, and they expand the line without reinventing it.

Source: Hodinkee

Final Thoughts

For hardcore watch enthusiasts, the Royal will never be a grail. It doesn’t have the tool-watch romance or the in-house movement bragging rights. But that’s not what it’s for. It’s for someone who wants a Swiss-made watch with just enough sparkle to feel special - without spending €10,000+ on a Rolex Datejust with diamonds.

And that’s the charm of it. Whether you see it as “sport-chic” or simply “chic,” the new Royal shows Tudor knows how to flex in a different lane.