Quick Guide to the Tudor North Flag (and Northflag GMT)
In 2015, just two years after re-entering the US market, Tudor released its first watch with a power reserve indicator, their first in-house movement, and their first exhibition caseback. All those firsts came on one watch: the Tudor North Flag, a 40mm stainless steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet (or leather strap) and a matte black dial. Despite being a good-looking watch, it was discontinued after six years to little protest. Tudor brought back the Northflag for 2026, however, this time with a GMT function and no space in the name. Here’s our quick guide to the Tudor North Flag and Northflag GMT.
The Original Tudor North Flag
The large arrow hour hand, blocky 12 and 6 hour markers, integrated H-link bracelet and slanted rehaut of the Tudor North Flag ref. 91210N are all apparent nods to the Tudor Ranger II of the 1970s. The angular case, though, more closely resembles that of the Rolex ref. 1530 Oyster Perpetual Date, but in a more modern 40mm size.
The North Flag was only offered in 316L stainless steel, with a black dial and a date window at 3 o’clock. The only choice: bracelet, or leather strap with folding clasp. It got surprisingly little hype given how unique it was in the Tudor lineup, and also given its then-novel in-house chronometer-certified MT5621 movement offering 70 hours of power reserve.
It’s a well-built, accurate and reliable movement but, admittedly, not exorbitantly finished:
One unique aspect of the original Tudor North Flag is its two-part bezel. The top of the bezel is stainless steel, but underneath that is a matte black ceramic ring. That ring of flat black is pretty cool to see from the side.
The Tudor North Flag seemed to get overshadowed by the two then-emerging staples of Tudor’s lineup, the Black Bay and the Pelagos, which are both dive watches. But because it largely flew under the radar, the OG North Flag represents a great secondhand value among integrated-bracelet luxury sports watches, and it’s arguably one of the more interesting luxury watches under $5,000. Decent examples on leather straps can even be found for around $3,500.
Northflag GMT
The last (and possibly most unexpected) of Tudor’s 2026 releases was the Northflag GMT. Like the original North Flag, it is exclusively offered in a 40mm stainless steel case with a black dial. There’s no leather strap option for the Northflag GMT, though. Its integrated H-link bracelet has more taper than the first North Flag, and its case also has a bit more swoopiness to it. It no longer has straight horizontal lines:
Inside is the same Master Chronometer-certified movement that the Pelagos FXD GMT has. It’s thinner than previous-generation Tudor movements, which helps bring the case thickness down to 12.7mm (from 13.4mm on the first North Flag).
While it’s no A. Lange & Söhne, Tudor’s caliber MT5652-U is certainly a visual upgrade over the MT5621. It’s a “true/flyer” GMT movement, meaning the hour hand is independently adjustable while the 24-hour-hand remains at reference time (as opposed to an “office/caller GMT” which is the opposite). A 24-hour scale is written on the rehaut, so the minute/seconds track has been pushed in onto the dial.
“Its monobloc rotor is made of tungsten. It is openworked and features the laser radial grooving and sand-blasted details distinctive to TUDOR Master Chronometer calibers. A combination of finishings can be found on the bridges as well.”
Tudor on caliber MT5652-U
There’s no power reserve indicator to be found on the Tudor Northflag GMT. It keeps the same distinctive typeface for its 12 and 6 hour markers, but they’re not as raised as the tall/blocky applied markers on the first version. And there’s no more matte ceramic bezel ring; it’s just a regular steel bezel. On the plus side, though, the bracelet does gain Tudor’s popular T-Fit tool-free micro-adjust clasp.
Tudor North Flag and Northflag GMT Specs
| Model name | Tudor North Flag | Tudor Northflag GMT |
|---|---|---|
| Years Produced | 2015-2021 | 2026+ |
| Reference number(s) | M91210N-0001 (bracelet) M91210N-0002 (leather strap) | M9140G1A0U-0001 |
| Case material | Stainless steel; steel bezel with a matte-black ceramic middle section | Stainless steel; fixed steel bezel |
| Case width | 40 mm | 40 mm |
| Case thickness | 13.4 mm | 12.7 mm |
| Lug-to-lug | 50 mm | 48.8 mm |
| Movement caliber | MT5621, automatic, 8 beats per second, COSC-certified | MT5652-U, automatic, 8 beats per second, Master Chronometer certified |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date, power-reserve indicator | Hours, minutes, seconds, date, GMT with independently adjustable local-hour hand |
| Power reserve | 70 hours | 65 hours |
| Water resistance | 100 m | 100 m |
| Bracelet / strap | Integrated steel bracelet or black leather strap with yellow stitching and folding clasp | Integrated steel bracelet with T-fit adjustable clasp |
| Price | ~$3,500-$4,000 (2026 market value) | $5,525 (2026 MSRP) |
Price and Availability
The Tudor Northflag GMT lists for $5,525 and (for now) is selling around $6,000 secondhand, although hot Tudors almost always come down to list price within a year of release. It probably won’t be available as a walk-in purchase at an authorized Tudor dealer for a while, but I don’t expect it to be anywhere near as difficult to get as the Black Bay Chrono Flamingo, for instance.
The final MSRP of the original Tudor North Flag was $3,725 on a leather strap and $3,850 on a bracelet when it was discontinued in 2021, and that’s roughly what they sell for pre-owned today.
The Northflag GMT looks well-positioned to be a good seller for Tudor. I would’ve loved to see a quick-release bracelet function–and perhaps a complimentary rubber strap to swap on–but regardless, the case shape and overall aesthetic are well-executed. And I always appreciate it when Tudor releases a new watch without Snowflake hands!
Leave a Reply