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singerSpotted June 2023

Singer Ed Sheeran spotted wearing a Tudor

singer Ed Sheeran spotted wearing a Tudor
Who & what: Tudor Black Bay 79220N Steel Black Dial — Ed Sheeran Custom 'Divide' Tour Edition

Tudor's relationship with Ed Sheeran reached a memorable milestone when the brand commissioned a run of custom Black Bay timepieces presented to the singer's road crew at the conclusion of his Divide world tour. Sheeran shared the moment on his Instagram Stories, tagging @tudorwatch and acknowledging the gift publicly — an unusually candid window into the behind-the-scenes generosity that marks serious brand ambassador partnerships. The watches were presented in Tudor's standard black suede-lined clamshell box, identical to retail presentation.

The reference visible in the image aligns closely with the Tudor Black Bay reference 79220N, the steel variant produced on a black leather strap with the brand's characteristic 'snowflake' hour hand — a design element borrowed directly from Tudor's 1969 diving watches. The black aluminum unidirectional bezel insert carries the familiar 60-minute graduated scale with a luminous pip at 12 o'clock. Case diameter sits at 41mm, housing Tudor's in-house MT5601 movement — a COSC-certified manufacture calibre with a 70-hour power reserve and a silicon hairspring, offering genuine technical credibility at a sub-Rolex price point.

The Black Bay 79220N occupies a singular space in the modern dive watch market. It delivers proven tool-watch DNA, a manufacture movement, and heritage aesthetics at a price that remains accessible relative to its Rolex stablemate, the Submariner. Collectors regard the Black Bay as one of the strongest value propositions in Swiss watchmaking, and the addition of custom tour engravings transforms any individual example into a legitimate collectible with documented provenance.

Sheeran has been a Tudor brand ambassador since the mid-2010s, appearing in campaign imagery and consistently wearing Black Bay references both on and off stage. His association has helped position Tudor firmly within music and entertainment culture without diluting the brand's sporting and military heritage. The Divide tour ran from 2017 to 2019, grossing over $776 million — context that makes the end-of-tour gifting gesture proportionally fitting.

On the grey market, standard Tudor Black Bay 79220N examples trade at or modestly above retail. A confirmed custom Divide tour edition, with provenance documentation, would command a meaningful premium among crossover collectors interested in both horology and music memorabilia — a niche but active segment of the secondary market.

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