Review: Tudor Heritage Black Bay
In the last issue we looked at Tudor's Heritage Advisor, and we weren't too sure about it. In this issue we've got another Heritage piece, the Black Bay, here to make amends, and aside from the somewhat pirate-y name, it's a promising watch that looks set to become something of a favourite. A quick recap: Tudor is a subsidiary of Rolex set up by Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf, to provide an affordable alternative to Rolex. One of the original pieces was the Tudor Submariner, from which this Black Bay takes its inspiration.
In amongst the cacophony of the annual watch fair, Baselworld, it's not often that a watch catches the eye from ten paces, but that's exactly what the Black Bay did. The striking deep red bezel and copper-coloured hands and markers stood out rich and strong, with an olde worlde sepia feel to them appropriate for the title, 'Heritage'.
Out from the hot lights of the Tudor stand and under the gloom of a typically cloudy day, the colours retain that velvety quality, thanks in part to the matte black dial, another little vintage nod. Vintage nods abound, from the coin-edge bezel, the big crown, the rose logo, the snowflake hand, the dial font and layout, the missing crown guards, the snowflake hour hand ... the list goes on. This is to vintage what the Pelagos - the Black Bay's titanium twin - is to modern.
The price is vintage too, a reminiscence of the 90s when the Tudor's big brother, the Rolex Submariner, cost less than ?3,000. Some might argue that it's still a touch pricey for a watch with an ETA 2824 movement, but what it lacks by way of an in-house engine it gains in build quality and detailing. Those faux-vintage details mentioned earlier are executed with aplomb, standing up to high-magnification scrutiny admirably.
But here's were it all falls apart, you may be thinking, here's where Tudor put its foot in its mouth and makes the Black Bay ridiculously big. You'll be pleased to know that the 41mm case is perfectly proportioned; it's a tad larger than the Submariner, and is thick enough to protect that big crown, but it wears comfortably and feels very well judged. To go against the grain and size this watch close to its vintage brethren was a brave decision, and one that will hopefully catch on. Well played, Tudor. Shop Now
Watch Spec | Tudor Heritage Black Bay
Case: Stainless steel Dimensions: 41mm dia Crystal: Synthetic sapphire Water Resistance: 200m Movement: ETA 2824, automatic Frequency: 28,800 vph Power Reserve: 38 hours Strap: Distressed leather Functions: Time, uni-directional timing bezel | Shop Now
