The Black Bay, the real deal or not?

[T.S.Eliot]

I got a call from the AD to see the new Tudor Black Bay. I went and tried the watch (with bracelet) not the nice rustic looking leather strap (he said it will follow shortly) and it truly is a nice watch.

I never owned or tried a Tudor before which made think why. The Black Bay has almost everything a watch aficionado would want in a homage watch. It has all the retro features (mat dial – elevated crystal – unpolished case – red bezel insert). More than that, the price tag is another element to add!

There were 2 cons IMHO, it has no date and the case is on the thick side (thicker than my liking).

The questions are:
Would there be any reason not to have this wonderful watch?

Why is Rolex not heading in that direction (at least minimally)?

No wrist shots for this one I’m afraid.

[caryyee]

For the price, about 3.5k, it's great value for money. To get into an equivalent Rolex (maybe a Sub no date?), then you'd be spending twice as much.

For $3.5k, what other great choices do you have? A TAG? And Omega Aqua Terra (although I think they maybe more expensive that the Black Bay), and Oris? Longines? And maybe a few others? A pre-owned Moonwatch (that would be my own personal pick in that price range).

[wokafu]

black bay = greatness..

[Al1988]

I've owned the Black Bay for a few weeks now and trust me when I say you will love it. I have not worn another watch since and once you put it onto the nato, it becomes even more beautiful.

I say go for it

[Ristretto]

Go for it.

[mjclark32]

I think it looks awesome.

[HL65]

Very cool watch--go for it!

[T.S.Eliot]

Originally Posted by Al1988

I've owned the Black Bay for a few weeks now and trust me when I say you will love it. I have not worn another watch since and once you put it onto the nato, it becomes even more beautiful.

I say go for it

Truly a nice watch and nice shot

[T.S.Eliot]

Originally Posted by alroumi

Go for it.

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

Very cool watch--go for it!

The enabling squad is here!

[Cru Jones]

Originally Posted by tseliot

Would there be any reason not to have this wonderful watch?

yes, if picking it up meant you couldn't also get the pelagos. if you can get both, then, proceed at once with the BB.

[HORNBLOWER]

I think it will be a future classic.

[snowpea]

Great watch for the price, can't see no reason to denied your collection.

[FLHP]

Really nice, totally agree with the others.

[Frogman4me]

Can't think of one reason not to buy it! Tudor is simply on fire with their new releases.

[Dickson Lim]

Originally Posted by Frogman4me

Can't think of one reason not to buy it! Tudor is simply on fire with their new releases.

Definitely. They had did some great thing on the past 3 years.

[TSW]

Love it!

[kymwatchlog]

but with a ETA2824, there are some reservations imo.

[gwalker]

I really like the Pelagos but am on the fence about the BB. I am just not sure about the bezel and the fact there is no date. I totally understand why so many are huge fans. Im not a huge vintage fan so maybe that's part of it.

[beaglehusky]

You won't regret it. These pics don't do it justice, it is a great looking piece.

[dddrees]

I think it's a great looking watch.

Go For It.

[T.S.Eliot]

I like it more on the vintage looking leather strap but I guess they are not yet available in ADs. I wonder why

All your thoughts and suggestions appreciated

[Al1988]

Originally Posted by tseliot

I like it more on the vintage looking leather strap but I guess they are not yet available in ADs. I wonder why

All your thoughts and suggestions appreciated

So that people get impatient and buy the more expensive steel bracelet version?

[kxux]

Originally Posted by tseliot

I like it more on the vintage looking leather strap but I guess they are not yet available in ADs. I wonder why

All your thoughts and suggestions appreciated

They may be still aging the straps. Perhaps they will come in 30-40 years... ;).

The watch is very nice. Definitely on my short list for next acquisition.

[p_mcgee]

Originally Posted by caryyee

For $3.5k, what other great choices do you have?

Preowned IWC Pilot chrono or new Mark XVI

[russellnyc]

I like it too, but for the money you can get close to a tudor snowflake, which is significantly more authentic. On the fence though, I like the Tudor heritage pieces a lot.

[JP Chestnut]

Originally Posted by caryyee

For the price, about 3.5k, it's great value for money. To get into an equivalent Rolex (maybe a Sub no date?), then you'd be spending twice as much.

For $3.5k, what other great choices do you have? A TAG? And Omega Aqua Terra (although I think they maybe more expensive that the Black Bay), and Oris? Longines? And maybe a few others? A pre-owned Moonwatch (that would be my own personal pick in that price range).

A current version IWC Aquatimer can be purchased second hand at that price (maybe new if you get a great deal) and would include the very nice (quick change) bracelet and rubber strap. They both use ETA movements and are high quality watches. The IWC is much more "bling" for lack of a better word, but they're fairly comperable otherwise (I think the IWC has a much larger depth rating at 2000m).

I too would pick the Omega Moonwatch, with the BB a close second, at this price.

[martin_blank]

For the money, the overly homage feel is a negative to me. I do put it in a higher class than the many sub homages out there bc of the brand, over all design and quality but it's still a lot of money for a watch trying to look like something else...IMO

For a new diver at that price I would rather have the iwc in white...

[Psmith]

Originally Posted by martin_blank

For the money, the overly homage feel is a negative to me. I do put it in a higher class than the many sub homages out there bc of the brand, over all design and quality but it's still a lot of money for a watch trying to look like something else...IMO

Having seen the watch for real, have to say I agree. Imho it is rather contrived (especially the gilt elements). No offence to those who love/own it

I think the 'problem' Tudor have is trying to fit in around the Rolex model range (bearing in mind they are sold under the same roof). The Heritage line is a good idea because Rolex themselves do not do homage/historic models (just the odd cue, such as the Exp II's orange hand). The Pelagos is a much stronger, more original design, although somewhat derivative of the DSSD

Generally speaking, I find that homage/heritage/historic models never ring true for me. There's nothing wrong with tributes to the past, but I would prefer to see progressive design rather than the modern reconstruction of a classic

[gregvisser]

Let me start by saying I have recently been lucky enough to score one of these on the vintage leather.

I don't like to think of these as homage or heritage as such. More like 'neo retro'. It uses modern materials, but a mixture of old school design elements without ever really wanting to recreate a watch that was. If your starting point is that it is a recreation, ou will be disappointed because it doesn't get all the elements historically 'correct'.

I don't kwow if I want to keep this yet - purely because I have other great watches to wear. But I can feel it is one of those that you'd sell and regret.

Greg

[motoikkyu]

For the most part, I agree with Psmith that most homage/heritage/historic models don't ring true. Having said that, I'm wearing my Monaco re-issue, because I only take my originals out for dress wear. The actual vintage models simply became too valuable to bang around in my daily life. By the same token, I'd have already bought a Movado asymmetric from their heritage collection, except it's $1100 for a quartz watch: looks fantastic on me and I could not picture myself wearing an original for a pub-crawl likely to end in fisticuffs and/or an arrest. The BB doesn't look like a snowflake, it just reminds one a little of a snowflake.