Reply With QuoteLooks great on you.
Lovely collection too, just needs a splash of colour somewhere now :)
Further to my thread quizzing everyone on the choice between a Black Bay Black and a Pelagos Blue, I went for the Black Bay Black as the more classic and versatile of the two, given that it is to be a long time wearer in various situations. I realised that it also replaced my much missed MM300 but even better satisfies my desire for the gold handed MM300 (SBDX012). The BBB does wear a bit bigger for some reason and I do wish it were a couple of mm smaller in diameter and thickness but I think I will get used to that.
Here it is on my wrist, I don't think it's too big for me as the lugs don't overhang. As ever it looks better further away from the wrist. Funnily enough I think in short sleeves a bigger watch looks much better than a 36mm one.
Initial impressions - the watch looks so much better in slightly dim lighting when the hands and gilt track and indices can warmly glow. In direct lighting such as in the jewellers, it serves only to show up smudges and fingerprints on the polished surfaces.
Finishing is nowhere near as high quality as my Grand Seiko and the bracelet is more functional and certainly less comfortable - the clasp is so wide that it covers most of the underside of my wrist although thankfully doesn't protrude. Also the crown does dig a bit into my wrist but not so much. Ultimately for me this is a great way of experiencing the 50s and 60s vintage Rolex aesthetic as I would never spend that kind of money, nor would I wish to have such a rare and potentially delicate tool watch for casual use.
I did also consider the Black Bay 36 as I love the dimensions but ultimately couldn't bring myself to spend that money on an ETA movement, plus it is a very similar look to my other watches (see below for SOTC). I will really kick myself if they come out with a new version with the in-house movement and gilt dial and hands - but I suppose they would need to thicken the case for that.
Here's my collection - casual on the top and smarter equivalents on the bottom.
Top casual row - Casio GW-5000 for gym and gardening, Seiko military quartz 36mm for knocking around the house, Seiko Golgo13 Tuna, PRS-5
Bottom smarter row - Tissot Heritage, Grand Seiko SBGR053, BBB, Zenith El Primero
Looks great on you.
Lovely collection too, just needs a splash of colour somewhere now :)
Thanks Steve - it's a good thought and actually I have a fun blue Vostok with orange highlights on the bezel and hands on an orange Zulu that I wear quite a bit but I've mislaid it somewhere!Originally Posted by SteveR
Plus I have this 60s Sicura that I share with my dad,
Last edited by mindforge; 18th January 2017 at 12:23.
Good choice and a good honest review.
I recently took my BBN (think N is the correct code, for Noir. BBB is the blue) off the bracelet. It's currently on an RAF pattern vintage bond strap and it seems to wear a fair bit smaller on this. I like having the bracelet there as an option but as ever with bracelets I could never quite get the fitment perfect. I tend to wear watches slightly further up the wrist beyond the wrist joint so no issue with the big crown for me.
Noir - like it! Ah fantastic, that was going to be other question I forgot to pose - I haven't been able to find any photos of the BBN on the vintage Bond strap but thought the olive and red would really bring out the dial and details. I'd love to see a photo if you could upload it? Have you tried the included fabric strap? I had a look at it and honestly can't see what the fuss is about.
Where did you buy the vintage Bond strap from?
I know what you mean about bracelets, the only one I have ever got perfect has been the Grand Seiko in the photo below.
Nice mate. I have a smaller wrist too and thought the Black Bay would wear too big but now I love it. It's my favourite watch (for the moment). That will change Definitely, but for now it's a keeper.
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Sound choice - I think the wrist shot is suffering from the usual problem of the size being slightly exaggerated by the phone camera close up.
The Tudor in house movement is very accurate in my experience.
Enjoy you new Tudor
Mark
For those who haven't seen it, this link has some great photos of the 50s Rolexes the Black Bay Black is a tribute to,
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ha...own-submariner
Complete with the stepped riveted bracelet!
It's great that Tudor was able to produce such a faithful tribute. Interesting to see as well that on the original Rolex, the minute and second hands extend right to the edge of the minute track, as does the Black Bay Black - so irritating when watches don't do that! Perhaps on the Tudor the hour hand could be a little smaller, but otherwise such a faithful representation.
love the watch, i have one but with the eta movement in
Black Bay 36 mm - I will have to check that out. I didn't know they made oneFurther to my thread quizzing everyone on the choice between a Black Bay Black and a Pelagos Blue, I went for the Black Bay Black as the more classic and versatile of the two, given that it is to be a long time wearer in various situations. I realised that it also replaced my much missed MM300 but even better satisfies my desire for the gold handed MM300 (SBDX012). The BBB does wear a bit bigger for some reason and I do wish it were a couple of mm smaller in diameter and thickness but I think I will get used to that.
Here it is on my wrist, I don't think it's too big for me as the lugs don't overhang. As ever it looks better further away from the wrist. Funnily enough I think in short sleeves a bigger watch looks much better than a 36mm one.
Initial impressions - the watch looks so much better in slightly dim lighting when the hands and gilt track and indices can warmly glow. In direct lighting such as in the jewellers, it serves only to show up smudges and fingerprints on the polished surfaces.
Finishing is nowhere near as high quality as my Grand Seiko and the bracelet is more functional and certainly less comfortable - the clasp is so wide that it covers most of the underside of my wrist although thankfully doesn't protrude. Also the crown does dig a bit into my wrist but not so much. Ultimately for me this is a great way of experiencing the 50s and 60s vintage Rolex aesthetic as I would never spend that kind of money, nor would I wish to have such a rare and potentially delicate tool watch for casual use.
I did also consider the Black Bay 36 as I love the dimensions but ultimately couldn't bring myself to spend that money on an ETA movement, plus it is a very similar look to my other watches (see below for SOTC). I will really kick myself if they come out with a new version with the in-house movement and gilt dial and hands - but I suppose they would need to thicken the case for that.
Here's my collection - casual on the top and smarter equivalents on the bottom.
Top casual row - Casio GW-5000 for gym and gardening, Seiko military quartz 36mm for knocking around the house, Seiko Golgo13 Tuna, PRS-5
Bottom smarter row - Tissot Heritage, Grand Seiko SBGR053, BBB, Zenith El Primero
That's lovely mate. Personally much prefer the ETA powered versionNice mate. I have a smaller wrist too and thought the Black Bay would wear too big but now I love it. It's my favourite watch (for the moment). That will change Definitely, but for now it's a keeper.
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Great watch, only yesterday i tried some of theses on and it will be my next purchase BUT I'm yet to decide over the Black or the Burgundy and whether to go with the new in house movement or not.
So I have been wearing the Black Bay a few days now. I've got used to the size and the weight again of wearing such a heavy diver on a bracelet after the MM300. I love how at a certain angle, the light catches the brassy hands and the thick domed sapphire hints back to the vintage plexiglass, along with the matte black bezel. It does everything for me that the burgundy one never did. See the way the bevel catches the light too!
I have to say that it's completely fair enough saying you prefer the ETA version as self-justification because that's the one you invested in, but I really prefer all the improvements to the in-house version - I could never have spent this amount of money on an ETA movement with the 38 hour power reserve, which is something I do notice as I like to change watches and not have to keep winding and resetting them. Also perhaps controversially I prefer the straight line text to the smiley circle - it looks more serious and relates to original big crown vintage watches. Also I really like the vintage style rivet bracelet which step down in width - it's a feature which makes what would otherwise just be another boring bracelet interesting. The only improvement I would have liked were if the depth rating were in red! It's the best of both worlds for me having the shield emblem on the dial and the rose on the crown - a shield on the crown would have irritated me as it would never have been the right way up, not a problem with the rose.
Last edited by mindforge; 20th January 2017 at 12:47.
Very simple decision for me. I was never tempted by the burgundy or the ETA movement versions. For me the burgundy just felt too much like a novelty watch and see below for my comments on the ETA version. Of course if you can convince yourself that you prefer the ETA version, then you'll save some cash but given the overall price of the watch, it wouldn't be enough cash to persuade me.
Glad you're enjoying. It's a super watch for the money.So I have been wearing the Black Bay a few days now. I've got used to the size and the weight again of wearing such a heavy diver on a bracelet after the MM300. I love how at a certain angle, the light catches the brassy hands and the thick domed sapphire hints back to the vintage plexiglass, along with the matte black bezel. It does everything for me that the burgundy one never did. See the way the bevel catches the light too!
I have to say that it's completely fair enough saying you prefer the ETA version as self-justification because that's the one you invested in, but I really prefer all the improvements to the in-house version - I could never have spent this amount of money on an ETA movement with the 38 hour power reserve, which is something I do notice as I like to change watches and not have to keep winding and resetting them. Also perhaps controversially I prefer the straight line text to the smiley circle - it looks more serious and relates to original big crown vintage watches. Also I really like the vintage style rivet bracelet which step down in width - it's a feature which makes what would otherwise just be another boring bracelet interesting. The only improvement I would have liked were if the depth rating were in red! It's the best of both worlds for me having the shield emblem on the dial and the rose on the crown - a shield on the crown would have irritated me as it would never have been the right way up, not a problem with the rose.
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Excuse my ignorance, but What's the difference between the ETA and the new movement?
Details here:
So we have a new movement, in-house developed and produced, the MT5602. Good. But this movement not only adds some exclusivity to the watch (it doesn’t share its movement with 50% of the Swiss production anymore), it mainly is an improvement for users. First of all, it is finally Chronometer / COSC certified, which will guarantee an average precision of -4 / +6 seconds per day. Then, it offers a comfortable power reserve of 70 hours (vs. 38h before). That’s enough to have your watch in the safe for an entire weekend and to have it running when strapping it on the next Monday morning.
This not all. This calibre MT5602 also has several new technical refinements. The first one is a transversal bridge over the balance wheel, something that will guarantee a better resistance to shocks and a long-term reliability (which is good knowing the tool / diver vocation of the Black Bay). Then, it features a variable inertia balance wheel, which considerably improve the precision (and might explain the COSC certification). Finally, it features a silicon balance spring, which will definitely help the Tudor Heritage Black Bay to resist to magnetic fields (and knowing that we are surrounded by magnets in our daily lives, this is not a detail).
From here,
https://monochrome-watches.com/tudor...-review-price/
Ok. I get the gist, but I am coming to realise quite how much I have yet to learn lol
The in-house is about 2mm thicker, too
Have you any initial impressions of timekeeping as yet?
Only been timing it since I set it a few days ago but it is exactly spot on so far which is remarkable.
Ok cool.
I have wondered about the size of them as I've only got 6.5"ish wrists, but I usually wear a Casio mudman G9000 which wears fine, and I think is like a 46mm-ish width
Same movement I'm at -1.5 sec over 14 days
Fair comments.
Think i need to go back for a second look, before making my mind up. Can i ask if you managed to negotiate a discount on RRP?
I got £160 off. Any discount was made difficult by the fact that I had an insurance card to use so it was not an entirely cash deal and also it was the last one of these that Earnest Jones had in the UK (ridiculous I know). You'd probably have more luck getting a discount when you're more able to walk out the door and buy it elsewhere!
Photo in reply to your much earlier request OP. And no, I've not tried the supplied NATO type strap. It looks a faff to fit so I'll just use a normal black NATO.
Nice. In-house movement gets my vote too....though frankly, I would not say no to an ETA-filled version!
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Nice! Thanks for that. I know what you mean about the supplied cloth strap. Such a fuss Tudor makes about it, apparently it costs 150 quid and it looks nothing special! Better a normal nato or even a two piece strap as the watch sits high enough already.Photo in reply to your much earlier request OP. And no, I've not tried the supplied NATO type strap. It looks a faff to fit so I'll just use a normal black NATO.
I quite like the look of the material of the strap. Somewhere between perlon and regular NATO. However, it feels like sandpaper and the integrated spring bars are daft. Can't believe how much it costs.
I feel less strongly about the ETA V in-house argument now than when I bought. Both have their merits and both keep the overall vintage look that I like.
Love my ETA Red , what really makes it is the bracelet quality, I keep comparing it to my Rolex bracelets and it just does,,,
Congratulations OP, great choice it's a lovely looking watch and offers superb value for money.
However I would also recommend the previous generation ETA movement based version, particularly if you like the Tudor rose, plain bracelet and round vintage style text on the dial. Very robust and reliable watch.
I've got BBs in red blue and black and I wouldn't swap them for in-house even for no cost uplift. 70 hour power reserve is irrelevant to me, particularly on a no-date watch and the loss of the rose on the dial is a step away from the Heritage branding the BB falls under. The shield is also incongruous with the rose that remains on the crown. I can take or leave the curved versus straight text. The flat caseback of the ETA is also more comfortable, for me at least.
Lovely watch! I regret selling my red BB and might get another one at some point. Great value for money.
This angle gives a more realistic representation of size on the wrist.
Nice watch.
Nice post.
Yeah I enjoyed it. Particularly the artful split of content equally between the title line and the post body. Nice!
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