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Thread: Tudor Heritage Ranger vs Tudor Black Bay 41

  1. #1
    Master davidj54's Avatar
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    Tudor Heritage Ranger vs Tudor Black Bay 41

    Up til recently I owned the Tudor Heritage Ranger, bought and then sold via this forum. It is a superb every day watch, with excellent build quality, timekeeping and an aesthetic that goes with any strap and all but the dressiest of outfits. Perfect dial symmetry, lovely matte features and satin case, drilled lugs, hand painted Arabic’s & batons. I think it’s an underrated watch in Tudors line up.



    But, as with most things we fellas buy, be it a house, car, tech or watches, after the honeymoon period you start to pick up on the things you don’t like, or would change. Here are my small issues with the Ranger; the big one was the bracelet. I wanted to love the straight end links, I convinced myself I did, but in reality I just got used to them. I know it’s part of the vintage vibe - but it was something that made me look at the watch with a feeling of ‘if only...’. As a result it largely lived on leather. What’s more they kind of exaggerate the size of what is already a pretty large and overtly circular case. And that’s point two - I could live with the case size, it was fine - but given the choice, I’d change it. And number three was the crown; the pronounced tube of the Black Bay line looked too sticky-outey on the more circular Ranger case. I’d see pics of old Rangers in oyster cases with flush crowns and get jealous!

    Having moved the Ranger on I’ve bought a Black Bay 41, a watch I dismissed in favour of the Ranger 18 months ago. So, how does it stack up?



    Well it’s early days, but already I’d say that it’s superior in almost every way. The longer, more squared case shape looks better - to my eye at least. I thought the slightly longer lug to lug (50mm vs 48mm) would make it wear bigger, but it doesn’t. If anything, the smaller, more compact dial gives it a smaller overall feel (the Ranger is ‘all dial’ whereas the BB41 has a more substantial bezel). The fitted curved end links are a big - and I mean big - advantage. And the crown sits flusher against the BB’s straighter case - it looks like it belongs.

    They share the same understated look, dial symmetry and legibility, water resistance and of course the same movement. I think the BB41 covers all the same bases, but the polished elements and applied indices give it the added ability to ‘dress up’. The Ranger has the drilled lugs, and I think I prefer the Rangers rose on the dial to the modern shield. Other than that it’s the BB41 all the way.



    I think Tudor is missing a trick with the Ranger. This may be intentional, as they don’t want something too close to the Explorer at 2/5 of the price. It’s a great watch, but it could be improved upon; if they kept the dial but scaled the watch down to 38mm, put case fitting end links on the bracelet and a flush fitting crown then they would have something really special, something truly representative of the vintage Explorers and Oyster Prince Rangers in its roots.

    To sum up the article I say they are both excellent watches, but the Ranger has a few flaws that start to niggle after a while. The BB41 does everything the Ranger does and more, and without those flaws. For anyone labouring over a decision between the two, go BB41 would be my advice.




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  2. #2
    Master Ruggertech's Avatar
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    Nice write up. I dont own either of these, nor am I likely to, but I agree fully on your points regarding the straight endlinks and size of the Ranger. However, I think that if these issues could be addressed I'd prefer it over the BB41 simply because it is more unique. But I can see why you personally prefer the 41 overall. Good that you were able to work out what you really wanted via the Ranger, hopefully without losing too much cash in the process.

  3. #3
    Good post.

    I like the Ranger - it has some subtle flourishes as you have noted - but agree that its dimensions & thin bezel make it likely to wear bigger than I prefer on wrist.

    Having handled the Black Bay, it’s a really nicely made, solid everyday watch. I prefer the 36mm myself.

  4. #4
    Master
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    I so want to like the Ranger but the massive gap where an end link should be just ruins it for me.

  5. #5
    Master davidj54's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by David_D View Post
    I so want to like the Ranger but the massive gap where an end link should be just ruins it for me.
    It is annoying; the bracelet is great quality too, just a bit flawed.

    I think it’s a watch that looks better on leather though.

  6. #6
    If only the bb41 (and 36) had a matt dial and domed sapphire....

    Incidentally, the new TT bb36 41 have matt dials...

    ...
    BUBI 0_0

  7. #7
    Master Routers's Avatar
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    Agree about the gap between the case and bracelet spoiling the look.
    Tried mine on a Perlon and also a leather NATO, which I think both look ok, but actually now prefer it on rubber with curved ends.








  8. #8
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    I have the BB41. I was worried that it'd wear too big, but agree that the large bezel makes it wear a bit smaller.

    I considered the Ranger, but wasn't a huge fan of the hands.

  9. #9
    Master
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    Love my bb41. At 39mm, it'd be perfect for me. Still superb.

    Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

  10. #10
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    I like the Tudor Ranger and it is a regular wearer for me. However agreed about the strap gap, I wear it on a bund which makes the gap go away.

  11. #11
    Master davidj54's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by stefmcd View Post
    Love my bb41. At 39mm, it'd be perfect for me. Still superb.

    Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
    I’ve had mine for a week now and absolutely love it, can’t find fault with it to be honest, it’s the perfect watch for me. Having been so used to the Ranger I now feel that I have a smaller watch on my wrist which I didn’t expect. I can only put it down to the straighter case shape and smaller dial size - they make it somehow more compact, despite it not being physically any smaller.

  12. #12
    Journeyman
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    The Ranger definitely suits a strap better, but I think the 41 would be my choice of the two as well.


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  13. #13
    Craftsman NCC66's Avatar
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    I really, really wanted to like the Ranger. In fact I agonised over one on SC for a long while. In the end though, I decided there was ‘something’ that was stoping me from going for it.

    I’m a huge fan of the brand and the BB line up, with a bronze, dark and 58 in the collection. I think the 41 is superb too and am keeping my eye out for one at the right price.

    However, going back to the ‘something’... I think it’s just that when I look at the vintage Tudors I see Oyster Princes that I find really attractive and that’s where I’m heading next. I think. Probably.


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  14. #14
    Master davidj54's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NCC66 View Post

    I’m a huge fan of the brand and the BB line up, with a bronze, dark and 58 in the collection. I think the 41 is superb too and am keeping my eye out for one at the right price.


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    There’s a really nice condition full set one on SC at the moment for a great price, probably a few pages back by now.

  15. #15
    Craftsman Jo Hande's Avatar
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    It's a question of taste as allways!
    I prefer the Ranger, mostly because I don't like snowflake hands at all and I don't like round indexes ...

    But if I could chose, I prefer the Smiths PRS25:
    - Looks VERY similar (Except the hands and the 12-triangle)
    - Cool microbrand
    - "Everest" on the lower part of the dial (Rotor and self-winding ???) "Automatic" would also do it, or like Borealis: "Adraga 30 ATM"
    - The price of course ... and I can't believe the Tudor watch has a better quality.
    - decent strong Miyota 9015 automatic movt (rotor and self-winding ...).

    but yes, everybody his own taste, this is only to add my idea to this interesting review!

    Pictures taken from the internet:

    Jo

  16. #16
    I love the Ranger. Painted dial, no snow flake hands. Great case shape. Best legibility of any watch I currently own.
    It's just a matter of time...

  17. #17
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    I was very close to picking a Ranger up last year largely influenced by your write up OP. I looked and looked and after trying on a few different alternatives (including picking up an old style PRS25 from SC) I came to realise that not having a date function is a deal breaker for me. It's a shame as it rules out a lot of similar watches including the BB41 but I just know that I'll never be completely happy with it.

  18. #18
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jo Hande View Post
    It's a question of taste as allways!
    I prefer the Ranger, mostly because I don't like snowflake hands at all and I don't like round indexes ...

    But if I could chose, I prefer the Smiths PRS25:
    - Looks VERY similar (Except the hands and the 12-triangle)
    - Cool microbrand
    - "Everest" on the lower part of the dial (Rotor and self-winding ???) "Automatic" would also do it, or like Borealis: "Adraga 30 ATM"
    - The price of course ... and I can't believe the Tudor watch has a better quality.
    - decent strong Miyota 9015 automatic movt (rotor and self-winding ...).

    but yes, everybody his own taste, this is only to add my idea to this interesting review!

    Pictures taken from the internet:

    Jo
    I actually agree - if it was between the Ranger and the Everest, I'd buy the latter. It's just a more well balanced design.

    As to quality, I don't own either to compare directly, but I do own a PRS-29 and a BB41, and as much as I like the Smiths, the Tudor is in a different league (as I'd expect given the price).

    I also don't really agree that the 9015, as much as it is a good reliable movement, compares well to a top grade ETA 2824-2, regulated by Tudor to run within COSC specs (mine is within 0.7 seconds per day).

  19. #19
    Journeyman
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    Blackbay for me

  20. #20
    Craftsman HookedSeven's Avatar
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    I had a Ranger for a while and really liked it, although I’ll echo the thoughts that the straight end bracelet could look better where it joins the case. The only reason I moved it on is that I prefer vintage.
    Last edited by HookedSeven; 13th November 2019 at 08:57.

  21. #21
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    I like the ranger also, it’s weird that they haven’t made a 36 or 38mm version, would be really popular I imagine


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