Reply With QuoteCracking set!
Is that the BB36? How do you find it? I couldn’t tell if the dial was a bit too glossy for the vintage explorer vibe?
Appearing in chronological order of purchase.
I love steel.
And lume.
...
BUBI 0_0
Cracking set!
Is that the BB36? How do you find it? I couldn’t tell if the dial was a bit too glossy for the vintage explorer vibe?
So far so good.Originally Posted by Hennersf
Passed the lume test, clear readability throughout the night: lights off at 1.30, check at 3.00, 6.00 and 6.45. Very pleased.
The dial is very nice, deep matt black, not glossy at all. Especially compare th the bb36 which has a glossy black reminescent of an ocean oil spill or a still sea on a moonless night or tha scene in the movie where scarlettjohansson is a man eating alien.
The crystal is shiny and soft, no hard edges, it is a pleasure to fondle. I love that.
85% on the bracelet as I'm no big fan of rivets, but it tapers rather nicely and very gradually. The bb36 starts from 19mm to 16 so looks fner, but the smiths has one extra mm to deal with at the start so it takes up one more link to reach 16mm.
I may source a clasp with safety lock in the future. It certainly closes better now I have removed the protection film from the inside!
What really makes it for me: big bold Smiths logo.
And the fact that the rolex that shares the same heritage did not look like an explorer when it got atop the everest in the first place....
On the wrist it wears really well for me, looks a tad smaller than 36mm because of the optical effect of the domed chrystal, it feels like an 80's man size swatch. I like that a lot on my small wrist.
Personally I would have a more characteristic design for the crown and the seconds hand but uh, maybe not. There isn't much space to fool around in.
Ah.. that's it for now, I have to wear it a bit and check timekeeping now.
Oh, when laid on my wooden bed I can hear it ticking, resonating. It feels powerful...!
...
BUBI 0_0
Superb write up!! That’s made me really chuckle
Really lovely collection, anything more on the wish list?
PS love the commitment to lume checking!
Interesting collection.
I’ve just bought the Black Bay 41, and sold the Tudor Ranger. The BB41 is a wonderful watch, am totally enamoured with it. I tried on the 36 too and although it obvisouly has the same great design and build quality, it was a bit too dainty for me personally. Regarding the question about glossy dial, I’d say the BBs dial while not being a deep reflective gloss isn’t a matte effect either like you’d get on a vintage Explorer. My Ranger for example had a very matte dial, with painted indices including the 3/6/9, which all harks back to that vintage vibe. The BB36/41 is more directly comparable to the modern Explorer, if those are the comparisons you’re looking for.
To the OP, out of interest what is the motivation for having a collection of such similar watches?
Sell the lot and just buy an explorer. You know it makes sense. The explorer I bought in 2016 was the last watch I purchased.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Lusting after an Explorer is better than the actual experience of wearing the damn boring thing. And I speak from experience.
very nice collection and enjoyed the commentary, we have similar tastes it seems. wish tudor would make that one in a 39mm, i think that's the perfect size for me.
I respectfully and completely disagree with you on this. The Explorer is the most versatile watch on the planet. And not a bit boring either.
I take it that by versatile you mean that it has no bezel or chrono complications. So are zillions of other watches. If it didn't have the name Rolex on the dial nobody would give it a second look... that's why it was always the last oyster model left in the jeweler's box... for years and years.
The more I look at the BB36 the more I enjoy the look of it.. might try one on soon!Appearing in chronological order of purchase.
I love steel.
And lume.
...
BUBI 0_0
It's a bit weird having a right on diver dial with no bezel,but I like that ignorance
...
BUBI 0_0
No versatility means you can wear it any time any place anywhere
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
At one point, my collection consisted of 8 dressy watches, all of which had sunburst dials. People would ask me similar questions and my answer was always, dressy watches with sunburst dials is what I like. Do you want me to buy things I don't?
I have to say that I agree with this. I spent so much time lusting after a 114270 but when I finally got one it didn't take long for me to get bored of it. The design is bland.
Er... They are all very different...
Apart from that, well, they were my explorer type purchases at the time.
The vantage was ok but too big to have the explorer dial so I wear it like a fliger, hence the 53 dial. Originally I had the 48, but it only had lume at cardinal points which would freak me out at night.
The others are 36mm and simply hit the spot.
There.is.one missing, because I didn't buy it. A 1000dollar 36mm railmaster from costco. I had other priorities at the time.
Didn't have them when the bb36 was released
...
BUBI 0_0
Well... I dislike the current explorer and the one I like has plexi, which I cannot live with.
I also find rolex simply too mainstream and obvious, it just isn't me. Please rolex fans don't hold it against me.
...
BUBI 0_0
I had a Vantage a while back, but felt the lugs were too heavy, the 20mm width wasn't enough for the case size and left too much metal in the lugs. I think the 40mm Everest with 22mm lug width gives a better proportioned lug.
I'm also a fan of the Explorer style, I've got both sizes of Everest (smaller one in white) and have tried a few others along the way. For the modern take on it, I've got a Sinn 656 (the original version). I have to say, I don't care how nice the modern Explorer is, the prices have risen way too high for them to make sense for me (and I don't just mean in terms of me buying one, I think they are just too expensive for what they are, or rather what they were).
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
To add my two ha'peneth, I had a Vantage and it was very nice, but not as nice as a genuine Explorer.
Ultimately I passed it on to a very pleasant American gentleman who appreciated the orange tipped second hand and the date at 4:30 far more than I. It was a very well built watch but the quality of the case, the bracelet/clasp and movement are nowhere near that of the Rolex. For those that consider the Explorer to be slightly anodyne, you may be missing the point.
To quote Mrs. M. Thatcher, and I really, really don't like to do so; "There is no alternative."
Last edited by dkpw; 17th November 2019 at 01:37.
Beautiful collection - thanks for sharing
That's a fantastic collection! The Smiths is tops for me, it's such a nice watch all around!
Apologies mate... I went off about the Smiths!
The Tudor is great!
Although so far I have only met women wearing the 36. Great conversation piece.
The dial is very very glossy but extremely dark, like a black hole. It's manly enuf.
Bracelet is excellent, very finely tapered and super comfy.
Case design is big block esque, so looks really thick and bulky, but being small balances that out. This also is a manly feature, should you be concerned.
Overall it has its own personality, it is the odd one out, despite sort of looking like all the others (BB)
...
BUBI 0_0
Superb collection - thank you for sharing.
I really enjoy the explorer-esc 3-hand, black dial simplicity in everything from manual wind CWC to the new 39mm Explorer.
I’m finding that I enjoy smaller watches at the moment so will track down a Tudor to try. That won’t stop me also trying a 36mm Rolex Explorer though 😄
Posting Permissions
