Tudor is a brand created by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf in 1946 to build a high quality but lower priced watch than Rolex. Wilsdorf founded Rolex in 1908 and Tudor was more of a value proposition, a Rolex at reasonable prices so to speak.
We all know Tudor is a brand created by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf in 1946 to build a high quality but lower priced watch than Rolex. Wilsdorf founded Rolex in 1908 and Tudor was a more value proposition, a Rolex at reasonable prices so to speak. I write watch reviews after trying on watches in retail outlets, mostly on my travels to South East Asia. I am not fortunate enough to be sent watches to review, nor do I get a week on the wrist like some reviewers are fortunate enough to do – still, I try on watches prior to review.
So, I knew of Tudor as the second line of Rolex and was pretty happy to go and try on. So when I sat the Black Bay on my wrist, I was very underwhelmed. The Black Bay 36 just did not feel right on my wrist, the leather strap felt flimsy, the bracelet version not much better. The blue dial worked for me, there is also a black dial version that is ok. There is a lack of text on the dial as compared to some brands and I like this a lot. I am not a fan of the snowflake hour hand, nor do I like the snowflake minute hand either.
No inhouse movement in this model, the Black Bay 36 used an ETA 2824-2 automatic movement that is regulated to COSC standards with a 38 hour power reserve. As I now understand it, the T600 is the Sellita SW200-1 movement now used in the Black Bay 36 after ETA was no longer able to supply movements.
The newly developed inhouse movements such as the MT5602, MT5612 and MT5621 all have a 70 hour power reserve so it is pretty easy to differentiate between the two specifications. What I do like about the Black Bay 36 is the lack of date window, that makes for a nice dial. In the watch community people are raving about Tudor, for me, not so. I took a look and really didn’t like their designs or feel on the wrist. Not that I am saying Tudor produce a bad product, it is just not the styling that appeals to me.
Observations in an undemocratic world 