I am not a fan of Tudor, I have tried some various models on previously and did not feel it on my wrist. The whole Tudor range just did not feel right, I was not that impressed. That being said, Tudor is a very popular watch brand and I am more than happy to state I sit in the minority. Is Tudor a crowd favourite because it is like purchasing a second line Rolex? Maybe, the question I ask is, would Tudor be as popular if the brand was not owned by Rolex? My guess is, probably not.

Despite my misgivings, I would like to review the Black Bay as I suggest this is the best model within the Tudor brand stable. So, what do I like about the Black Bay? I like the black dial version with round index markers and straight index markers at the 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions. I cannot say I am a fan of the long pointed index marker at 12 o’clock, just too long and pointed. I do like the no date dial, this is a great option.

I especially do not like the snowflake hour hand or second hand, typically, I am a fan of a rounded lollipop second hand, the snowflake shape is just too sharp – it is not for me. The minute markers between the hour markers do work, the dive watch dial is legible. I have looked hard at the logo and text on the dial, whilst I believe text is overdone on modern watches, the text is not excessive here.

The bezel with fine serrated edges looks good, the blue bezel insert contrasts well with the black dial. I do like the crown on the Black Bay, crown protectors can overwhelm the symmetry of a timepiece, the lack of crown guards with this crown does not upset the balance of this watch. I am not a fan of the Rolex style caseback, they need to offer a display caseback.

I have never been a fan of the Tudor range bracelet, every Tudor I have ever tried on did not sit on the wrist well, this has been due to the flimsy feeling bracelet. Based on the current Black Bay, at least the bracelet looks aesthetically better. The riveted bracelet appears to be an improvement over previous designs so I will be interested to see if this solves their quality problems.

The movement is the Calibre MT5602, this is a COSC certified movement and the first in-house manufactured movement with 4Hz [28,000] frequency and 70 hour power reserve. The MT designation is Manufacture Tudor, so they are pretty proud of what they have produced. The movement is regulated by a variable inertia vibrator with silicon balance spring that is held in place by a traversing bridge. The traversing bridge is a Rolex design supporting the balance wheel

So would I go out and purchase a Tudor Black Bay? The basic answer is no, I would not. Tudor sits firmly in the Oris and TAG Heuer price range. Yes, the Black Bay as a dive watch has all the required dive watch requirements from screw-in crown, screw-down caseback, sapphire crystal but has an aluminum bezel insert where the Oris and TAG Heuer have ceramic inserts along with 300 metres of water resistance and not the 200 metres the Tudor offers.