Which one? A new Tudor Black Bay or Pelagos? Or a vintage? Would love to see pics of what youre considering.
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Who's got a nice watch? Traditional watches only, no smartwatches please.
- Thread starter JW8725
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Which one? A new Tudor Black Bay or Pelagos? Or a vintage? Would love to see pics of what youre considering.
Which one? A new Tudor Black Bay or Pelagos? Or a vintage? Would love to see pics of what youre considering.
Something along the lines of this - I would be a little more particular about having a pip in, etc - But this is the general style (Vintage Sub)
*not my picture, taken from HQMilton
The main thing that Tudor is known for is being the sister company of Rolex making watches using, effectively, Rolex cases and parts but using a generic ETA movement rather than a Rolex in-house movement. As a consequence, their watches enjoy the Rolex 'utilitarian' build quality but are typically much cheaper than the equivalent Rolex.
In terms of horological significance, their Submariners are particularly sought after amongst collectors given that they were, in years past, the standard issue to the French navy https://bulangandsons.com/tudor-and-the-french-navy-a-quarter-of-a-century-of-collaboration/
It is a shame more people don't know about Tudor, in part due to the fact that their ADs operated out of very few countries, for example there were no Tudor ADs in the UK or in the US (although apparently those in the know could always go to a Rolex AD and order these watches). Today, they are re-emerging due to a push to establish more ADs around the world (often next door to or in the same showroom as Rolex) and perhaps more pertinently, with the release of the Heritage Black Bay and the Pelagos in particular, by making very desirable watches in their own right at very decent prices.
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^ What he said - Pretty great summary. You can often find the vintage Submariner with true Rolex parts (case back, crown etc.) -
Very good summary and excellent post.
Perusing watch sites where 'vintage' watches are featured, you will quite frequently find very attractive Tudors (same build quality, same parts and cases, their own movement) from the 1950s and 60s for a lot less than an equivalent Rolex.
Vogue Harper is quite right to point out that in some countries they were not readily available. Personally, I love the vintage Tudors - some of them were very elegant, and I would certainly consider buying one if one which met my needs caught my eye.
BlakeBrattina and Scepticalscribe thank you very much for your kind words.
There is a very good point here. What is remarkable about the new interest in Tudor is the respect its timepieces are garnering amongst even that most rarefied world of the WIS. A Rolex sister company using off the shelf ETA movements and yet just about every review of a new Tudor out there, without fail and no matter how hard one reads between the lines, has no dismissive undertones whatsoever of the watch being a 'poor man's Rolex'.
There is a very good point here. What is remarkable about the new interest in Tudor is the respect its timepieces are garnering amongst even that most rarefied world of the WIS. A Rolex sister company using off the shelf ETA movements and yet just about every review of a new Tudor out there, without fail and no matter how hard one reads between the lines, has no dismissive undertones whatsoever of the watch being a 'poor man's Rolex'.
I agree with you, and share your regret that this 'sibling' of Rolex is not better known, except to watch aficionados.
During the Second World War, both Rolex and Tudor made special (pretty rugged) timepieces for those fighting overseas, the so-called 'Boys' Sizes' - which, given the fashion for massive monstrosities nowadays, would look quite small on a wrist. However, a relatively small size during possible combat operations meant that the watch was more likely to survive the war unscathed.
Some of those smaller Rolexes and Tudors are virtually indistinguishable, if viewed alongside one another, apart from the internal movement, and the their respective logos. Occasionally, one trips over an utter rarity - a Rolex badged as a Tudor, or a Tudor with an inner movement which was destined for the elder sibling - or some such.
They are lovely watches, and well deserving of the praise that has been garnered on them.
Very impressive. Can you post a picture or two of some nice vintage Tudors?
(In fact, I just paid a fleeting visit to the Darlor Watch site - they have a nice page of mostly vintage Tudors, the fifth page of their Rolex section).
I would if I had any but unfortunately I don't
Fair enough and my apologies for putting that on you; I assumed - as you know the technical details of digital photography - that you would be able to locate a picture of a vintage Tudor without any problems.
To those who want to check out the type of watches I am talking about, the 'vintage' Tudors tend to be mid sized, to 'smaller' full sized watches, with a look very reminiscent of the 50s Rolexes. And at an almost affordable fraction of the price of the Rolexes.
The 'Darlor' watch site has a nice selection of the type of Tudor I am describing - you will find it on Page Five of their Rolex section.
I believe you are referring to the 32mm case, correct? With my standard size of 42mm (nothing larger) I haven't been able to view anything smaller as a good fit for me. All personal preference of course!
Yes, 32mm or 34mm; what was considered 'fashionable' was different then, and even the large sizes (apart from a few, unique, absolutely outsize watches) would not be considered massive today.
Then, there is the other consideration I mentioned; the war and the need to be able to wear watches that were (and are) somewhat smaller for convenience, which was a feature of both world wars.
Actually, and I haven't looked into this too much, but I think it fascinating, the history of the First World War (we are now, of course, celebrating, or acknowledging, the centenary of same) and how this intersected with the history of the development of wrist watches.
Prior to WW1, most of the time, men wore watches on fobs, pocket watches, beautifully engineered, stretched across the front of waist coat, and nestled in a small front pocket of the waistcoat. It was women who first wore wrist watches.
I had long thought that it was the advent of trench warfare which introduced the need for men to wear wrist watches, and the first wrist watches for men seem to have been modelled on the already available wrist watches for women, in some early cases, I suspect borrowed from girlfriends or wives. Driving the open-topped motor cars of the day in the period after the First World War would have given an added peacetime justification to wear a watch on your wrist, rather than safely pocketed away in a waist coat.
Tudor
I used to have this model and kick myself for ever getting rid of it. The one thing that bothered me was how the lens is/was raised up so much. The picture is not of my old one but simply one off the web. I really did like the watch but I couldn't get past how much it stuck up/out. You could scratch it pretty easily too and I actually did. I wanted a daily driver and it was just not that type for me.
Looking back I made an error in selling it. (live and learn)
I used to have this model and kick myself for ever getting rid of it. The one thing that bothered me was how the lens is/was raised up so much. The picture is not of my old one but simply one off the web. I really did like the watch but I couldn't get past how much it stuck up/out. You could scratch it pretty easily too and I actually did. I wanted a daily driver and it was just not that type for me.
Looking back I made an error in selling it. (live and learn)
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Who's got a nice watch?
I thought that you meant photos of Tudors that I own, which number zero.
You mean like these sort?
I thought that you meant photos of Tudors that I own, which number zero.
You mean like these sort?
Very nice watch and thanks for posting pictures of it.
Yes! Those are exactly the sort of vintage Tudors that I was looking at (and thinking about).
Thank you very much for tracking them down, and for taking the time and trouble to post them; to my mind, these are classic, elegant and understated, but lovely watches that were (and are) built to Rolex standards of craftsmanship.
I know I'm digging up a post from a few weeks ago, but I just can't let this one go. I disagree that Rolex has escaped the pure status symbol stereotype. Maybe it has among watch enthusiasts, but I know that among my family this is the sort of thing that jumps to mind when they hear Rolex:
In other words, it's something you would expect some spoiled rich kid who thinks he's the next Lebron James, even though he's 5' 4", to wear with his hoodie and torn jeans. Hell, my cousin even jokingly called me a "baller" for wearing my Tag Heuer.
As for the Tudor watches, I guess I'm in the minority when I say I don't like the shape of the hour hand. I could go into more details as to why, but I'll sum it up by saying it just doesn't speak to me.
Finally, since I agree the last few pages haven't had enough pictures, I'll attach one of my Christmas gifts this year. As I mentioned a few pages ago I've had my eye on a Seiko 5 as banger watch (doing some home repair, or working on the car and so on).
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Hideous Rolex. I suppose anything can be a status symbol if marketed properly. Diamond encrusted iPhones, gold wrapped Ferrari's, etc etc. You're right though, people who are passionate about watches don't even make the connection.