Dr. N.
Il Rolex Submariner it is certainly the reference luxury diving watch. Who buy a Rolex Submariner, whether for investment or for wearing it, he rarely regrets his choice. However, not everyone is willing to spend nearly the cost of a small car to buy one Rolex Submariner and then wear it on the wrist in the situations for which it was designed, that is to say in diving, with all the associated risks.
We have therefore thought for you to make a comparison with un another luxury diving watch, made by the same manufacturer of the Submariner. Yes why Rolex it is not the only brand under which the Geneva-based company makes luxury watches: there is also Tudor!
Tudor Black Bay
The brand Tudor is, since the beginning of its history, the alternative accessible to its own parent company: Rolex, precisely. Who buys a Tudor knows that it is buying a product made according to the quality standards set out Rolex it has accustomed us, however, without the “weight”, of image and price, of the House of the Crown.
The Tudor Black Bay, presented in its first version in 2012, is both a return to the past and an example of innovation. Initially equipped with ETA ebauches, currently the Tudor Black Bays feature Tudor in-house movements, equipped with silicon balance springs that guarantee superior resistance to magnetic fields compared to traditional ones. This innovation is combined with a vintage exterior, inspired by diving watches from the seventies.
The idea of the Tudor Black Bay liked it and had an excellent market response. The choice of Tudor to focus on stylistic features vintage has met the favor of fans, but with some reservations. The main argument of the critics of the first Black Bay is about the size of the watch: whether you want to make an inspirational timepiece retro, choosing a case of 41 mm in diameter does not seem to be in keeping with the historical period, the sixties and seventies, which one wishes to recall.
The Tudor Black Bay 58
With the company Tudor Black Bay 58, Tudor proves to be a house that knows how to listen to its customers. This watch, which retains the mechanical characteristics of its predecessors, integrating both the power reserve of seventy hours and the silicon hairspring, is even closer to the characteristics of vintage which already the Black Bay from 41 mm is inspired. As mentioned, the MT 5402 movement made it possible to reduce the size of the case, not just in width - the diameter of the Tudor Black Bay 58 is in fact 39 mm, two less than the model which inspired it - but above all in thickness: the height of the Black Bay case is 15 mm, that of the Tudor Black Bay 58 instead it is 3 mm thinner. This feature brings the wearability of the Tudor Black Bay 58 to that of the Rolex Submariner vintage, thus completing the path of approaching the stylistic features of the past which Tudor has decided to imprint its new aesthetic course.
Tudor Black Bay 58 vs Rolex Submariner: an impossible comparison?
Il Rolex Submariner, born in 1954, has been treading the underwater watchmaking scene on the wrist of diving professionals, film actors and celebrities for over sixty years. Thanks to its quality and an excellent promotion work by Rolex, Submariner today it has risen to status symbol, reaching prices at the top of the segment.
Il Tudor Black Bay 58 it is, as seen, a much more recent watch, albeit inspired by stylistic elements vintage. The choice of making a luxury diving watch by Tudor, which belongs to the same parent company as Rolex, it is certainly interesting for anyone looking for a prestigious timepiece that can be used every day without worrying too much about scratches or wear. Despite being a very different luxury diving watch from the Rolex Submariner, however, has something in common with it: the original intended use. The first Rolex Submariner they were not, in fact, status symbols, but well made and high quality watches to be used in everyday life.
It is this usability, this being suitable for everyday use that makes the Tudor Black Bay 58 a sort of moral heir of the former Rolex Submariner. Submariner it still remains the quintessential luxury diving watch, but Rolex has made the choice to position it higher and higher, as an image and as a price, moving it away from its original raison d'etre: that of a diving watch as suitable for diving as for elegant evenings. That is why the choice of is to be welcomed Tudor to create a timepiece that, with technical skills of indisputable quality and impeccable execution, is able to fill that void that the Rolex Submariner, a victim of his own success, he left behind.
And you, what do you think? You prefer the safe investment of the Rolex Submariner or the daily sportsmanship of Tudor Black Bay 58? Tell us in the comments!
