Tudor Black Bay 36 - Runner Up to a Giant
I’m addicted to the second place finishers and also-rans of history. I’m not sure why, but like Avis said, “We Try Harder.” On the rare occasion I watch baseball, I root for the Dodgers. American football? The Raiders. Proper everywhere-else football? Arsenal. My favorite Star Wars character? Wedge. I bet you don’t even remember who that guy is (hint, he’s the random rebel pilot who survives all three original films in the background).
When you’re talking watches, whether with an enthusiast or indulgent layperson, it’s almost inevitable that Rolex will enter the conversation. It’s unsurprising, really. Rolex has entered the public consciousness as a mark of taste and wealth in a way that no other watch brand has. It may never be dethroned despite successful inroads by brands like Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Omega, among others.
Rolex’s monstrous success automatically puts a target on its back, and its popularity may turn off more esoteric collectors. I was one of those folks for many years, associating Rolex with well-to-do stock brokers with more money than taste, rather than with the company’s undeniable contributions to horology. I’ve been forced to reckon with that disdain and have come back around to appreciating Rolex in a big way. They’ll always draw criticism for deviating from their formula too much or not enough, but almost everything they do is successful, and that’s hard to argue with.
Sister brand Tudor is not nearly as well known outside of watch enthusiast circles, but it’s gradually entering the public discourse. They have undergone a few bouts of rebranding and laid dormant, at least in the US market, for years, but they have reentered with a bang, re-emerging with the Black Bay line in 2012. Unlike my lukewarm reaction to Rolex, Tudor managed to charm me right away.
No discussion of Rolex and Tudor is complete without at least a brief history. Both were founded by Hans Wilsdorf, Geneva, Switzerland, Rolex in 1905 and Tudor in 1926 as a more accessible alternative. Many people don’t realize Rolex was originally, briefly incorporated and headquartered in London, moving to Switzerland after World War I. While Tudors have historically been characterized by using off-the-shelf movements, they have been gradually adding more and more in-house calibers to their line and moving upmarket, blurring the lines between the two brands.
One of Rolex’s most significant watches, if not one of its most well-known, is the Explorer. Largely unchanged from its original design (aside from minor but significant updates to aesthetics, experiments in size, and updated movements), the Explorer epitomizes the luxury watch for many thanks to its distinctive looks, quality, and understated versatility. It’s a striking watch if not a beautiful one. While still very expensive, it is attainable compared to other products in Rolex’s portfolio. It’s also a watch I deeply admire and love.
For this comparison, I couldn’t resist indulging my offbeat tastes a little. Setting the Tudor Black Bay 36 beside the Rolex Explorer 214270 isn’t quite an apples to apples comparison as this reference of the Explorer is a full 3mm larger at 39mm, but when the opportunity arose to get my hands on an Explorer, I couldn’t just go for a garden variety 36mm even if it would have been the more appropriate foil to the Tudor. We’re looking at two stainless steel, black dial, applied marker three-hander watches. In either the 36mm or the 39mm, these also fit squarely in the unisex category, good for large-wristed or small-wristed wearers who are looking for something sleek that still has plenty of presence.
Some more casual fans may not realize the Black Bay dive watch line is new, since it evokes the brand’s heritage so well. It’s a pastiche of elements, largely drawn from the Submariner line of yesteryear, a line shared by both Tudor and Rolex. When it comes to the Black Bay 36 (and the 41, as well as the new Steel and Gold 39 mm), they are more obviously echoing the Rolex Explorer.
The dials are an interesting study. Unlike the Explorer’s iconic 3,6,9 Arabic numerals, the Black Bay 36 replicates the dots-and-dashes of its dive watch siblings. It gives the whole dial a wonderful symmetry and simplicity. Neither watch features a date window, allowing both watches to maintain a nice sense of purity. The Black Bay 36 also inherits the line’s distinctive snowflake handset, which I find works surprisingly well on the smaller watch. Originally designed to maximize legibility for divers, I worried it would look disproportionate or out of place on a dress/sports watch, but it fits. The Explorer’s Mercedes style hands are equally if not more iconic, but they are imitated so often within the watch world that they have lost some of their luster.
Speaking of legibility, both dials are a cinch to read in a number of conditions including low light, thanks to the ample lume. In the case of the Tudor it’s green Superluminova, while the Explorer employs Rolex’s proprietary blue Chromalight. It is a bit odd that the 3,6, and 9 are not lumed, but that’s a quirk of the Mk I dial of the 214270 reference (the quirks of which are deserving of their own article). This does make the Explorer’s dial look a tad unbalanced in the dark, but it’s still easy to read.
Dial text is also very simple on the Tudor, making the Explorer look cluttered by comparison. I also appreciate the Black Bay’s vintage-inspired smiley face text at the bottom of the dial, though many folks disparage it as marking this as having a third-party movement. I for one don’t see that as a detriment. You can compare that against the newly released Black Bay S&G (Steel and Gold) releases from this year’s Watches and Wonders to see what the dial text looks like for those watches featuring in-house movements.
Both the Explorer and the Black Bay 36 are perfect for frequent strap changes. Their simplicity lends a versatility that can’t be overstated. Whether on leather or fabric straps or on their OEM bracelets, these two watches look great, able to be dressed up or down as needed. That may not be unique to them, but it’s still a remarkable feat. Both Tudor and Rolex offer very nicely machined and finished bracelets, though Rolex’s on-the-fly Easylink extension system gives it the edge, allowing the wearer to add or subtract 5mm from the bracelet to compensate for wrist expansion/contraction due to temperature or exertion.
In addition to their versatility, both watches are durable, sporting water-resistant cases (the Rolex is good to 100 m while the Tudor has a slight edge at 150 m). These are proper tool watches, designed to be there for their owners through just about anything. Are they the most toughest watches out there? Far from it, but I’m hard-pressed to think of anything so ruggedly built that comes even close to the sleek, compact form of this pair.
I’ve gone back and forth noting similarities and differences, but at the end of the day, is there a clear winner here? In the court of public opinion it is obviously the Rolex. I don’t think there’s really any debate to be had here. That said, if I were to recommend a watch to a customer or friend, especially someone newer to the world of luxury watches, it’s going to be the Black Bay, all day every day. At less than half the price it’s every bit the watch, and it’s got plenty to offer the neophyte as well as the experienced collector. Both brands make great watches and are firing on all cylinders. Rolex has a bit more heritage and history, not to mention brand cachet, but Tudor has latitude and a bit more personality. It would be a copout to say there’s room in the collection for both (even if that’s my personal opinion) so if you are only going to buy one, take a chance on the Tudor. They try harder.
