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The watch needs no introduction. The Black Bay Noir (BBN) is the last of its ETA Black Bays brethen before they were upgraded to the 70 hour movement. It also represents my first foray into the Rolex / Tudor luxury watch family. Movement snobs will laugh at me for choosing the ETA over the MT5602 COSC-certified movement, but I rather snigger at my savings when it's time to service my out-of-warranty watch in years to come.
One of the most defining marks of the BBN is the Tudor Rose logo, now lost to the sands of time, replaced by the modern Tudor shield. To me, the rose logo represents the coming-out party celebrating a new successful era for Tudor at Baselworld 2012 with the Heritage Black Bay. It then went on to successfully win the Rival Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie in Geneva in 2013. A true icon unmatched by others in modern times.
The gilt hands and dial markers are polished to perfection. One cannot expect less from a company that's related to Rolex. This gives the watch much warmth compared to the icy cold middle child - The Black Bay Bleu. The dial is a lovely matt, revealing only its hidden textures on very close observation. The splash of colour give the watch much more visual interest than the classic monochromatic divers, and a youthful vibe to match its junior price bracket.
The dark PVD aluminium crown tube of the BBN is not as glamourous as the original red crown tube of the Heritage Black Bay, but it does provide a sense of continuity with the bezel colour. Uniformly cut grooves provide an excellent grip for the big crown. The crown action is tight and reassuring, never showing any signs of fragility that seems to imply impending damage to the top grade ETA 2824 movement inside.
Capping it all off is a polished signed crown with the classic rose logo once again engraved proudly. The defining mark that continues to put the word "Heritage" in the Heritage Black Bay line.
The noir bezel insert is the least colourful looking of the 3 options, and yet it does not forget to make itself look youth with a splash of red at its apex, bringing back memories of the pricleless classic 6538 big crown. A modern lume pip with excellent finishing will ensure that the 60 click bezel continues to work in darkness. The solid end links of the metal bracelet fits perfectly into the mid case, giving it a perfect flow of lines from one end to the other.
The caseback was the only place the Tudor shield made an appearance, together with the namesake. Machined precisely, the case back forms an important component of the diving chops that this heritage watch bring to its modern owners.
Lume is applied gratitiously across all the cream coloured markers and hands, allowing the BBN to glow in the famiiar green shade once darkness falls. The iconic snowflake hands set and the large applied markers undoubtly identifies itself as a member of the Tudor family.
With a fabric strap produced by a traditional passementerie company practicing the technique of “Jacquard†weaving, the strap boasts high a dense and high thread count that ensure its sturdiness and flexibility. The fabric strap is not your traditional NATO and provides tunnels for the slotting in of the springbars. A Tudor shield inspired tang buckle then holds the fabric strap in place on the BBN owner's wrist.
I had purchased the leather version of the watch, the last of its kind in an AD who offered an irresistable pricing. Although the distressed leather looks good, my grail had always been the bracelet edition of the BBN. Fearful to let this opportunity go, I took the plunge and acquired the last unit of the discontinued BBN at the said AD.
The dear Rolex service centre in my country then decides to charge me an arm and an leg (numbering 4 digits) for an original Tudor Black Bay metal bracelet. Painful as it might be to the pockets, it is one of the most beautiful 22mm machined heft of metal i've laid my eyes on. The classic Oyster style of the bracelet definitely gives it a stylish edge over the revised "riveted" version of the bracelet.
One problem with the bracelet is that it scratches way too easily, much more than cheaper brands. Uncountable marks on the clasps and the main bracelet after a week at a deskbound job, and I do not even use aluminium-surfaced laptops. The brushed finishing can no doubt be touched up with Scotch Brite, but it is an acute reminder to me not to treat this as a safe queen, but to let it breathe it destiny as a tool watch.
Though the bracelet is the version of the BBN love the most, I am equally looking forward to the variety of looks that I can acheive with this single watch over the years with the 3 different strap options. This will be a classic hit in time to come, I'm sure of it.
One of the most defining marks of the BBN is the Tudor Rose logo, now lost to the sands of time, replaced by the modern Tudor shield. To me, the rose logo represents the coming-out party celebrating a new successful era for Tudor at Baselworld 2012 with the Heritage Black Bay. It then went on to successfully win the Rival Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie in Geneva in 2013. A true icon unmatched by others in modern times.
The gilt hands and dial markers are polished to perfection. One cannot expect less from a company that's related to Rolex. This gives the watch much warmth compared to the icy cold middle child - The Black Bay Bleu. The dial is a lovely matt, revealing only its hidden textures on very close observation. The splash of colour give the watch much more visual interest than the classic monochromatic divers, and a youthful vibe to match its junior price bracket.
The dark PVD aluminium crown tube of the BBN is not as glamourous as the original red crown tube of the Heritage Black Bay, but it does provide a sense of continuity with the bezel colour. Uniformly cut grooves provide an excellent grip for the big crown. The crown action is tight and reassuring, never showing any signs of fragility that seems to imply impending damage to the top grade ETA 2824 movement inside.
Capping it all off is a polished signed crown with the classic rose logo once again engraved proudly. The defining mark that continues to put the word "Heritage" in the Heritage Black Bay line.
The noir bezel insert is the least colourful looking of the 3 options, and yet it does not forget to make itself look youth with a splash of red at its apex, bringing back memories of the pricleless classic 6538 big crown. A modern lume pip with excellent finishing will ensure that the 60 click bezel continues to work in darkness. The solid end links of the metal bracelet fits perfectly into the mid case, giving it a perfect flow of lines from one end to the other.
The caseback was the only place the Tudor shield made an appearance, together with the namesake. Machined precisely, the case back forms an important component of the diving chops that this heritage watch bring to its modern owners.
Lume is applied gratitiously across all the cream coloured markers and hands, allowing the BBN to glow in the famiiar green shade once darkness falls. The iconic snowflake hands set and the large applied markers undoubtly identifies itself as a member of the Tudor family.
With a fabric strap produced by a traditional passementerie company practicing the technique of “Jacquard†weaving, the strap boasts high a dense and high thread count that ensure its sturdiness and flexibility. The fabric strap is not your traditional NATO and provides tunnels for the slotting in of the springbars. A Tudor shield inspired tang buckle then holds the fabric strap in place on the BBN owner's wrist.
I had purchased the leather version of the watch, the last of its kind in an AD who offered an irresistable pricing. Although the distressed leather looks good, my grail had always been the bracelet edition of the BBN. Fearful to let this opportunity go, I took the plunge and acquired the last unit of the discontinued BBN at the said AD.
The dear Rolex service centre in my country then decides to charge me an arm and an leg (numbering 4 digits) for an original Tudor Black Bay metal bracelet. Painful as it might be to the pockets, it is one of the most beautiful 22mm machined heft of metal i've laid my eyes on. The classic Oyster style of the bracelet definitely gives it a stylish edge over the revised "riveted" version of the bracelet.
One problem with the bracelet is that it scratches way too easily, much more than cheaper brands. Uncountable marks on the clasps and the main bracelet after a week at a deskbound job, and I do not even use aluminium-surfaced laptops. The brushed finishing can no doubt be touched up with Scotch Brite, but it is an acute reminder to me not to treat this as a safe queen, but to let it breathe it destiny as a tool watch.
Though the bracelet is the version of the BBN love the most, I am equally looking forward to the variety of looks that I can acheive with this single watch over the years with the 3 different strap options. This will be a classic hit in time to come, I'm sure of it.
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