The snowflake design, along with forming a extremely legible set of dive watch fingers, rapidly and simply distinguishes a Tudor watch from some other model’s wares—together with these from Rolex. Personally, it took me some years to come back round to snowflake fingers. (I initially most popular the “lollipop” fingers of sure classic Subs to the snowflake, and fellow nerds thought I used to be loopy. They could have been proper.) Today, I fairly like them, and so they do certainly differentiate one thing just like the BB 58 GMT from a Rolex GMT-Grasp II—which in any other case look very related. My one subject is that, on this initially BB 58 GMT colorway, the seconds hand is similar colour and form of the hour hand. I’d personally a lot desire this hand to be a distinct colour, like on the metal variations of the Black Bay GMT. Perhaps in a future “Pepsi” model the model will go away off the gilt coloring, and alter the seconds hand to pink?
Want Checklist
For me—and for a lot of of us, seemingly—the Black Bay GMT regarded excellent, however was only a contact too broad, and too tall. The Black Bay Professional equally regarded like 1,000,000 bucks, however at 14.6 mm was means too tall. The BB 58 GMT, however? Goldilocks watch, no query. It’s good at 39 mm by 12.8 mm, and the rivet bracelet is completely comfy. (I attempted the watch on its rubber strap in Geneva, although I didn’t put on it for per week at dwelling for evaluation. It, too, was extremely comfy.) My one want is that Tudor would make a 20-mm five-link bracelet—just like the Rolex Jubilee bracelet—to suit this mannequin. One of many joys of the Rolex GMT-Grasp II in metal is having fun with that model’s Jubilee bracelet, which is extremely elegant and cozy. I’m hoping a future BB 58 GMT could have this as an possibility.
My different huge want concerning the BB 58 GMT is for a 24-hour observe on the dial itself—ideally, on a rehaut, or interior flange past the minute observe in order that it wouldn’t intrude with the dial design. Why an interior 24-hour observe? As a result of although this watch, with its independently adjustable native hour hand, can technically observe three time zones, in follow that is tough: While you transfer the 24-hour bezel to trace your third zone, you now not have a set 24-hour scale seen towards the dial’s fingers, which makes studying your second time zone robust until you’ve memorized the positioning of the 24-hour indications. Sure timepieces, such because the Monta Skyquest, repair this by putting a 24-hour observe on the dial itself. I’d like to see this in a future Tudor GMT watch.
The Backside Line
I’ve been ready for this look ahead to six years, and I’ve to say: I like the heck out of it. Is the black-and-red “Coke” bezel with gilt accents and printing my superb colorway? It’s not—in truth, I’d desire a “Pepsi” colour, which jives a bit higher with my wardrobe and appears a bit “happier,” to my thoughts—however I nonetheless discovered myself glancing down at all of it week, appreciating its subtleties and quirks. Its sizing is right for me, and the bracelet is extremely comfy. I’ve little doubt in anyway that this “Coke” model is merely the primary of many colorways to come back, and that subsequent yr’s Watches & Wonders will yield one more compelling iteration.
For fixed vacationers like myself, the BB 58 GMT is the perfect on a regular basis watch. As a result of it’s constructed like a tank and boasts 200 meters of water resistance, I by no means needed to fear about it when on wrist, and I’d be completely comfy swimming and even diving with it. (Although technically not a dive watch, you should use its bi-directional bezel as a dive timer in a pinch.) It additionally appears nice with outfits each informal and even a bit extra formal—although it’s maybe a bit too colourful and chunky for, say, black tie. At barely lower than $5K and with a COSC- and METAS-certified motion and “flyer” GMT performance, it’s under no circumstances cheap, however actually a whole lot of look ahead to the cash…
Most likely greater than you’ll ever want, in truth.