BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
The Tudor Black Bay Heritage can easily be considered a renaissance watch for Tudor as since its release the brand has been riding the wave of success and has been on a continuous path of evolution. Not only has it come up numerous variations to the Black bay line, but it has also invested heavily in research and development coming up with in-house movement equipped watches such as the newly released Tudor Black Bay 58 and the Black Bay GMT making them step out of the shadow of their parent brand Rolex. And now in a move to strengthen its stand as an independent entity Tudor has launched the new Glamour big date shifting focus from the Black bay line of watches. This new watch features a slightly remodeled 42mm case, a new manufacture calibre with a big date complication and interesting dial colors to choose from. So, let’s get straight into action.
The Tudor Glamour collection has been in existence for a while and watches that fall under this collection offer a fair bit of jazz and bling (the diamond-studded versions). The new Tudor Glamour double date keeps the DNA of the collection intact but in a slightly more refined manner. First up is the new modernly sized 42mm stainless steel case which is definitely on the larger side, but at the same time would offer a healthy dose of wrist presence. The case features a polished finish for the most part including the stepped bezel on top and is water resistant to 100 meters courtesy of the screw down crown at 3. There is a sapphire crystal on the front and interestingly this model also features a sapphire crystal exhibition case back which is certainly something that one does not come across that often from Tudor. Nevertheless, it is always good to have a look at the powerhouse behind a mechanical watch which in this case happens to be the brand’s new manufacture calibre MT5641.
This new movement has a fairly industrial finish to it and has been designed keeping robustness and longevity in mind. It operates at a frequency of 4Hz, offering a power reserve of around 70 hours and is also the first Tudor calibre to feature a big date complication and a sub seconds hand at 6 o’clock. The movement has been certified by COSC with a precision going beyond the criteria of the institution of -2 +4 seconds a day and also offers some nice anti-magnetic capabilities because of the use of silicon components.
The dial on the new Tudor Glamour big date has also been reimagined as compared to the previous models in the collection. It takes a layered approach and presents an interesting mix of finishes and textures. The topmost circular layer features a concentric ring pattern and also houses the applied trapezoidal hour indices. Going a step below you are greeted by the central circular section which has a vertical stripe pattern and also contains the highlights of this piece; a nicely executed big date complication at 12 and a sub seconds dial at 6 which has also been recessed further adding a lot of depth to the dial. The big date complication is a nice shift from the regular date windows as it makes reading the date at a glance quite easier. Finally to conclude the dial you have a minute chapter ring which is a mix of printed batons and rectangles and has also been placed below the topmost layer giving a lot of dimensionality to the dial. There are 4 different dial colors to choose from; silver, black, champagne and opaline white.
The launch of the new Tudor Glamour big date is a refreshing and unexpected move from Tudor and the one that would keep their fan-base excited about what their next move would be. As for the target audience of the Glamour date, I would say that anybody in the market for an everyday watch should definitely have a look at this watch before they pull the trigger. Tudor is also offering buyers a host of variations to choose from including steel or steel and yellow gold models accompanied by either a genuine alligator strap or a steel/steel and gold bracelet. Prices for the watch start at EUR 3,050. Visit Tudor here.
