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14060N vs Tudor Black Bay 58

  1. mrchen May 31, 2018

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    Hi all,

    I have the opportunity to purchase a birth-year 14060 sub, but have been eyeing the BB58 since it's debut at Basel this year. Which one is the safer bet? For all intents and purposes, the Tudor is the "better watch" on paper, what with the COSC certified movement & modern construction. Yet, the Rolex has the great tritium dial, and old school pre-super case, and well.. "Rolex" on the dial.

    I do have a some fears that this particular sub has a) service hands that don't match the dial's patina, and b) been a little over-polished on the case flanks, allowing the spring bars to protrude out of the case a little more than it should:
     
    rolexsub.jpg tudor-black-bay-58-watches-news.jpg
  2. Wyatt66 May 31, 2018

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    I’ve been burned a couple of times buying vintage, so personally I’d get the BB58 from an AD (helps that the BB58 looks like it will turn out to be a stonker). However, it’s all about your preferences, your budget and your attitude to risk. Also depends how much you trust the buyer.

    The attraction of vintage is that every one is unique, but the downside is dings, service dials and uncertain histories.

    If you want perfection and absolute authenticity, then I would go new. I’m a bit risk averse right now, especially because I don’t know enough about every vintage watch that catches my eye. Only my opinion of course. Let us know which way you decide.
     
  3. queriver May 31, 2018

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    Perhaps there's a 3rd option to consider depending on what you regard as a "safe bet". The Tudor Heritage Black Bay 79220N with ETA movement and rose logo on the dial was only on the market a few months before Tudor replaced it with a similar but not identical watch with in-house movement. As a result they are now quite scarce. The 79220N case is a bit bigger than the BB58 but I think about the same size as the 14060. It's not COSC certified but the ETA movement will save you money on servicing down the track. A quick scan now on C24 showed up a couple and the asking prices are higher than the original 2015 retail price which gives some indication that they are sought after and should hold their value in future due to scarcity. Keep in mind some listings may only include the NATO or leather strap, others the bracelet. I wear mine with the OEM bracelet and NATO, both work well. It's worth getting the bracelet IMHO. Obviously, expect to pay more if it comes with bracelet.

    Here's a 2015 review on Hodinkee: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/t...lack-bay-black-reference-79220n-by-john-mayer
     
    ptfly likes this.
  4. Tacket May 31, 2018

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    A bit irrelevant to your topic as I'm not in the market for a vintage sub, but I totally love the size of the BB58 and look forward to seeing one in real life.
     
  5. jud May 31, 2018

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    I think it boils down to whether or not you want to own a Rolex. I own a couple, the BB58 is next on my list if my wife ever lets me buy another watch. Case is great, thinner and smaller than other BBs. Like you said, a Rolex is...
     
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  6. SuperHero May 31, 2018

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    The BB58 and the 14060 will be about the same size. Future value? The Sub. The BB58 is new and the in-house with 72 hr power reserve makes it a winner. Rivet bracelet? Love it. If you can get the Sub for the same money as a BB58, it’ll come down to new versus vintage, how you plan to use the watch and how it feels on the wrist.

    I’d be bold and say BB58 but then again, I owned a Sub 5513 for 17 years so...

    Keep us in the loop.
     
  7. Faz May 31, 2018

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    Had the sub been all original, no brainer as far as I'm concerned. In this case, the Tudor hands down
     
  8. ulackfocus May 31, 2018

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    So why not purchase a new no-date Sub?
     
    watch3s and Nobel Prize like this.
  9. Cuttysark Jun 1, 2018

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    buy them all :D
     
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  10. jaguar11 Jun 1, 2018

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    Tudor out of these two for me. Poorly polished case is no good.... Good luck!
     
  11. sdre Jun 1, 2018

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    Hands might not be replacement. They usually age slower than the markers itself for this era. (Rolex that is.)
     
  12. mrchen Jun 1, 2018

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    I considered it initially... but the new Rolex cases have absolutely no lines. They’re big and brash, the lume pips are proportionally too large, there’s too much metal on the lugs, everything about it just (to me) looks wrong.
     
  13. rkman11 Jun 1, 2018

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    I agree, if the Rolex had been all original and not over polished - it would be a no brainier for me. I've been lusting after the BB58 as well, but truth be told, it'll just not true vintage. So if true vintage is what you're after, especially a birth year, I;'d say hold out for another birth year sub.
     
  14. skipper Jun 9, 2018

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    As others have said, there is another option... a nice 14060 that hasn't been over-polished and with matching dial/hands. We're talking about a 14060 here, not a 5508, or even a 5513. Shouldn't be that difficult to find, just have to be a little patient.

    And furthermore re birth year etc, while there's arguably less parts 'creep' during production with newer Subs like the 14060 (dial/case/case back/bracelet etc) than Rolex of old, you'd still be wise IMO to open out your search to at least a year each side of your birth year, and potentially a couple of years if using the original warranty papers as your barometer.
     
  15. Nobel Prize Spell Master! Jun 9, 2018

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    Try them both on, I’d be surprised if the 14060 doesn’t blow the Tudor out of the water. At that point look for a better example or a newer 14060.

    The Tudor is absolutely incredibly photogenic. Stunning. But on the wrist it doesn’t wear as well imo. Also don’t like the Tudor bracelet. The 14060 is the last of an era. The direct descendant of the 5512/13 and the last pin hole/ aluminum bezel model. After that you have ceramic and square lugs and boxy cases... which are still appealing but no longer part of that classic line.

    Also, I’m curious. What’s your birth year? I assume when you say 14060N you mean M? That being the case you’re talking about 20 years ago max? Also can’t remember if the M ever had tritium.....

    On the hands they do seem like a replacement. I don’t care that that’s the case if it’s disclosed and accounted in the price but the difference in Patina aesthetics would drive me nuts. But see if you can see in person, sometimes things like that matter less to the eye outside of the screen.

    Lastly a good 14060 ( m or not) will gain value far more than the Tudor. Just in case that matters to you. Just like the 12 and then the 13 series did, in a decade or two the 14060 will be highly priced
     
    Edited Jun 9, 2018
    frederico likes this.
  16. mrchen Aug 9, 2018

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    Update everyone! I settled on th BB58 and just received it earlier today.


    One thing that is slightly bothering me though and I’m not sure if I’m correct, but the bezel does not look completely aligned with the dial. Does anybody else see it? It’s most noticable at the 3 o’clock position, where the index and crown arent perfectly paralell.
     
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  17. many Aug 9, 2018

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    Yeah it definitely looks a little off to me. The bezel chevron doesn't look aligned at the 12 to me.
     
  18. blufinz52 Hears dead people, not watch rotors. Aug 9, 2018

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    Looks to me that the bezel is not aligned with the 1, 2 and 3 positions. Same goes for the 4, 5 6 and 7 positions, but fine the rest of the way. Strange.
     
  19. Castle4444 Aug 9, 2018

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    I had a similar problem with a Breitling, not as bad as this either. I’d definitely send it back with in the warranty period. Is it 2 years??
     
  20. mrchen Aug 9, 2018

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    Yeah I’ve got two years on the warranty, but I’d hate to lose this watch for a few more weeks after just getting it to fix something that’s fractions of a millimeter off... I think I’m going to inform my AD about the issue and wear it happily until it starts to really bother me.
     
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