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blubarb
··I might rise, but I refuse to shine.I had my eye on this from its first reveal at Basel 2018. To say the least, I was very excited to have it finally arrive. There was a small hiccup in the shipping, but all was good after a few days.
What drew my attention to this watch were three details that jumped out at me:
Dial - Basically the indices are a slimmer version of the Black Bay indices – except for the triangle 12 o’ clock and stick indices at 6 and 9 o’clock. Overall the watch has a more modern feel as opposed the Arabic indicators on other iterations of the Black Bay releases. The Matte black dial with it’s deep texture is intended to absorb the light and in doing so creates a strong contrast between dial, hands and indices. The bright red “Snowflake” GMT hand against the black matte-dial is visually vibrant and jumps from the dial. In regards to the dial writing the 200m has been dropped in favour of GMT. Though it doesn’t state it, the BBGMT is still rated for 200 meters. The script “OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED” is still there to prove it’s still a chronometer. All in all, Legibility is excellent.
Case - The BBGMT has a 41mm x 14.6mm (50mm lug to lug ) case size and with some engineering design have been able to add the GMT complication without making the case thicker. The case has polished sides and a satin-brushed top. It has the iconic BB big Crown, without crown guards which I prefer, throws the BBGMT into the vintage class. Something different is that the crown tube, is now a polished crown tube. The “box” crystal adds to the thickness in measurement but not so visually. Those uncertain about a thick case then consider the new BB58.
Bezel - The bezel is a 48 click aluminium bidirectional bezel and the colour is more burgundy and navy blue as others have stated elsewhere, I might add that the insert is a matte finish. The defused colours give the watch an older feel. Personally, I like the more subdued colours. I feel as I can wear with a suit or with a T-shirt. It takes a little effort to rotate the bezel, but has very but this is a positive in my opinion as it helps to prevent accidental rotation
Lume - The lume is, as you would expect, superb. Luminosity is above average. The lume, being charged by being out in the sun, is still pouring along two hours on. The luminescent to the tip of the diamond shape, which definitely aids in legibility.
Bracelet - The bracelet the BBGMT arrived with is a rivet fitted oyster bracelet that tre,=minds me f the mid 1960s Zodiac dive bracelets. Tudor could have easily added a jubilee bracelet, but I am glad they didn’t. I think the extra bling would detract from this very real tool watch. I get it for vintage watches, but for me the Jubilee is out of place on the newer watches of Tudor or Rolex.
Movement - The use of the Tudor manufactured MT5652 COSC-certified movement with the featured GMT complication is major move and takes Tudor to another level. Another impressive gain is the 70-hour power reserve, despite a GMT complication and a jumping hour hand and date wheel. Like most modern GMT watches, the quickset date has been exchanged for the independent jumping hour hand. This bands you can change the date backwards or forwards. This example I have, the date snaps over at one minute after midnight. I might also point out that on the timegrapher the resultant output is:
Rate: +001
Beat Eror: 0.0 ms
Amp: 272
On the wrist: This wears exactly as I expected it to wear, a nice hefty feel and a case that sits nicely on my 7½ inch wrist - Just as I prefer the heft and thickness of the SD over the sub, I prefer the same with the BBGMT. The watch doesn’t overhang the wrist (like my 45mm Bulova moon watch or old 45.5 PO) and it doesn’t sit too small. It has the look of an aesthetic that is painted from the past but with a thoroughly contemporary at the same time. Tudor have been generous with the number of links in the bracelet and, unusual for me, I had to immediately remove two links to get the fit correct. It feels suitably heavy, and for me, perfectly sized. This one is easy to wear all day and as my superstitious want, I will have to wear it for the next 24 hours, but that will be easy. The only one thing I would have asked for, would have been a holes case - so much easier to strap/bracelet change.
So, all in all, am I happy with this purchase? Absolutely.
👍
What drew my attention to this watch were three details that jumped out at me:
- the hefty BB case
- The GMT complication
- the lovely subdued, desaturated pepsi matte bezel.
Dial - Basically the indices are a slimmer version of the Black Bay indices – except for the triangle 12 o’ clock and stick indices at 6 and 9 o’clock. Overall the watch has a more modern feel as opposed the Arabic indicators on other iterations of the Black Bay releases. The Matte black dial with it’s deep texture is intended to absorb the light and in doing so creates a strong contrast between dial, hands and indices. The bright red “Snowflake” GMT hand against the black matte-dial is visually vibrant and jumps from the dial. In regards to the dial writing the 200m has been dropped in favour of GMT. Though it doesn’t state it, the BBGMT is still rated for 200 meters. The script “OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED” is still there to prove it’s still a chronometer. All in all, Legibility is excellent.
Case - The BBGMT has a 41mm x 14.6mm (50mm lug to lug ) case size and with some engineering design have been able to add the GMT complication without making the case thicker. The case has polished sides and a satin-brushed top. It has the iconic BB big Crown, without crown guards which I prefer, throws the BBGMT into the vintage class. Something different is that the crown tube, is now a polished crown tube. The “box” crystal adds to the thickness in measurement but not so visually. Those uncertain about a thick case then consider the new BB58.
Bezel - The bezel is a 48 click aluminium bidirectional bezel and the colour is more burgundy and navy blue as others have stated elsewhere, I might add that the insert is a matte finish. The defused colours give the watch an older feel. Personally, I like the more subdued colours. I feel as I can wear with a suit or with a T-shirt. It takes a little effort to rotate the bezel, but has very but this is a positive in my opinion as it helps to prevent accidental rotation
Lume - The lume is, as you would expect, superb. Luminosity is above average. The lume, being charged by being out in the sun, is still pouring along two hours on. The luminescent to the tip of the diamond shape, which definitely aids in legibility.
Bracelet - The bracelet the BBGMT arrived with is a rivet fitted oyster bracelet that tre,=minds me f the mid 1960s Zodiac dive bracelets. Tudor could have easily added a jubilee bracelet, but I am glad they didn’t. I think the extra bling would detract from this very real tool watch. I get it for vintage watches, but for me the Jubilee is out of place on the newer watches of Tudor or Rolex.
Movement - The use of the Tudor manufactured MT5652 COSC-certified movement with the featured GMT complication is major move and takes Tudor to another level. Another impressive gain is the 70-hour power reserve, despite a GMT complication and a jumping hour hand and date wheel. Like most modern GMT watches, the quickset date has been exchanged for the independent jumping hour hand. This bands you can change the date backwards or forwards. This example I have, the date snaps over at one minute after midnight. I might also point out that on the timegrapher the resultant output is:
Rate: +001
Beat Eror: 0.0 ms
Amp: 272
On the wrist: This wears exactly as I expected it to wear, a nice hefty feel and a case that sits nicely on my 7½ inch wrist - Just as I prefer the heft and thickness of the SD over the sub, I prefer the same with the BBGMT. The watch doesn’t overhang the wrist (like my 45mm Bulova moon watch or old 45.5 PO) and it doesn’t sit too small. It has the look of an aesthetic that is painted from the past but with a thoroughly contemporary at the same time. Tudor have been generous with the number of links in the bracelet and, unusual for me, I had to immediately remove two links to get the fit correct. It feels suitably heavy, and for me, perfectly sized. This one is easy to wear all day and as my superstitious want, I will have to wear it for the next 24 hours, but that will be easy. The only one thing I would have asked for, would have been a holes case - so much easier to strap/bracelet change.
So, all in all, am I happy with this purchase? Absolutely.
👍
Edited:
