Is Steel & Gold Coming Back? Reviewing the Tudor Black Bay S&G Two-tone
Steel and gold, or often referred to as “Two-Tone” has been a no-go for a long time. I was very surprised when Tudor presented us with a two-tone version of their much praised Black Bay, at the Baselworld watch fair earlier this year. The Black Bay is one of the most popular watches of the last 5 years, ever since it was introduced in 2012. The first model featured a burgundy red bezel insert and since then we’ve seen several versions with different colours for the bezel insert. Last year the Geneva based brand introduced a full black edition, and that one also hit the right note among watch enthusiasts. This year a two-tone version has been added to the collection, and again it seems to become a favourite
The story in a second The Black Bay gets complicated and Tudor adds a surprising twist in the movement… Over the years Tudor has proved their mastery of a particular genre of historically revisionist bricolage – most obviously through their fan-favourite diver, the mighty Black Bay. Except now that straight up diver classification doesn’t sit so easy. The 36 and 41 models add a dressy touch, and the Chrono brings a hefty dose of sporty style to the mix. So perhaps the real question is: does the pick and mix approach, which serves Tudor so well with the relatively restrained palette of the ‘regular’ Black Bays – work with this more complicated offering? And then, of course, there’s that movement… The case The 41mm steel case of the BB Chrono is at once familiar and unfamiliar. The shape and high, slab-like sides are classic Black Bay, but the additional pushers and tachymetre bezel are new to the family and quite unfamiliar. Except that they’re kind of not. If you punch “Tudor 79180” into Google you’ll find countless examples of the ‘Big Block’ chronograph, first introduced in 1976 (six years after their first chronograph, the Prince Oysterdate) which shares the engraved steel bezel…
Editor’s Note: Sometimes it’s the first line of a story that grabs you, but in this case, it was the last. The very last sentence in fact. Adam Craniotes, co-founder of RedBar Group and longtime friend of Time+Tide (go on a virtual tour of NYC with the big man here, just don’t drive home afterwards, that Bloody Mary looks bloody strong) recently penned a review of the Patek Philippe: The Art of Watches Grand Exhibition and it concludes with these words: All in all, it’s hard to overstate just how incredible – and important – this exhibition is. At a time when the industry is reeling from a worldwide economic downturn, buyer reluctance in the face of years of out of control price hikes, and indifference from a new generation of consumers, the Art of Watches Grand Exhibition makes a compelling case for traditional watchmaking as a relevant exercise to novices and seasoned collectors alike. The occasional tremors of FOMO (fear of missing out, on horological majesty) that had afflicted all in the T+T office since the exhibition was announced swelled in my chest to full blown, full body envy. I had it bad. The exhibition was incredible, important. So, damn. How could we transport…
