I’m really liking these long term reviews. We easily get wrapped up in the novelty of new releases and the hype that sometimes it’s not the watch that suits us. I’ve had that experience with the Cartier Santos. Left my collection after three months as it wasn’t for me in the end.
Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying this sort of video! And you're absolutely right hype and honeymoon phases can often times change the way we look at watches and checking in on it 6 months later is a great reality check. I've always loved the Santos (i was SUPER close to getting one) but i just dont wear time only watches enough to justify it. I'm hoping that my tastes change again in the future!!
I love the black bay pro. I have the 58, and although it's my daily watch and I think it has a bit more of a design language, the additional functionalities you get with the pro with the T-fit clasp, gmt hand, jumping hour hand, date function, same 39mm with 200m water resistance all make it a better watch. It's one step above the 58 overall, but I don't think it justifies me buying the Pro to replace my 58 since it's my first real luxury watch. So I'm caught in a bind here where I like the pro more but I love the 58 and two watches feel similar enough to stop me from the additional purchase, and I can't and don't want to sell my 58. It's a weird problem to have. The closest thing I'm thinking of for purchase from Tudor line is the GMT due to its completely different design language, but the size is just too big for me.
Glad to hear the BB Pro is still a keeper. Would love to see your comparison with the new San Martin SN054 with the NH34 which is thinner than the BB Pro.
Another top video TWI. I have to agree with your assessment. If I had just one criticism of my BB Pro it would be that the watch eats into the time that I could be wearing my other watches for instance my Pelagos LHD. In my humble opinion it is that good. Yes it would be nice if it was slimmer but it just works fine on my wrist. A rotating bezel would also add some more tool use but I think knurling on the bezel would take something away from the aesthetic. The slight faux aged lume was something I wasn't a fan of but it's light enough to warm the dial, it's almost like going home to a comfortable place when I put it on my wrist. Once again a top video and thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much as always! loooool yeah i get what youre saying about the BB Pro eating in to my Pelagos' wrist time although the Pelagos randomly had a long run on my wrist before getting the apple watch ultra. And lol yeah going home to a comfortable place is a good way of describing the fauxtina! its quite a subtle color and at this point it kinda feels right!
it would be sososo cool if they made their current gen ranger in 36mm bc i think it would want to get it! Unfortunately a 369 dial would step on the toes of their big brother Rolex so its unlikely that we'll see that from tudor😔(fingers still scrossed tho)
My two cents: I foolishly sold my BB58 to buy a BB GMT. I love the GMT and will be rebuying the 58. When the Pro came out, I was at the AD in a flash and got to try it on. It was a non-starter for me as it looked like a lump on a log. The Pepsi GMT bears its height better because it is a larger watch. In fact, the BB GMT seems thinner than the Pro. I like the look of the Pro, just not on my wrist.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the video! SO the BB58s weren't inherently uncomfortable necessarily but for my 925 it was just a little irritating that it wasnt on a bracelet and for the BB58 blue Tudor "reduced" the thickness by taking a bit off of the top of the caseback which meant that the oyster style "teeth" became more angled instead of curved and smooth and this led to the watch not being able to move around on my wrist smoothly which bothered me. This is super hard to explain with pictures but also this is also probably a very "me" problem lol But as for the BB GMT i actually got one when it got released and it looked great but i actually returned the watch shortly afterwards. To me everything was just a bit too big on it. The case was just too big and wide for me since it has 22mm lugs which increased the visual weight. The 22mm bracelet felt a bit too wide for me as well and since it has a stepped riveted bracelet it felt much wider than the smoothly tapered 22mm bracelets of the early BB41 and Pelagos bracelet. On top of that all that extra metal made it heavier than i would have expected from a 41mm watch. Honestly if the BB GMT had a 20mm lug width i probably would have stuck with it! Thats where the game changed for me with the BB Pro. Since it had a 20mm bracelet everything felt good and in proportion and the thickness hasnt been an issue for me on my wrist from the start because of how well it wears. The only time the thickness is noticeable is when i see it directly from the side, other than that it looks like a BB58 on the wrist. (check out my other videos about the BB Pro if you want more visuals comparing it against my BB58s!)
@@thewatchidiot that’s interesting about the BB58 blue. Is that not the case on the black gilt versions? The BB GMT is visually stunning but yeah it needs to go on a diet. 41mm case with 48mm lug to lug, 20mm lug width and under 14mm thickness would be perfect. The Pro is a nice piece too but I find it a little boring to look at compared to Tudor’s other watches. I like the BB58 rings around the indices because the light play is amazing on them. I own a black gilt 58 and I’d probably only upgrade for a BB GMT with those specs I mentioned before.
Just got my BB Pro 3 weeks ago! Having a smaller wrist the thickness was always a concern, but the watch wears so well and comfortable I don't even notice it. Thanks for the great coverage over the past few months!
I think the BB Pro is one of Tudor’s most attractive watches in their lineup. Unfortunately I really have no use for a GMT and as such I just don’t think it would be a keeper for me as I would always be thinking about it being built around a function I won’t use
Tudor made a looker for sure! Tbh i really dont need any gmts either lol but i just love seeing the different look and especially the 4th hand. In the end if a watch looks good and makes me feel good its worth it!
I have a quick question when u bought the tudor. Do the AD gave you a tudor watch cloth ? Because i just bought it and i didnt receive the watch cloth from them. Thank you
Off topic but have you ever reviewed the Orient Star dive watch? The 1964 1st and 2nd editions ( circa 2020 and 2022 respectively, I believe). I really enjoy your YT channel. Cheers.
Oh man I was soooooo close to buying the 1964 1st edition the the proportions and the steel bezel/black dial combo was too good! unfortunately it was right on the edge of being a bit too expensive for me so i had to pass on it. That being said I would absolutely still love to get one at some point! Thanks for the support!
Good to see that the BB Pro is going strong! Makes for a great pairing with your Pelagos. Definitely would have been cool if this had a rotatable bezel like you said.
Thanks as always man! Yeah its still an awesome watch so i think its got the staying power thats needed, and i still dream about this watch with a rotatable bezel lol if only there was a way to mod it!
@@thewatchidiot if only there was a Tudor modding community lol. Also agreed on your thoughts about how a watch pulling you in consistently is a critical part of achieving keeper status bc I have a few watches that I don't wear often but I love seeing them on my wrist whenever their time comes
If only I was able to machine things or at least design things like a bezel bc I'd do it myself! Yeah my Sinn 556 was a watch that consistently pulled me in and it lasted in my collection way longer than expected considering that I didn't wear it often. But that black hole dial is too good! Which watches pull you in?
I’m still in the honeymoon period with mine (about 8 months) I’ve just ordered the bracelet as I want to give it a try but I wish it was more like the ranger bracelet. I still think it’s a bit chunky, even a mm off would have been better. I originally tried on a pelogos years ago but thought it was to big, especially the thickness. I tried one on today and having got used to the pro I now think the Pelogos is fine for me but I can’t justify two watches that similar and the pro edges it for me.
The fauxtina indices, riveted bracelet, and on paper thickness aren’t deal breakers individually but combined it def puts a pause for me. At least enough to wait a year or so to see what else Tudor does.
I completely understand your would’ve been nice complaints, in a recent trip i got lucky and tried a ranger, and even though the dial felt very sterile, the bracelet was just smooth, plus you’re right about the bezel is so freaking useful, tested it with my Certina dive bezel as a faux GMT and it worked great, though it was weird getting used to it Sorry for coming late, but I’ve been trying to reach you since last week through my two emails a gmail and a hotmail and last weeks video comments, if it’s over I completely get it
Yeah I tried on the ranger and i lved that the bezel was brushed alongside everything else. I also use my dive bezels to track other timezones! Dive bezels ftw for sure. Yeah i saw you gmail email and my apologies about the delayed response on my end! I actually replied back to it about an hour ago so check it out when you get a chance😁
How can you do this??? 😱 You're saying that the Pro is a keeper, and how incredible it is JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!! Have you no respect for my bank balance? I've been trying to squash my desire for one of these because of the cost of living crisis here in the UK... but now? Seriously, I really like this watch. I already have a GMT and the size isn't an issue, but this watch is incredible. I like your analysis Mr I, and I may well end up succumbing... Thanks for this, and I look forward to your next video 🙂👋🍻
looooooool I made this video just for you then😂 Tudor made an incredible watch here so i wouldnt blame you for succumbing to it so maybe consider it a gift to yourself for a good year! Thank you for your support it means a lot to me and on to the next video!
Ah yeah a polar dial version would be super cool! I'm sure that version will come out at some point although I wonder how they'll integrate the borderless 3D ceramic lume plots
How would you compare with the modern rolex explorer 2 (216570/226570) since you used to own one of those? I wonder if you own a previous gen explorer 2 (16570) would this speak any differently?
The 216570 explorer II is an amazing watch no doubt about it! I loved the polar dial alongside the orange gmt hand and the comfort of an oyster bracelet is unparalleled IMO. But for me it wore just a bit too big for my taste bc it wears like a big 42mm (it visually wears bigger than my Pelagos lol!) Also I'm not a fan of the bezel font although its not a huge deal I really love the previous generation 16570 mainly bc of that 40mm size i would have wanted to get one but i like the orange gmt hand of the current generation although theres nothing wrong with the red gmt hand either. That said if Rolex ever releases a 40mm version of current gen i would be super excited! So for me the BB Pro gives me a modern explorer II in the size that i've always wanted! On top of that i absolutely love the classic/more streamlined bezel font and the different look the yellow snowflake gmt hand offers. So yeah overall the BB Pro is offering a watch that hits all the spots for me
@@thewatchidiot cool, makes sense. I find the new explorer 2 cool cause it's a bit more modern and aggressive. But I agree that if it was 40mm it would be phenomenal. The black bay pro is awesome as well but it has a more vintage subdued style.
Let me predict the future for you. The Tudor BB Pro is a banging watch but it will ultimately leave your collection because you’ll get tired of trying to get over the rivets and thickness of the watch🙄 Great video!
Looool past BB58s might suggest that for sure😅! But Ive never really had any big issues with the design of the riveted bracelet even on my BB58 Blue! The main issue on that was that I was between links on it and by the time uncle Seiko released the half link the damage was already done. The TFIT clasp solved that and the thickness hasn't been an issue pretty much from the start so it's looking good for the BB Pro! (That is if my temptation to rebuy a Seamaster 300M doesnt overwhelm me in the meantime😬)
Great to see you enjoying this watch. San Martin just released their Homage of this. With white rather than patina and the NH34. No rivet bracelet. Oh and it's thinner.
Thanks man! Yeah i saw the updated version from SM bc the original one with the horrific dark yellow/orange fauxtina was a bit much for me but this new version is looking really good! Oh and its got brushed case sides as well its like they created a TWI edition for me lol!
For me , it's nearly impossible for a watch to gain " keeper status ". Im a perpetual flipper at heart. But some do stay , for some weird and unknown reason , i can't out a finger on why exactly.
Yeah I know how you feel! I've sold somewhere around 33 watches over the past 2 years and other than a very core few every watch could be sold. So maybe the BB Pro is achieved "safe" status instead bc if a super special watch at this price comes up at some point the BB Pro might be sacrificed. But it would have to be something reeeally special to knock out the BB Pro
@@thewatchidiot hahah damn , that's alot !! I think ive bought and sold about 20 in the last two years. Most of them only had one small feature that i didn't like , but im nit-picky like that. 😂 That's why I'm noe working on my own custom watch , couldn't find the perfect watch.
Sadly the thickness is a dealbreaker imo. I love being able to slip my watch under my cuff and usually try to stay under 10mm thick. I did try on the BB pro at my local AD and immediately noticed it. Such a shame , because i absolutely love the look and diameter
Out of curiosity which brands/models do you buy that are under 10mm and are not high horology or dress watches? Just find it a bit unrealistic to find SS sport models below 12mm thick let alone 10mm.
@@omarion07 there are literally countless brands that make watches under 10mm thick. Just maybe not what you are looking at 😂 maybe if i said , under 7mm thick , I'd agree on your high horology comment.
@@HRM.H can you name a few? As far as I know Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Tag, Tudor, Zenith, IWC do not do “sport” models under 12mm thick unless you go for 36mm models which are very few. And BTW models back in the 1960s were thinner than what they’re today.
For many reasons. And as you asked…. Partly as they essentially embody the hypocrisy of the watch community - ‘Homages are the devil - how dare they’ / ‘oh I love the Black Bay it’s so awesome’. ‘Tudor is it’s own thing and not a poor mans Rolex at all’ / ‘Tudor is allowed to homage as they are essentially a Rolex too’. Partly because they are entirely unoriginal in most of what they do (Unoriginal design (Rolex homages) / unoriginal movement (just buy a mvmt manufacturer) / unoriginal branding / trash history as a Rolex bargain bin / new history engineered around paying footballers to pose in them etc etc etc). Partly because their designs are usually flawed - on what feels like purpose to avoid competing too closely with Rolex (this is crazy for a $3-4 watch!) - slab sides / overly thick / average finishing / consistent reliability issues. And partly because I personally dislike their design language - for me it’s bland, ubiquitous, and uninspiring- but then I would think this as it’s what I think about Rolex. However at least Rolex came up with these designs themselves and carved out their reputation. Well they did it for Tudor too obviously. All very personal to me - each to their own and all that. I like history and originality and truthfulness on brands - I respect Rolex even if they aren’t for me - same as Omega and BRIETLING etc - not my wheel-house but I get them. Tudor - nahhh!!
