Want a 50 year old Rolex Explorer II, but don't have 30 grand? Enter the Black Bay Pro, Tudor's new and best GMT in my opinion. But is it TOO thick? Find out in this video.
I tried on the BB Pro at my AD with the nato and was initially turned off because of how top heavy it felt. Glad I gave it another try because this wears so much better/different for me with the bracelet. I'm now waiting to purchase one. Agree that it does seem that Tudor is a bit of a Rolex throwback. In reality, Tudor is the only watch brand that can blend in older Rolex designs with validity. They are the same family and that's great for all of us. Tudor on its own is a top watch brand with great value for the money. It's a breath of fresh air for people who love vintage Rolex yet with modern construction.
I've got an extensive collection already and so am more discerning when adding a new watch. I was on the list for the BB Pro as soon as it was announced, but ended up taking a pass after trying it on my 7 inch wrist, on bracelet. The overall thickness isn't an issue for me, my 16600 Sea-Dweller is similar, but that slab-sidded, fat mid-case just ruins it for me. Is it too thick? For me personally, yes. I think the indices are too small too. It would have been nice if they could have used more of the maxi-dial size of Rolex indices. The rest of the watch (handset, diameter, bracelet, and bezel) I loved.
i've owned many tudors. the last was the pelagos, which sat on my wrist like a brick and was a scratch magnet. they could learn and or two from seiko and citizen about hardening titanium if they cared
The comments regarding thickness are becoming exhausting. Everybody said the BB GMT was too thick. Then I put it on my wrist and absolutely loved it. This is the same crowd that wants every watch to be 39mm and also complains of wrist fatigue due to heft of watch. Pretty nit picky and ridiculous, seems like a lot of reviewers can’t find a real fault so these are the default complaints.
Great review. I get it, on paper it seems thick but everyone is speculating without wearing it on the wrist… everyone that’s owned or worn one has stated the thickness is not an issue… I’ve had mine on bracelet for 4 months and I’m head over heels for it! Love watch crunch!
Got mine on the bracelet about 10 days ago. The thickness was a concern until I put it on- and it's no problem for me (7.25" wrist). It's virtually the same thickness as the Black Bay Ceramic which I have and like a lot. It might be on the border between too thick and very comfortable but it's on the right side of that line for me. The bracelet is fantastic and the clasp works better IMO than the Rolex Glidelock (and I have a few of them for comparison). Great piece for the $$$, nice review!
I wish people would stop comparing it to that old Rolex, if you want to compare it, it’s much more similar to the current explorer 2. We really should judge watches on what they are and give up on labelling and judging them compared to other watches unless they are realistic competitors. I’m awfully glad I hadn’t seen those close ups when I bought mine, it does not loot great in macro but at normal scales it looks perfect. Faux lume has negative connotations, personally I think the off white / cream coloured lume look great and really suit the watch, I don’t think it’s their to fake age, more that if it was bright white it would look too stark. Personally I think it looks best on the rubber but I would have probably bought it on the metal bracelet given the option, I still may add one but I’m not convinced I’d want to use it. I hate watches that move on my wrist and I find this does not move at all but I wear it a fraction tighter than I would like. I think the best thing about this watch is the size, 39mm really suits my 7 inch wrist. I was put off by the thickness and even in the shop I wasn’t sure but once I started wearing it, that issue goes away, for me it looks less chunky than the pelogos and a lot less chunky than a normal black bay. The biggest negative for me is the gmt hand is a little distracting when reading the time, but I guess that is the trade off of having the gmt. Mine has been very accurate, when testing it was -0.3 seconds a day. All in, I absolutely love it and I’m on my way to the ad to see if I can see it on steel.
It's a blatant homage to the Rolex 1655 (which isn't a bad thing), so it's going to be compared to that watch. It's just a natural comparison to line the BB Pro up against the model it was heavily influenced by.
@@Portland_Living_Life I agree, a homage is not a bad thing but…. The black bay pro has a a very similar bezel and minute hand and it’s black, but the glycine did the stainless bezel first, had a black dial and a thin minute hand so feel free to compare it to that as rolex came after. Being inspired but others designs is natural. The old Rolex's dial has 24 markers, most rectangular, the pro has mostly round markers and half as many. The Rolex has an orange 24hour indicator, the pro has a yellow gmt hand, do people struggle to tell the difference? The rolex has a barnacle, the pro has no cyclops The Rolex has crown protectors, the pro hasn’t Basically if the black bay pro is a homage of the old watch, they did an awful job, it’s much closer to the current explorer 2.
Just bought one, I have large wrists and thought it might be too small if a little thick. I was wrong, I love it so much so I am considering parting with my BB Harrods as this is so much more versatile.
great review - picked one up in user condition (as should be since it's a tool) for under 2500. My first "luxury" watch purchase! At first I was deterred due to the rumors of thickness but after going back and researching it more, I actually fell in love - I chose it over the bb 58 because of the GMT and DATE function, I can't fathom watches without the date! I always assumed it was a big watch because all videos and photos make it look huge, but after getting it in person and seeing it for the first time as well as being on my wrist, it's actually quite small. I'm sure I can pull off a 41mm. Out of all the reviews I've seen on this watch, no one explains how to use the GMT function, would you be able to do a video showing that?
Nice review Max. With the caveat that I haven't held any of the three GMTs I'm about to mention, in pics/video (and on paper) I lean toward Longines Spirit Zulu Time first, then Tudor's new Root Beer GMT second, over this one in regards to GMT releases this year.
@@isaiahgray6415 Longines Zulu Time has a case diameter of 42mm compared to the 39mm Tudor BB Pro. Longines also has a lug to lug of 50mm while the Pro is 47mm. Although the Longines is thinner slightly those other dimensions does affect the overall feel of the watch on the wrist in terms of size.
For me, I think the Ranger is next, then this. I love them both, but I feel the Pro already hits some of the notes I love about my BB58, so I feel less of a need to own it. I almost feel like a collection should have this OR the black BB58. If I had the blue I'd probably be gasping for this, though.
Great review. Big fan of Tudor and glad to see they’ve introduced a new clasp and overall the package for the price is very good however the height of the watch is a big challenge. They seriously need to work on reducing it to explode as a brand imo
"Looking past dimensions on paper" literally applies to every single watch. I laugh at all the people who say things like, "If this watch were only 1mm smaller I'd be able to wear it." Really, bro? LOL. lug-to-lug > diameter, for example. lug-to-lug is pretty much the sole determinant of whether a watch will fit you. For me the that limit is ~54 with a seven inch wrist. And wrist SHAPE also matters. My wrist is flatter I guess, because I can wear what a lot of people would claim as being too big for my wrist size.
Excellent and honest review of this watch. I'd love to get my hands on the BB Pro with the bracelet when (if) it becomes more widely available in Canada.
It’s a pretty cool watch from Tudor. Ridiculous thickness aside it’s extremely interesting, but for someone who has both the 42mm and 40mm Explorer 2, I simply struggle to find a reason to add this piece to my collection. There’s no room and no purpose for this watch to exist next to it’s bigger brothers from Rolex. If I were to buy this regardless, it would just be another watch that never gets a single minute of wrist time…
There's too much crossover between Rolex and Tudor designs. I own a few neo vintage Rolexes which include a 40mm Polar E2, 39mm Explorer, 40mm pre-ceramic Sea-Dweller & a non-date Sub. With each subsequent release of a new Black Bay or Pelagos, I can't justify adding any of them to my collection as none of them can replace any of my Rolexes. Although I do like the designs, tech specs and materials of the new Tudor releases, none have stood out to replace my Rolex collection. I was thinking about getting the Pelagos 39 but my 40mm Sea-Dweller kicks it's butt.
Just discovered your channel. Why crunchy? Anyway like your style of review and I wasn’t convinced about this watch but your review has made me think twice.
With both the Pepsi GMT and the BB Pro Tudor offered 200m of WR instead of the 100m of their Rolex cousins. And both Tudors are thicker than their Rolex counterparts. Which leaves two questions I'd love to see you address: how much of the ~2mm added thickness is due to the increased water resistance of the case? Basically every watch buyer would accept 100m WR in exchange for a thinner case -- so this matters. Second, will Tudor release a BB Pro Polar in 2024 like they did with the GMT in 2023? Since the Explorer II Polar is far more popular than the black dial version (and the white dial GMT costs more used), I have to think that this will be in the cards at some point.
1972 Rolex Explorer 1655: 13mm thick with time, date, GMT, and automatic 2022 Black Bay Pro GMT: 14.6mm thick with time, date, GMT, and automatic Glad to see so much advancement in 50 years! The BB Pro seems like a lazy cash grab. Slap the big MT5652 movement from the full size Pepsi GMT into a smaller case, adorn it design DNA mimicking an older and much greater watch, and collect the Benjamins. If Tudor cared, they would have instead used the considerably thinner BB58 movement as a base and added a GMT complication, resulting in a watch much closer in proportions to the original 1655. But every single review on YT, I mean every single one, even from the shill influencers (this guy isn’t a shill influencer BTW he’s legit), feels the need to either criticize or make excuses for the thickness. Tudor knew that would be the elephant in the room, but figured their name cache would carry them
Yeah it's sad we've not made much progress in that time. Only silver lining is that the new GMT has independent hour hand, but it's a small consolation 😞
When the BB Pro was announced it didn't really do much for me on paper. When I got the call to have a look at one I thought why not just expecting the dimensions to put me off right away. Wow was I wrong, Somehow it all just works. The look has an elegant toolish vibe and OK it draws on a watch aesthetic that is no longer available but Tudor's execution with there own tweaks has produced a very desirable piece in my humble opinion. The bracelet is brilliant and it is so comfortable, the T-Fit clasp works perfectly and is one of the best that I've used. I have said it before and I'll say it again, do not dismiss a piece just because of the dimensions on paper, if you can see it in the flesh and try it on you just might be surprised. I certainly was. Thanks for sharing Max.
Excellent assessment, and quite well written! The Los Angeles & the Griffith Observatory background are the pièce de résistance of the video - LA is my "Holy Land", and Griffith Observatory my Church.
Nice review. I love the styling but the height is too much to ignore for me. The “slab cut” tudor style of the case only accentuates the tall look of the watch imo. Also many like to switch over to straps and I can already see this being top heavy on one.
I got a 58 and love it, but would not consider anything thicker. I wish Tudor had a GMT with the same dimensions or at least more variations of the 58.
Tried on recently at my AD : Looks better in the metal than on the screen Looks better than a Rolex 1655 Coming from a BB58, this Pro looked thick on my wrist With these specs, this movement, this brand heritage and at that price, this is a hard to beat deal. An Oris Propilot X Caliber 400 on a steel bracelet is €150 more expensive !
I have a question regarding the Blackbay Pro. In particular regarding the holes milled into the underside of the clasp. What do these holes do? The small holes in a line don’t seem to have a purpose. The actual locking mechanism for the quick adjust is the thin wide grooves hidden when in use. I would ask an AD but It’s unlikely they would know.
Thanks for this video! I have the watch on bracelet you captured this GMT Pro very nicely! The only negative thing with my GMT Pro is that Tudor has modified the movement it now has an undesirable clicking feedback sensation when you wind it, my new Blackbay GMT steel & gold also has the same but my Tudor GMT Pepsi which has the same movement does not have the clicking feeling it is perfectly smooth to wind. I do prefer the crown grip on this GMT Pro though :)
Hi Max, as a potential buyer of this watch I am revisiting your excellent video. I have a question: a lot has been made of the Rolex Explorer influence on this watch, with some people ungenerously calling Tudor an homage brand. So: where does the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 GMT fit into this debate? Nobody has claimed that the GS is a Rolex homage, but the Seikos, if anything, have a greater similarity to the Rolex than the Tudor does... the presence of crown guards being an example. What's your take on this?
Your video has shown me that depending upon what you are wearing this watch has completely changed my opinion due to the colours you were wearing that's a very nice watch I would consider however the snide bracelet is a no no
It’s not the thickness that annoys me it’s now the overall dimension. The thickness works better on a bigger watch. I tried one on and it was just awkwardly small AND thick. The 41 is much more proportionate
I've been obsessed with adding a 16570 to the collection -- but it's hard to justify paying almost double for something 30 years old when the BB Pro exists. First world problems!
The only tudor I'm getting (only allowed one) will just be the standard heritage 41mm in burgundy bezel. I'm waiting for the price to go down a little on the grey dealer I buy from. Starts w letter J
GMT of the year? Possibly. Seiko has said "hold my beer" with the 5KX GMT. Obviously not on the same level, though it will potentially make a market impact. Btw 14.5 is the same as my 2500 Planet Ocean, definitely doable. Not normally a Tudor fan, though this one is interesting. Thanks Max. ⌚️👍🌎
Straight on the BB Pro is stunning, but from the side it just looks too chunky for me. If it would really aim to be a tool watch I think it should have crown guards to protect the crown during rugged activities and drilled lugs are a must then. Great video though
I got one last week! I love it! Sheesh… the complaining on the thickness is silly. I have 6.5 wrist and it fits great. Love the adjustable band! So simple and easy! Buy one!
Made my peace with faux rivets. Love that expression. I really do like Tudor's faithful interpretation (with their own twist) of the venerable 1655. In many ways, I like Tudor's version more. That being said, I am not a fan of the 70s Rolex Explorer II. It's not the GMT I'd choose. However, I do appreciate Tudor's spin on it.
I'm curious about the clasp length itself. My BB58 clasp length (the folding part of the clasp) is too long IMO and for small wristed folk like myself the clasp length pushes the bracelet out slightly instead of wrapping around my wrist. Is the length of the new clasp on the BB pro shorter in length compared to the bb58?
Thick slab sided and really just an expensive homage watch but the fans will still eat it up. I also dislike this 'like the old Rolex' narrative when they are still incredibly hard to attain and just as adored by the instagram poser mob
I respectfully disagree. The Longines Spirit Zulu Time is the GMT of the year: more original design, better aviation and overall brand heritage, more dial depth and detail, more dynamic colors, thinner case, and also has an "in-house" true GMT movement (made by ETA exclusively for Longines, much like Kenissi making this movement for Tudor).
I am in love with my Tudor BB 41 and the Pepsi BB GMT, no doubt, and I am not thinking of getting the Longines Zulu but I would also rank the Zulu as the GMT of the year
For almost the same amount of money, I’m really torn between this and the GS SBGM245. The GS is slightly more svelte at 14.4mm but the Tudor really channels that retro 70s diver vibe well with this BB Pro. On the other hand that finish on the GS is to die for…..
I just bought this watch. I have 6.75 inch wrist. It’s not too thick. It’s not a big watch. I cannot understand what’s so much noise about the thickness until I tried the watch.
We all know the Explorer 2 white dial is the one to have , but if Tudor did the black bay with a white dial. I would have one in an instant….at last I have found Watch Crunch a blogger who says it as it is Thank you.