Is the Tudor Black Bay 58 my next watch?
Is the Tudor Black Bay 58 my next watch? Is it my final watch? I'm always in the pursuit of perfection, but I have also been blinded by advertisements, forum posts, Instagram... everything. I could be wearing one of my watches, thinking about another (this is quite often the case).
I already have amassed a wonderful compilation of a variety of watches, but the desire continues. I'm looking for that ideal watch. The one that's tough, looks good, keeps impeccable time, is easily read in the dark, and is straightforward to operate - no nuances.
Honestly, the Speedmaster Professional fits that description quite well. It looks great, keeps decent time (a little fast, but consistent), is easily read as I'm falling asleep in the middle of the night, and has the simple chronograph pushers. No date to worry about. It's perhaps a little blingy on its bracelet, but on NATO it's sleek as can be. But I can't help but think about its fragility. I haven't owned it for a year yet and one of the pushers already came off once. Yes, the AD helped remedy that situation quickly, but still. The fricken pusher fell off. Honestly, I think that's the main thing holding me back from just committing to the speedy. Maybe I just need to keep wearing it and see if any other malfunctions occur? Maybe. Hesalite buffing isn't too big of a deal to me (at least I type that).
The Seamaster 300M is in a similar situation. It's PERFECT in some ways. In other ways it leaves me a little perplexed. It looks wonderful on my wrist (and on the occasional prop), but the lume on the hands... well, the lack of it. The skeleton hands feel overpowered by the hour markers. If I'm laying in bed and have the time to read it, it's not too bad. But if I want to be able to quickly glance in the dark and tell the time, I'm out of luck. *sigh* In addition to being a lume snob, I'm most certainly a bezel snob. I have to be able to turn that sucker even if my hand is lathered in grease. The SMP bezel is easy to turn when my hands are dry, but the scalloped edge doesn't lend itself for easy operation in all scenarios. I think those are my two biggest gripes about it.
I do also have a few G-shocks or others that easily fulfill most of my criteria. And I have several that only fulfill one or two of the criteria. But I feel there's a void, and I'm eager to figure it out!
Enter the Tudor Black Bay 58. It's a bit smaller than my Omega's, at a diameter of 39 mm. The gilt design looks FIRE. It's just frankly an amazing looking watch overall and allegedly packs a good punch in the movement department. The silicon hairspring must certainly have some magnetic resistance, although Tudor doesn't advertise it. The bracelet looks sleek (even with its fake rivets). But... is it too small for my wrist? Is the crown irritating against the back of my hand? I have read that the bezel can be difficult to turn. Isn't that one of the problems I'm trying to solve here? At least the lume is readable. The snowflake hand doesn't bother me. The overall package could be my one quintessential watch if I wanted it to be. For some reason I have steel case, steel bracelet in mind for this image...
Image: Hodinkee
But is this the hedonic treadmill playing tricks on me? Will I not simply become enamoured by yet another watch two months later, after the honeymoon phase? My life will feel no more better or worse. I will find issue with it. Perhaps the bezel truly is a bit difficult to turn, per some people's reviews. It's a scratch magnet due to the polishing. Maybe the crown would bother me. I'm quite nit-picky, and I'm 99% sure I would find some fault in the watch.
But what about that 1% possibility that it finally scratches the itch for good?
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I have considered perhaps one of the Seiko SPB models, the 62MAS re-issues that have a style similar to the Black Bay 58, but at a quarter of the price tag, but also a more basic Seiko movement. I have even thought about building my own watch from mod parts online. But would I be thinking about the Tudor the whole time?
Ya know, truly the best thing would be to stop scrolling the IG and the forums. It's the exposure to the media that is making me so hyped for the idea of the "perfect one watch." But the seed has been planted. I'm sorry wallet. Forgive me one day.
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