BaselWorld 2012: Tudor Heritage Black Ray

Tudor does it again. It is rare in manufacturing industry for a sibling to outshines its parent, but Tudor has done so twice in recent history. At BaselWorld 2010, as interesting as Rolex releases were, the Tudor Heritage Chrono stood out, and many would say was a more interesting design than the new Rolex Explorer or Submariner. The Explorer looked too much like the previous version, and the Submariner was predictable. And Tudor has done it again. Rolex, with a new Yacht-Master that really does not look very different from the previous model, a no-date version of its Submariner, and the new Sky-Dweller, which caused one one reader to comment "nice complication, poor execution..." looks like it has been outclassed in design prowess by its subsidiary brand, Tudor.

Without further ado, here is the Tudor Heritage Black Ray.

Tudor Heritage Black Ray. Tudor writes that its new Tudor Heritage Black Ray was inspired by a model that first appeared in 1954, and that model, or rather models, were the Rolex Ref. 6204 and 6205 Submariners (See: History of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner). Except for the red bezel and the distinctively Tudor snowflake hour hand, the watch looks like a vintage Rolex Submariner.

The case of the watch is actually a bit bigger than the Submariner, at 41 millimeters. Water resistance is rated 200 meters. The crystal protecting the dial is very interesting. Initially, I thought it was an acrylic crystal, but is actually a domed sapphire crystal.  

Inside is an ETA 2824 movement which produces 28,800 vibrations per hour and a shorted than average, 38 hour power reserve.The watch is supplied with a black fabric strap, and a choice of either a steel bracelet or aged leather strap.

Hopefully, Tudor will get around to building another Heritage divers watch, this time around the Rolex Ref. 1680 Submariner.

Tudor. Tudor is the second brand of Rolex. Both brands, Rolex and Tudor, were fathered by Hans Wilsdorf. Rolex was founded in 1905 while Tudor was established in in 1946. In the 1990's a decision was made to allow Tudor to develop its own brand identity and Tudor watches today are distinctively different in appearance from their Rolex counterparts.