Words by Andrew Wingrove
Emirates Man – ‘The Summer Escape Issue’ – Download Now
Tudor has been making waves now for the last five years with their amazing value Rolex-esque sports stainless steel models at a time when you cannot get your hands on a Rolex. Tudor’s Black Bay and Pelagos offer incredible value for money with the benefit of a Rolex quality and build. Is Tudor now the Rolex of the 50s and the ultimate tool watch?
So what happens when Tudor moves towards a more refined and dressier type collection that’s perfect for the office? Enter the Tudor Royal 41 with a dressier, more retro feel. It immediately wears like a fine timepiece. It is not immediately recognisable as a Tudor, and will no doubt keep your colleagues guessing in the boardroom.
At 41mm, the watch sits well and does not feel like a 41mm due to its perfect integration with the beautifully designed five-link bracelet. It feels like an expensive piece of jewellery and it was enjoyable to wear for the week receiving lots of positive comments – mostly of people asking if it was a Rolex or AP, which is no bad thing.
The watch we reviewed was the blue dial 41mm Day-Date, although the collection also boasts 38mm, 34m and 28mm date and time editions. All come with self-winding movements and the most interesting and cost-effective thing to note is that Tudor has chosen not to go in-house and opted instead for the T603 Sellita base movement – which keeps the cost down considerably.
Tudor Royal 41mm; POA available at Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons
The watch with a screw-down crown, also has a 38-hour power reserve. The most striking part of the watch is the notched bezel design on 316L steel with alternating cut grooves and a polished finish. The dial we reviewed boasted a beautiful blue sunray finish with applied roman numerals. It features the day of the week at 12 o’clock (similar to the Rolex Day-Date) and the date at 3 o’clock, with a sapphire crystal on top of it. There is a diamond option with this model too, replacing the roman numerals for hour markers. For me, the watch already feels like a premium men’s jewellery item, so I would not go for the extra bling. The legibility of the dial with the roman numerals is spot on and just adds to the classic retro feel of the watch.
All in all, I was sad to see the end of the week and even asked the PR if I could keep it for an extra few days – I was really enjoying the comfortable, expensive feel of this extremely well-priced watch with a retail price in the range of Dhs9,000. It ticks a lot of boxes and would be a great addition to any collection.
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Feature image: Supplied
