Black Bay Pro - returned due to weight/balance, and not thickness!

I wanted to give a quick recap of my brief experience with the Tudor Black Bay Pro, to help anyone else researching this watch like I was over the last several months.

If you followed along in my other thread about ordering a new but scratched Black Bay Pro online, I was able to get a second unit - free of scratches this time! - from a nearby AD. I had tried the BBP on in their store a month or so prior, but didn’t purchase it that day. But when trying it on, I loved the look, the thickness didn’t bother me, and overall, it felt comfortable.

Fast forward… after the scratched watch debacle/return, I purchased the next one that my nearest AD got in their allocation. However, after getting the watch home and sizing it up for my 6.73 inch / 171 mm wrist, I realized that the BBP is just not a comfortable watch for me. I took three links out, and on my wrist size, the T fit clasp needed to be extended between about halfway out and all the way on its adjustment range, depending on the temperature. After getting it adjusted, I wore the watch while sitting on the couch watching a movie. Also stepped outside for a bit to warm up and see how it wore when my wrist swelled. I had no problem with the thickness, but more the weight - and balance! - of the case head on my wrist. All of my other watches are larger case sizes, but somehow this watch is considerably less comfortable. It’s hard to describe, but it almost felt like a heavy hockey puck stuck to my wrist. Even when I loosened the bracelet considerably, to the point that the watch should have been able to slide around easily on my wrist, it almost felt “stuck” on the flat section on top of my wrist. When I wear my 43mm Stowa Verus loosely in the same way, the case head can “float” and move around a bit easier if I gently shake my wrist to “flick” the watch around a bit to move it. (A nice thing to be able to do on a hot day when you want to reposition it a bit to get some fresh air under there.) The BBP would not do that. I would have to manually push it around most times to make slight adjustments like that. I suspect the problem may be partially due to the fact that it’s such a heavy case on a distributed over a relatively small footprint. The 39 mm size may actually work against it in that regard; maybe a bit larger case/caseback would distribute the weight out a bit more? I also noticed - when standing with my arms by my side and the bracelet adjusted to fit loosely enough to be able to move the watch around - that the weight would cause the watch to slide down and slightly dig into the top of my hand.

Ultimately, I decided that I couldn’t spend $4k+ on a watch that is considerably less comfortable than my cheaper watches, no matter how much I love the look. So, sadly, as a result, I decided to return the watch.

A couple of other notes:

- The finishing on the watch is beautiful. I saw no discernible flaws under the crystal, or anywhere on the case or bracelet.

- I really love the styling/look of the watch, other than the faux rivets. I prefer its thinner, more subtle font used on the bezel when compared to the Explorer II. In terms of wrist presence, I would prefer to see it at 40mm, rather than 39.

- My particular copy seem to be running between 3 to 4 seconds fast per day. Definitely not the accuracy others have gotten out of theirs.

- The adjustable clasp is a game changer… I don’t think I would buy a watch without it at this point.

Below are some photos of the watch on my wrist. I hope this write up helps those looking at this watch. Perhaps, if your wrist is shaped differently than mine, you can pull it off!