Tudor Royal M28600-0002 Review: on-wrist for a year

Overview & History

The release of the Tudor Royal family of watches back in 2020 was largely ignored, to say the least; perhaps it was the initial Asian market launch in the summer, followed by the international release in the fall period (or autumn to most of us), to limited fanfare, that has led to this range having hardly any coverage beyond a few online articles, and a cursory mention on a recent “About Effing Time” episode on integrated bracelet watches.

However, the 2023 release of an updated Tudor Royal (salmon dial, same Calibre T603/Sellita SW240 movement) coincides with a one-year on-wrist period for this writer as an owner of the 41mm variant. Perhaps now is the time to write a review of an oft-overlooked watch, that nobody asked for, but one that might shed some light and afford some consideration to the reader on a watch that offers excellent value, and heritage in spades.

As one gazes at the images provided, two thoughts probably come to mind: 1. A watch with an integrated bracelet again?! 2. Well if this watch isn’t the love child of a Rolex Day-Date and Datejust, but with a turned bezel and integrated bracelet (again?!). Let us get the obvious stuff out of the way: Tudor’s heritage is well-documented and goes hand-in-glove with the history of Rolex, and one might be excused to assume this is one of those instances where the oft-touted line of “Tudor being the poor man’s Rolex” has manifested.

However, this writer begs to differ and the hope is you might just be convinced as we delve royally into the details.

Dedicated and Integrated

Looking through the Rolex catalogue, one might be hard-pressed to find a single integrated bracelet (henceforth truncated to “I-B” for the sake of my typing sanity) model released in the past 10 years. A cursory glance shows that Rolex is still very much invested in providing their customers with the ability to change out bracelets; and perhaps Tudor, in an effort to run counter to the aforementioned Rolex comparisons, has opted for the I-B route.

For those who are already fatigued by I-B options currently flooding the market, allow this writer to posit that this is one watch which manages to achieve what many others have failed at, by having a true lug-to-lug distance that aligns with the actual case length. This is especially crucial for those who have smaller wrists. Having a 7.25” and rather unnaturally flat wrist, this writer has no such issues, but there is an abundance of empathy for everyone else with 7” and smaller wrist sizes who have felt slighted (perhaps until recently with the release of the 35mm variant) by the affordable I-B option of choice, the Tissot PRX.

In a recent review of the recently revived Nivada Grenchen F77, this writer puts forth the design aspect of an extended Lug-to-Lug (L2L) distance as being the Achilles heel of the I-B phenomenon, effectively alienating the smaller-wristed amongst us. It can be observed that there is a lack of watches currently available brand new priced around USD3500, that combine the slickness of an I-B design, true L2L distance commensurate with the case length, as well as offering a high-quality bracelet. To wit: the Tudor Royal sits pretty (and regally) atop the pile with all 3 boxes ticked. 

The example to hand, having a 41mm case diameter, has a case length of 47.8mm, where the bracelet drape goes straight down at those extremities. The 5-part bracelet conforms incredibly comfortably to the wrist, although the Tudor-signed flip-clasp could have a bit more “bite” in how it holds down the clasp mechanism. Speaking of which, each half of the deployant clasp measures 41mm from pin to pin, which makes for an 80mm-odd expansion to get the watch onto one’s wrist. This feels unnecessarily long and Tudor could have gotten away with 30-35mm or so for each half of the clasp.

Face/off

Moving away from the bracelet and onto the watch head itself, one’s attention is drawn to the luscious sunburst silver dial, upon which we see a series of highly reflective Roman numerals, the day aperture at 12 with bevelled edges, the Tudor shield, logo and “geneve” wording occupying the space just beneath, and a date window at 3 o’clock. The hour and minute hands are dual-faceted batons with a sliver of lume each, and the rather plain seconds hand topping them off.

What is also immediately apparent is the lack of any other text on the dial, barring the “Swiss Made” text flanking the inverted “VI” at the 6 o’clock position. This is incredibly clean for Tudor, where even though the Calibre T603 is not an in-house movement, there is no smiley “self-winding” text commonly associated with other Tudor models of similar ilk. This lack of the usual text barrage is likely a breath of fresh air for many of us nonplussed by the presence of a paragraph’s worth of text on a dial, as seen on the Pelagos.

Looking closer, one will notice the railway-type minute track going around the edge of the dial, just beyond the aforementioned Roman numerals. Notice that the hands are nicely proportioned - the seconds hand just kisses that railway track, while the minute hand just about reaches the upper stroke of each Roman numeral. The hour hand extends outwards to the same length as the positioning of the Tudor shield logo.

Nothing too overt over here, but this writer does feel an opportunity was wasted in not putting the date window at the 6 o'clock position. This would have given a great sense of ba;ance for the visual presentation.

Heads up

Covering the dial is a plain, nondescript and flat sapphire crystal, a cyclops over the date window mercifully omitted. The crystal is encircled by a tapered, “engine-turned” bezel, often seen on older Rolex Air King or Datejust models - but with a twist. While the Rolex models often had slim polished “hour” segments and broader segments with fine lines, Tudor has opted for 48 equal segments of polished and fine-lined segments respectively. A small, but useful detail to note.

The main case has some design cues last seen with the Omega Constellation, but where the sides are highly polished, and the “lugged areas” effectively being a large chiselled section leading down to the bracelet links. At 3 o’clock, we see a highly polished crown signed with the Tudor shield. It’s not an enlarged affair like its Black Bay brethren, but proportionate to the case and sizeable enough; it is also easily gripped thanks to a healthy presence of milled teeth around its circumference.

Flipping the watch over, we see a typical Rolex/Tudor brushed affair on the case bottom. The screw-in case back is equally plain with the exception of the repeated Shield logo and “Tudor Geneve” wording etched along the perimeter of the flat portion of the case back. We also see two sets of numbers etched to denote the serial number and the model number as well, leading to a very minute but equally observable design detail: the case bottom lifts up to form a kind of elongated lug to flow back to that chiselled section from the top of the case.

This allows for the watch to sit incredibly flat on the wrist; coupled with an overall thickness of 10.7mm, this is a watch that will not be banging itself against doorframes or the heads of small children. Although it must be said if Tudor adopted the kind of crystal protrusion (and generous edge bevelling) favoured by Rolex, an extra millimetre would have added no real-world impact while providing more depth to the overall design from a visual point of view.

Overture to the movement

Somehow or another the issue of in-house movement draws reactions that span from downright fanboyism to “meh”. This writer has had his fair share of experiences with workhorse movements - ETA, Seiko Sellita etc. - as well as some in-house movements from Tudor & Breitling, as well as Yema (PM me for my unvarnished sentiments on their YEMA3000 movement).

The Calibre T603 is based on the Sellita SW240-1, which in turn is an ETA2824-2 with a modified Day-date configuration, where the day wheel is on the outmost portion of the movement. In practice, this movement is incredibly solid and appears to only have a difference of +5 seconds per day. The date and day snap cleanly when shifting over at midnight, and the action of winding the watch is buttery smooth.

You paid what?

Being an Asian person, I admittedly am constantly on the lookout for cost savings and seldom buy watches priced USD2000 or higher at retail. The M28600-0001 costs S$3440 (approx. USD2600) at retail, which to me is frankly rather high for what is effectively a simple 3-hander with day-and-date complications, albeit wrapped up in the rock-solid and robust Tudor package that we all have come to know and love.

In comparison, at the point of purchase in 2022, a Black Bay 41 diver could be had for around S$4000 (approx. USD3000), and while the BB41 diver is an entirely different proposition altogether when taking into account the Royal’s lower water resistance rating, fewer moving parts, and of course, the lack of an in-house movement, you begin to wonder what is it that you are paying for at full retail.

Holding those thoughts in my head, this writer chose the second-hand route and managed to score this piece in near-mint condition with a box and papers for S$1900 (approx. USD1400), which was an anomaly at that time in 2022. This writer is of the opinion that USD2000 is where this piece should be priced for retail, and some of you might disagree. That said, one year on, I can see the same model going for around that USD1600-1800 price point second-hand, indicating that the Royal does maintain some form of price consistency in the second-hand market.

Some final thoughts

No one can deny the sheer scale of the Tudor brand revival with the introduction of the Black Bay; in fact, this writer has a Black Bay Chrono courtesy of the mother-in-law as a wedding present, and a black-dial Black Bay GMT on the way. The Black Bay models are everywhere - ubiquitous to the point where Tudor truly has become the “Black Bay Company”. However, can we truly say that Tudor is all Black-Bayed out?

There is no doubt the Black Bay range has run away with the limelight due to its alignment with the vintage submariner aesthetic, fantastic proportions, excellent specifications et al. However, the Royal range has quietly but dutifully maintained its allure and mystique; cloistered away behind all the hubbub about its famous cousin. Yes, there is a lack of in-house movement and of course, at a glance, one could mistake any watch in this range for a Rolex Day-date. But this crisis of identity can be mainly perpetrated by its detractors, or those who have simply yet to experience it in the metal.

As a whole, the Royal 41 genuinely feels hench on-wrist, almost gangster. The bracelet does as good a job of catching the light, and drawing one’s attention, as the facets on the bezel; the slimness of its overall profile lends a slickness where similar Rolex models might protrude more on the wrist by comparison. Going back to the issue of the Royal’s place in a world of I-B options, it is hard to name another I-B watch around the USD1800-2500 price point which comes close to the Tudor Royal in terms of fit, finish, and wearability on the wrist.

To avoid sounding like due diligence and homework were avoided, indeed one could find watches from Maurice Lacroix, Longines and Frederique Constant - the Highlife certainly comes to mind - that can hang with this watch. Certainly, it comes down to individual taste, and whether or not the watch fits on your wrist. For this writer’s part, there is something cheeky and fun about how Tudor executed the design - in equal parts homage, and derring-do.

Taken on its own, the Tudor Royal is a solid watch which has been worn on-wrist to the office for 4 out of 5 working days, almost a daily “beater” if that can be believed. It stands out, but in a way like a contrarian who opts for a different type of flair and identity. It has a robust and reliable movement, excellent ergonomics, and is just flashy enough to make any discerning watch enthusiast do a double-take.