Why I dislike Tudor
Since everyone and their feeds are now going gaga over Blancpain, I will sneak in an unpopular opinion and hope no one will lynch me 😜.
You see, I don't like Tudor. Well, correction, of the entire range of Tudor watches, the only model that I can stand is the Ranger. That said, it's a tiny bit too big for me (if they make a 38mm version of Ranger, I would be in love). Otherwise, I simply can't stand Tudor. And for the longest time, I actually didn't know why. And Tudor, especially the Black Bay range, is very well regarded. But whenever I see its picture, my gut goes 🤢. My rational mind would try to sooth it over, like "hey, it has very good movement, and is well finished and," at which point the gut goes 🤮. And the rational side knew better than trying to reason at that point.
And then one day, I suddenly had an epiphany.
You see, watches are supposed to be about precision and exactness. Fine fine, mechanical watches ain't comparing to atomic time keepers, but still. Even as tower clocks at the dawn of modernity, time keepers have been about precision, exactness, and punctuality.
On a watch, the hands tell time, so they should be sharp and as pointy as possible. Even when they balloon to accommodate lume and whatever, they tend to re-sharpen to points.
Tudor? Tudor goes the reverse. Their signature hand (the snowflake) is anything but sharp.
And yes, the chunky indices don't help. And the imprecision just feels so... blatant. Like, "who cares if I am on time or not when I have style?"
Now, I am aware that Tudor isn't actually any less precise than any other watch. However, their style just rubs me the wrong way, like style over substance.
Am I weird?
Very casual (and window shopping) watch lover
New way to describe Tudor: constipation.
I don't think overthinking the awfulness of the snowflake hand is necessary. They are meant to be seen underwater, not above it.
I can't stand the snowflake hands. I understand the design was to take up as much real-estate as possible so they would get as much lume as possible, but I still can't stand them. And on the Ranger they use the idle off -white lume. Those are the reasons why I can never pull the trigger on them
I’m of the opinion that the snowflake is loud and not necessarily my style. However, gonna play devils advocate here. The ends of the second and minute hand are pointy, so that goes with your definition for accuracy. The snowflake or hour hand, yes, is bulbous BUT it shouldn’t have to be pointy to accurately tell the hour. Right?
If the snowflake hand was the minute hand you would have a point. Once the snowflake hands hits and crosses that 10:00 position you know it's 10 but you will look at the minute hand for the precise time.
Like most all things, you will have those that have likes and dislikes. Doesn't make anyone right or wrong. Just preference...
What drew me to my BB GMT were the snowflake hands. I sold my Submariner because the experience was underwhelming (blasphemy right). I still like Rolex models, but don't have an affinity for the Sub.
To each his/her own. That's what's makes us different and unique in our own way. That's what's great about this platform; we can express ourselves without getting nasty.
For your viewing pleasure 😉
I know what time it is. Also .... soooooo pretty ❤️
I acknowledge what the OP says "On a watch, the hands tell time, so they should be sharp and as pointy as possible", but perhaps the degree of exactness is lower in my mind when it comes to how that translates across in a design context.
By that logic, a lot of the watch designs out there fall short of the level of exactness as expressed. I'm not saying OP's opinion is invalid, but I think a vast majority of people don't hold their watches to that level of exactitude.
For the sake of full transparency, I own two Tudors with the snowflake hand, and while I love the overall design, I do recognise it is not for everyone. Indeed the hour hand on my BB Chrono blocks a lot of the subdials between 2:45am/pm-4:15am/pm, as well as 8:45am/pm - 10:15am/pm.
That said, the heart wants what the heart wants 😂
If the snowflake hand was the minute hand you would have a point. Once the snowflake hands hits and crosses that 10:00 position you know it's 10 but you will look at the minute hand for the precise time.
Like most all things, you will have those that have likes and dislikes. Doesn't make anyone right or wrong. Just preference...
What drew me to my BB GMT were the snowflake hands. I sold my Submariner because the experience was underwhelming (blasphemy right). I still like Rolex models, but don't have an affinity for the Sub.
To each his/her own. That's what's makes us different and unique in our own way. That's what's great about this platform; we can express ourselves without getting nasty.
For your viewing pleasure 😉
You were right to move that thing out the door! I saw 2 different docs today wearing black submariners. A third doc keeps asking me if I he should get a submariner as well (I tell him "no" and have pushed him towards a Deep Sea in the JC gradient livery, if he insists on getting a 'diving' Rolex).
Upper management drones and docs have a serious love affair for black subs.
My $0.02 : Most boring watch ever. (yes, I too have now blasphemed and await recall of my collector badge and gun) 😥
I guess I may as well double blaspheme: I also don't dig Tudors much either😂
For me, it's that they often have flat unfinished looking slab-like sides, and my favorite models never have a date function (which I find very helpful at work). I have to really love a watch before I get one without a date, and haven't found a Tudor yet that checks that box.
But, since they sponsor a pro cycling team and they whole of the Giro D'Italia, I might still get one if they make a light and sporty (cycling) model 😊
It's rare that anyone likes an entire brand's lineup.
I'm with you on the snowflake hands (which rules out like 80% of their catalog), but... I'd take a Ranger or a 1926 with a white dial & blued hands or maybe even a Date+Day.
My regular ad was not able to source a Tudor Ranger for me since he had quite a few gents ahead of me for the entry level watch. No worries I picked up the watch from another boutique but decided to show him my new watch one afternoon when I stopped by to chat. He examined my Ranger for a long moment since most of his company’s Tudors are sold from their suburban location, he had actually never handled one of the newly launched Tudors. Handing the watch back to me he said simply that the watch was too common, perhaps lacking the interest offered by snowflake hands which would not fit in the Ranger’s dial but I did understand his point of view.
I know what time it is. Also .... soooooo pretty ❤️
That blue is exactly why I bought this watch. I like other things about it, but that blue is just the right blue
I actually like Tudor but I do think the hour hand is loud. But, that is what makes it iconic.
Love my BB58, the snowflake hands, the finish and the movement. Only gripe is the fit of the bracelet…
For me, it’s Tudor’s zero-effort case designs. They look like they’re designed not for aesthetics, but to minimise the number of machining operations required, to keep costs down. There are plenty of visual tricks designers can apply to visually reduce the size of a case, but Tudor’s designers seem to shun them all. Much easier to just get marketing to tell people they are masculine and rugged; the sort of watch your cool biker brother would wear.
No wonder the homage brands find it so easy and quick to copy them.
Well, I guess you still get some lynch haha.
anyway, I like the pelagos and the 54. And the snowflake hands are iconic.
with that said, I owned a Ranger and it’s legibility is the reason why I chose it over ither great tudor pieces. I just love how simple and comfortable it is.
watches are purely subjective haha
Don't think it's as important to have precision on an hour hand than a minute hand to be honest. Each to their own but I'm not sure any watch gives me such a negative response 😂🤣
I didn't like coffee at first either 😉 I am OCD about accuracy, and my Metas BB Ceramic often goes a week or more without gaining or losing a second, and I can read it from across the room in the dark.
Couldn’t agree more- to each their own. And snowflake hour hand was created for divers to hold as much lume as possible. It’s a tool watch feature that became a style and a brand trademark. You like it or you don’t. To each their own.
Except that it doesn't make any sense from a diver's point of view because dives are timed in minutes, not hours. The square paddle is there for marketing/style/brand recognition reasons and not for functionality.
Well Tudor is not for everyone. That’s good for me because I can find nearly every BB I want that way. You either like the different hands or you don’t. I do! I like hands that differentiate between the two.
I'm looking at my 1926 and I can't see your issue? 🤔
I really don't like snowflake hands, either. I get it.
That’s why we all love watches because every watch collector has a different opinion on what’s great and what’s not. I love Tudors but Tossot or Longines 💤🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱
I’m with you, hate the snowflake hands, also I don’t like the name, reminds me of Tudor kings etc I.e. old fashioned. Now I absolutely know this is illogical, stupid etc however for some strange reason it’s a barrier for me. So much so it means I will never have a Tudor in my collection. Weird or what!
You are weird, because the one Tudor model that you like is so clucking ugly mundane and just not thought through. From what could have been a master piece, turned into a flat two dimensional abomination. You can probably tell I was so disappointed when this was released 🤦♂
That’s why we all love watches because every watch collector has a different opinion on what’s great and what’s not. I love Tudors but Tossot or Longines 💤🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱
I can’t stand Tossot either 😂🍻
Me? This whole site is full of nut cases hahaha the only reason you need 2 watches is because you don’t trust the first and then you need a 3rd because the first 2 watches tell different times. That’s just to tip of the iceberg! Then you buy divers watches! I can’t even swim!! But I work for the largest diving company in the world and my whole family are divers so that justifies that BUT I work in the office these day and a diving watch doesn’t fit under the cuff so you need a dress watch BUT I also travel so of course I need a GMT, you would have to be a nutcase to travel without a GMT THEN you need a beater so that justifies the G-Shocks AND I have a classic car so of course I need a Chrono or 2 (plus a vintage watch to match the car). AND to top it all off a high accuracy quartz watch because none of your mechanicals can tell the time that accurately. Yip certifiable watch nutter or is that a nutter with watches!😬
But you don’t need the hour hand to be sharp, just the minute and seconds hands.
Snowflake hands are ugly. For readability however, the minute hand is pointed, so time can be told accurately.
One criticism of Tudor lately is their quality control. Perhaps a result of their popularity and quick production, but many instances of misaligned bezels, varied dial/lume colours, dust particles on dials and pushers/crowns falling off.