So I bought a Tudor. I know, I know... let me explain

I stared using Instagram around 2012, shortly after it was started in 2010, which coincided with my peaking interest in watches. I would watch video after video and I would used to follow a lot of both journalistic and amateur accounts for new info on new watches and micro brands I wasn’t familiar with. I got a lot of vicarious enjoyment from watch media and it was an easy way to learn more about the watch world in general without having to actually spend a lot of money. 

Coinciding with the star of the pandemic and maybe a little bit earlier, YouTube and IG changed their search algorithms (as Andrew Moran with Watchfinder and others have discussed recently). I stared to get fed more of the stuff that I “liked” or watched a lot of. This wasn’t necessarily a good thing as I was just shown the same content and brands over and over. Thus started my aversion to the Tudor brand. If I watched 1 video or liked 1 picture of a Black Bay I was show 20 more videos and 15 more pictures of the same watch. Along with the social media overload followed the ubiquitous Tudor Fanboy who lurked in the comments section of every social media outlet. All of this in conjunction with Tudor’s overall marketing, I started to get turned off from the brand over time. I really liked some of their releases but too much of anything is a turn off. 

A few months ago and my wife and I found out she was pregnant with our first child… which turned out to be twins. I’m also facing a 40th birthday this year and my wife and I talked about getting a watch to commemorate both milestones. A budget was decided and the hunt was on. I thought I had pretty much decided between an Omega SMP 300 white dial and a Sinn U50 after trying many on.

My wife and I were invited to a fateful pool party at a friend’s house with neighbors and kids. My friend has a neighbor who we’ll call Derek. He about 2 levels less intense than the evil brother Derek in the movie Step Brothers. I loathe spending too much time around Derek because he is a constant name dropper and story topper. 

Step Brothers GIF - Step Brothers Derek - Descubre & Comparte GIFs

As I’m mingling, I comment on his Tudor Pelagos black dial because, you know, I’m a nice guy. 

Why I Bought It: Tudor Pelagos - Quill & Pad

“Well I don’t know if I’m gonna keep it, it pretty much does the same thing as my Sub and it’s just a weekend beater.” Did I mention that he's pretentious?

I tell him I like the Ti look but I’ve never really looked closely at the Pelagos or tried one on. “Well, take it for a spin. My kid is pulling someone’s hair so I’ll be right back.” He had it sized a bit smaller than my wrist but the adjustable clasp made it easy to lengthen a bit.

Almost 2 hours later my wife finds me nursing a beer in a lounger. 

“What’s that?”

“An IPA..”

“The watch dumb dumb! I know that’s not yours, but it looks cool.”

“Oh, it’s Derek’s. He let me try it on. I kind of forgot that I was wearing his. It’s really comfortable and…damn, this is the one.”

Although I like the stark contrast of the black dial variant and the blue dial is pretty stunning, I decided on the LHD version. It’s not a heritage forward BB, or the popular GMT, or the even more popular GMT Pro. Hell, it’s not even the newest Pelagos. Yet, I like that it’s a bit unusual and different. 

After a few months on an annoying wait list, the Pelagos LHD arrived. The Pelagos as a very, very serious tool watch with very serious specs. It has about 499 meters of water resistance more than I’ll ever need and an unnecessary HEV. From the dial to the bezel to the bracelet, it’s all matte and all tool. Yes, it’s a bit large at 42mm with 14mm thickness. Yes, it has a paragraph of text on the dial. Yes, the clasp is massively over-engineered. It’s not perfect in a lot of ways, but I think it’s perfect for ME. 

Becoming a parent is scary enough but becoming a parent to 2 at the same time is daunting to say the least. I hope I’m a good father a do a better job that my parents did with me, as I think most of us do. Parenting is a serious job but I hope to also be a bit silly and make them laugh every day. I think that’s why I chose the Pelagos LHD. It’s a very serious watch for a serious purpose that also winks at you with cream-colored lume, red lettering on the dial, and a roulette date wheel. It will forever remind me of my new purpose in life while not letting me forget to smile along the way.

Do you have a special reason for choosing a particular watch? (Bonus points if it includes a character from Step Brothers)

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congratulations sir on the baby. also great choice, even it is not a special edition or popular pelagos it is your memory that made them special. im still young not event married or have a child yet, if that special time came i be sure will tell the story here. cheers🍺

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Great story! I don’t have anything to compete with that but I do know some pretentious people lol. I would buy Tudor over a Rolex any day right now. Rolex owners in general besides the people on this forum obviously are jewelry lovers and not watch lovers. I think the past three or four Rolex owners I’ve talked to recently did not know anything about them besides how much they paid and didn’t even notice my Speedy. Derek saying that it’s his weekend beater is hilarious.

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Don't apologize, that's a helluva nice watch.  Congratulations on the impending additions to the family!

Might want to try an Isofrane, my daughter loved chewing on mine when she was a baby.  

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JakeCahill

Great story! I don’t have anything to compete with that but I do know some pretentious people lol. I would buy Tudor over a Rolex any day right now. Rolex owners in general besides the people on this forum obviously are jewelry lovers and not watch lovers. I think the past three or four Rolex owners I’ve talked to recently did not know anything about them besides how much they paid and didn’t even notice my Speedy. Derek saying that it’s his weekend beater is hilarious.

I'm not sure I hid my eye roll well enough when he said that. Yeah it's a bummer about nice brands like that in general, but that's why dorks like us have places like WC to talk about the real real. Cheers. 

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ds760476

Don't apologize, that's a helluva nice watch.  Congratulations on the impending additions to the family!

Might want to try an Isofrane, my daughter loved chewing on mine when she was a baby.  

Will do, appreciate the tip!

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valleykilmers

Will do, appreciate the tip!

the strap with the little teethmarks is a keeper, even after 10+ years

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Great story. Congrats on the twins, the birthday and on the watch.

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Great story, well told. These are my favourite kinds of posts on the crunch. Thanks for being up there 👍🏻 And huge congrats on fatherhood. All of my watches are associated with milestones. Best way to do it 🏆 

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Fantastic!  Beautiful watch, my man!

Congrats on the impending kiddos!  I got 2 girls of my own, 6 and 9.  And I gotta tell ya, until about the age of 7, I couldn't stand my older daughter.  My younger daughter still hasn't reached 7!  Unfortunately, my understanding is that once they reach 11 or 12, they'll be absolutely unbearable again.  So...  you get about 4 years max of enjoyment out your children's childhoods!  Sometimes I think I should have just stuck with dogs.  They're a lot cuter.  😜

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I do have my own story, with regard to a recent watch purchase:

  • I saw this watch I really liked, and thought, "Well, it's Tuesday, so I'm buying this watch."

Congrats again, man!

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Congrats. The Pelagos LHD looks great on your wrist. TBH I didn't see why you added the "I know, I know..." part. Has Rolex-hate spilled so far over to Tudor that you think people will judge you???

Disgusted Emma Stone GIF

From this Rolex fanboy: it's OKAY to be a Tudor fanboy! 

Rock On Reaction GIF
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Mr.Dee.Bater

Fantastic!  Beautiful watch, my man!

Congrats on the impending kiddos!  I got 2 girls of my own, 6 and 9.  And I gotta tell ya, until about the age of 7, I couldn't stand my older daughter.  My younger daughter still hasn't reached 7!  Unfortunately, my understanding is that once they reach 11 or 12, they'll be absolutely unbearable again.  So...  you get about 4 years max of enjoyment out your children's childhoods!  Sometimes I think I should have just stuck with dogs.  They're a lot cuter.  😜

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I do have my own story, with regard to a recent watch purchase:

  • I saw this watch I really liked, and thought, "Well, it's Tuesday, so I'm buying this watch."

Congrats again, man!

Glad to know they'll be fun for at least a few years. We also have debated why we didn't just buy a bunch of dogs and sleep in every weekend. Tuesday is also a solid reason for a new watch though. 

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Rolexahoma

Congrats. The Pelagos LHD looks great on your wrist. TBH I didn't see why you added the "I know, I know..." part. Has Rolex-hate spilled so far over to Tudor that you think people will judge you???

Disgusted Emma Stone GIF

From this Rolex fanboy: it's OKAY to be a Tudor fanboy! 

Rock On Reaction GIF

Oh mainly that I've been the "uh, I like them but I'll never BUY one" guy both on here and when talking to friends. Don't hate Tudor or Rolex by any means, just hate the hype crap. Love it so far though. This purchase was more of a surprise to myself based off my judgements I've made based on social media rather than my own personal biases. 

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So much to say Congratulations on! Twins, 40th and that Titanium stunner! Love the Pelegos. Enjoy!

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Congrats on the impending little ones.  And while 499m WR is at least one meter less than is acceptable, congrats on the watch too.

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TimeJunkie

So much to say Congratulations on! Twins, 40th and that Titanium stunner! Love the Pelegos. Enjoy!

All a little scary but thank you.

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Definitely interested in reading and thanks for sharing.  It will be the next on my book list.  lol

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Congratulations to you and the missus on your babies and that Pelagos.

Cherish them well and pat yourself for getting a good tank watch for babysitting. 🍻

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TalkingDugong

Congratulations to you and the missus on your babies and that Pelagos.

Cherish them well and pat yourself for getting a good tank watch for babysitting. 🍻

Thanks sir. I will try my best to raise a strap changer as good as yours. 

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Congrats dude!! First, my wife and I had our twins at 40 as well…but they were #4 and #5 kids and my son (#3) was only one!! Yeah big oops… but 5 years later and only 2 weeks later of sickness scares after…we’re surviving!! Hence, bought maybe 4-5 watches in the past weeks…to congratulate myself from it 😉😵‍💫…

the watch look awesome! Enjoy it and don’t worry about parenting…it doesn’t get easy muahahHhHa!! 😉

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Ichibunz

Congrats dude!! First, my wife and I had our twins at 40 as well…but they were #4 and #5 kids and my son (#3) was only one!! Yeah big oops… but 5 years later and only 2 weeks later of sickness scares after…we’re surviving!! Hence, bought maybe 4-5 watches in the past weeks…to congratulate myself from it 😉😵‍💫…

the watch look awesome! Enjoy it and don’t worry about parenting…it doesn’t get easy muahahHhHa!! 😉

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Love the backstory - so fun with references to Tudor's crazy ads and total douches at parties 

Dude - crushing it with twins!   Damn wish I knew about the new kid = new watch rule.  😕

I was also 40ish when we had our daughter - she's 10 now.  Biggest thing from my perspective: having some family support nearby and finances to cover some additional extra support.   We had no family support and 2 full time jobs, so our lives went to hell pretty quick.  

My watch buying budget also went to hell soon after her arrival, so it's a good plan buying it prior to the big day 😀

Like old Tudor disliking you, I don't see myself ever getting one.  To name one thing: the Pelagos' vertical slab-like sides look weird in pix .. but a few hours on my wrist might reverse that.  

Lastly, a big kudos on a wife who spots and comments on a new watch you're wearing.  Sadly, that part seemed a little unrealistic to me. 😉

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From one twin dad to another. Respect. 

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Great move, man

Don't let cringey Tudor marketing, overly tattooed brand ambassadors or Tudor haters distract you. 

I have a smile each time I rock my Black Bay 58 and I could not care less that it is (alledgedly at least) the most flipped watch on Chrono24. Sellers loss is buyers gain

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Fieldwalker

Love the backstory - so fun with references to Tudor's crazy ads and total douches at parties 

Dude - crushing it with twins!   Damn wish I knew about the new kid = new watch rule.  😕

I was also 40ish when we had our daughter - she's 10 now.  Biggest thing from my perspective: having some family support nearby and finances to cover some additional extra support.   We had no family support and 2 full time jobs, so our lives went to hell pretty quick.  

My watch buying budget also went to hell soon after her arrival, so it's a good plan buying it prior to the big day 😀

Like old Tudor disliking you, I don't see myself ever getting one.  To name one thing: the Pelagos' vertical slab-like sides look weird in pix .. but a few hours on my wrist might reverse that.  

Lastly, a big kudos on a wife who spots and comments on a new watch you're wearing.  Sadly, that part seemed a little unrealistic to me. 😉

Appreciate the advice, cheers. We both figured no matter how much we prepare, most of our life will be a bit shit for a while once they’re here. I don’t know if kid=watch is actually a rule, more “no more toys for daddy for a while“. You could get one to celebrate your daughter making it to 10…?!
 

Yeah I agree about the sides. I thought the same too. But this this doesn’t have polished sides, like the BB line, which helps. Because it has a destro crown and I wear it on the left wrist, all I look down at is the crown. The small HEV button on the other side also helps break it up. I don’t know that I ever would’ve liked it as much just trying on in a store either. 2min on wrist is much different than 2hr. Agree with you, might change your mind. 

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Oseberg

Great move, man

Don't let cringey Tudor marketing, overly tattooed brand ambassadors or Tudor haters distract you. 

I have a smile each time I rock my Black Bay 58 and I could not care less that it is (alledgedly at least) the most flipped watch on Chrono24. Sellers loss is buyers gain

Well said man, thanks

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Thanks for taking us on your watch journey to the Pelagos. I like the blue dial version, but your watch is awesome!

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Good luck with your children, nice watch btw

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tainanball

Good luck with your children, nice watch btw

Appreciate it. Hopefully it’s not too crazy… I’ll let you know after we make it out of the first 4 months. 
 

Ended up liking the LHD a lot more than I  expected. Thought I might end up wanting the new 39mm, but it just made me appreciate this older one a little bit more. 

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I know I'm a month late but becoming a dad is awesome. 

Congratulations on the twins! I'm also not a huge Tudor fan but I loved the way you explained the watch you chose. 

All the best with becoming a dad and enjoying your watch for years to come. 🍀

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I love this story. Welcome to the father of twins club! Congrats on the watch and your kiddos! All the best.