Tudor Black Bay
By KEN KESSLER@TOMMYBRADY7/COURTESY OF BREITLING (B
RADY); © JOËL BRUN ECPAD DÉFENSE
again—it grew even more,
now measuring 48mm
in bezel diameter. No
surprising new
chronograph function
was included this
time. Combining the
massive automatic
movement with a
200m/600ft-rated case
that sported an internal
rotating bezel set by an
external ring proved to be a
highly complex task,
developed and patented
together with famed
case-maker Ervin
Piquerez.
Scuba diving may
not have become the
“huge mass market”
envisioned by Willy
Breitling in 1957 but
diving watches are
hugely popular—even if
most owners don’t use
them for their original
purpose. The current
SuperOcean Heritage II
(which traces its design to the
1957 SuperOcean) is nowO
ne of the most
remarkable stories in
the recent annals of the
wristwatch is the renaissance of
Tudor. Tudor was created by
Rolex’s founder, Hans Wilsdorf,
to serve as an economical option,
ideal for, say, Rolex-wearing
fathers to give to their sons.
This led to a bizarre situation
in which Tudors were once
sniffily regarded as “poor man’s
Rolexes”, which is absurd; the
watches were always made to
Rolex standards, differing
primarily in their movements. A
savvy collector, cognisant of the
implications and subtleties,
would prefer an alternative
analogy: Tudor is to Rolex as
grand cru is to premier cru.Breitling’s bestselling watch.
The Automatic versions are
powered by the Breitling B20
manufacture movement and
are available in 42, 44 and
46mm, offering a
power reserve of 70
hours. Chronographs
are available in case
diameters of 44 or
46mm, either with
contrasting subdials
and the 70-hour
power reserve
manufacture Breitling B01
calibre, or the ETA-based
calibre B13. All SuperOceans
are chronometer-certified by the
COSC and are rated waterproof
to depths of 200m and all have
uni-directional ceramic bezels.
Many of the design elements
of the SuperOcean Heritage take
cues from the 1957 icons, but add
modern twists—watches that
look good with beachwear and
surfing, diving or dinner suits.
The bezels lack the concave
construction of the originals, but
perhaps future versions will
bring these back too.From left: 1961
Marine Nationale
diver wearing a
Tudor 7924; 1964
Tudor Oyster
Prince
Submariner USN
7928AUTUMN 2019 VANITY FAIR ON TIMEClockwise from top left: 1965 SuperOcean Ref. 2005;
Tommy Brady on his Waves Of Sustainability Expedition;
1970 SuperOcean Ref. 2105; SuperOcean Heritage IITudor SA. Given that the parent
company was long established as
the premier manufacturer of
waterproof timepieces (releasing
the earth-shattering Submariner
in 1953/4), it was a natural move
for Tudor to introduce its
version soon after. The
company’s Ref. 7922 replaced the
predecessor’s manually wound
movement with the Felsa-based
self-winding 17-jewel calibre 390,
produced by Fleurier Ebauche.
Movement and dial logo aside,
there was no obscuring its
relationship to the senior brand.
Eventually, the casebacks would
bear the engraving, “Original
Oyster Case By Rolex Geneva”,
which is akin to shouting it from
the rooftops. With a pedigreeThe Tudor trademark’s
centenary is a mere seven years
away, but it wasn’t until 1946 that
Wilsdorf established it as a
standalone brand called Montres63