Tudor Black Bay P01 - Live from Baselworld 2019
As we can see from the prototype this watch was originally designed for the U.S. Navy under the codename "commando"
It didn't become reality and stayed as a prototype in Tudor archives for 51 years. According to some Tudor fans through the various social media posts the teaser made many dream of a Tudor submariner (which given the scarcity of Rolex Submariners would have been an excellent watch) but Tudor - perhaps true to the slogan "born to dare" dared to re-issue (or better said issue since we are talking about a prototype)
Despite the critics from the media pictures I can say that "on the metal" the watch is quiet interesting and despite the bezel lock mechanism pretty wearable. It is 42mm but wears a bit bigger due to the strap and "claw" that locks the bezel in place
The strap is an hybrid of leather and rubber that is pretty comfortable and water resistant. Here you can see the hybrid construction of the strap and the rubber inside
The thickness of the watch is not exaggerate and found it more wearable than the black bay bronze 43mm
I feel that this watch works pretty well on a suit too. It is unusual, different and somehow daring but wears considerably smaller than the Rolex Deepsea that we reviewed sometimes ago (granted the water resistant of the Tudor P01 is 200mt vs 900mt od the Deepsea so it is not a fair comparison) and has a raw charm that is difficult to capture on pictures.
The brushed case creates an impression of a real tool watch yet it retains a certain raw elegance: the brown strap fits very well and the Tudor snowflake hands on the black dial make it very legible.
I actually like the presence of a date that -- in our opinion -- is almost a most for all CEOs!
The bezel is essentially a GMT function so very useful while traveling. At 3750 CHF We feel that this watch offers great value for a watch powered by an in-house MT5612 movement chronometer certified (COSC)
In conclusion if you want to dare and wear something different with a rich history we feel that the Tudor Black Bay P01 will be an excellent choice. Very wearable on a suit and of course just with a t-shirt by the pool or -- why not -- deep diving in Hawaii.
