In December 2014 we held one of our major holiday giveaways of a Tudor Heritage Chrono watch sponsored by TrueFacet. We had an aBlogtoWatch review of the Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue watch here. The giveaway winner was David M., and he was nice enough to follow up with this watch winner review:
First off; I’d like to thank Ariel & team for hosting this great website and giveaway, and TrueFacet for providing a great pre-owned Tudor.
I remember not too long ago reading the winner’s write-up of the Maurice Lacroix Pontos S and thinking, wow, this guy really loves what he just won and I wish I could be lucky enough to win a giveaway here. Not even a few weeks later, after signing up, I get an email from Ariel saying I’ve won! I never would have imagined that a Tudor would join my collection, let alone from a giveaway.
First Impressions
Tudor knows how to impress you right away, starting from the piano black box with the eye-catching logo right in the center. Opening the box reveals the stunning Tudor Heritage Chrono, nested in the middle of a NATO strap and some extra links and screws. I also got a nice note from TrueFacet; their business really seems perfect for the pre-owned watch buyer.
The watch itself is an incredible sight, and resembles the 1970s Tudor Chronograph Oysterdate quite closely. Albeit, this newer version is larger at 42mm and doesn’t have the magnifier for the date window on the sapphire. However, this doesn’t matter to me. I like the change from the vintage watch’s looks and Tudor has done an excellent job with the Tudor Heritage Chrono. Tudor has also impressed me in general with their overall styling, and I think it’s important for them stand out from their parent company, Rolex.
Case/Dial/Bezel
Now, there’s a lot of talk these days about case sizes getting larger and how that may or may not be a good thing. But as someone with large wrists and hands, it helps that this watch is 42mm and it fills the space on my wrist nicely. The case is 14mm in thickness but doesn’t feel that thick when wearing it. The flat caseback is simple and allows for it to sit close to your wrist. It even fits nicely into a suit sleeve with plenty of room. The crown and pushers are nicely knurled as well and feature locking collars, which allows for good tactile feel and water-resistance.
The dial is incredibly attractive too. With it’s black/grey/orange color scheme, plus the small seconds at 3 and the 45 minute totalizer at 9, you can see the homage to the older version. The chronograph hand stands out from the rest of the dial and allows for pretty accurate timing even at a glance. The lume on this is incredible as well, just look at it on those home-plate looking markers and on the hands: very cool.
The bezel is bi-directional and clicks 60 times for a full rotation. I like the fact that you can use this for traveling in different time zones and the rotation is smooth while feeling secure.
Bracelet
The clasp has to be my favorite part of wearing this watch. It’s very comfortable and has great adjustability with its micro-adjustment. Plus, there’s a nice addition of the Tudor shield on the clasp. The watch also came with a wavy-sided NATO strap with grey and orange stripes. I haven’t put it on the watch yet, but it looks comfortable!
Movement
I was a little concerned by reading about the Dubois Depraz module that’s added onto the ETA 2892. People said they’ve had issues with minute alignment, jumping chrono hands, and the issue of replacing the module because it’s unserviceable. This doesn’t really bother me, though, because I haven’t had any of those issues with my watch and I believe Tudor has engineered this watch in coordination with Rolex to withstand wear and abuse.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this watch surprises me still since I received it on Friday. Tudor has made a watch that has so much going on, yet it doesn’t cost a whole lot. They have seemed to find their own niche in a very challenging market.
Thanks again to aBlogtoWatch, Ariel, TrueFacet, and of course, Tudor for a great watch.