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Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time Everest
Hands-on: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time Everest Limited Edition - the best luxury sports watch.
My watch collection and what's next.
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This video is a mini review of my watch collection which is a mix of luxury watches, affordable watches and a smartwatch.
Running time:
0:00 Intro
1:22 Rolex Submariner 16610LV Kermit
2:00 CWC G10 (British Military Issue Watch)
3:11 Rolex Explorer 14270 36mm
3:59 Apple Watch Series 6
4:42 Tudor Black Bay 58 Black
5:29 Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical
6:19 Omega Seamaster 300m Pro
7:40 Chrono24 Advert 8:25 IWC Big Pilot 43
8:43 Panerai Luminor
9:11 Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Small Seconds
9:50 Rolex Explorer II White Dial Ref 226570
10:36 Cartier Tank
A Week on the Wrist: the Tudor Heritage Chrono
It’s no real secret that Tudor have been the major success story in the mid-range luxury watch scene over the last decade. The introduction of the Black Bay range in 2012 set a foundation for a new and long-lasting design trend surrounding watches with a vintage-inspired look. Since then, we’ve seen virtually every other mainstream brand produce watches that are either heavily inspired by vintage watch aesthetics, or straight-up re-interpretations from the back-catalogues.
Today we’re looking at a watch that should tick many of the same boxes as the aforementioned Black Bay range that hasn’t yet achieved the same cult fan following, despite having had a longer production run.
The Heritage Chrono was one of Tudor’s first releases after their UK re-launch in 2009. This re-launch saw the brand take a step away from their usual formula of using Rolex cases with more affordable ETA movements inside, towards a new era centred around the idea of celebrating Tudor’s own heritage in an attempt to create a greater distinction between Tudor and their older sister brand, Rolex.
Unlike the Black Bay that followed, the design of the Heritage Chrono didn’t just take two or three major design cues from a previous model. It is, in fact, the first watch from the Rolex group that is effectively a re-issue of an older model. Which model is it? The Tudor Oysterdate ‘Monte Carlo’.
While it’s true that Tudor lacks the historical Formula 1 ties of Rolex, Longines or TAG Heuer, the brand has been present in and around a variety of other motorsports since the early 1960s. The high point of these ventures was undoubtedly the title sponsorship of the ‘Tudor Watches Racing Team’ which ran a pair of Porsche 906 cars in the World Sportscar Championship during the late 1960s. The link was then rekindled when Tudor became Porsche Motorsports official timekeeper for 2010 and 2011. Additionally, Tudor are responsible for sponsoring a handful of drivers across a range of disciplines as well as sponsoring the Historic Grand Prix in Zandvoort. As part of the sponsorship deal, Tudor awarded Heritage Chrono watches to all of the 12 race winners across the weekend.
Two Tudor ads from the mid 1970's
As well as this smattering of motorsport links, Tudor has a long and well-documented history with racing chronographs. This began in 1970 with the 7000 series of Oysterdates. These were manually wound, Oyster-cased alternatives to the Rolex Daytonas of the period that featured avant-garde dial designs as well as the addition of a 6’o clock date wheel. One year later, Tudor updated their Oysterdate with the 7100 series of chronographs - these were the watches that went on to be affectionately dubbed ‘the Tudor Monte Carlo’ by collectors and enthusiasts.
While unquestionably a racing-style watch, the ‘Monte Carlo’s’ nickname is not a connection to the legendary Grand Prix or Rally, but a reference to the dial’s resemblance to the roulette tables of the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. Original 71/0XXs series watches are highly collectable in todays market, regularly selling for between £15,000 and £25,000.
When creating the first two dial variants of Heritage Chrono, Tudor took most of their inspiration not from the iconic blue and orange ref:7169 but from an earlier grey and orange prototype - the reference 7033 which featured a rotating 12-hour bezel rather than the fixed tachymeter.
A Tudor ‘Monte Carlo’ Home Plate chronograph, ref. 7033 next to the modern Heritage Chrono 0006
Three years later, Tudor used this same formula for another addition to the line - this time with the orange and blue colour scheme and indices from the ref:7169, rather than the ‘home plates’. These three watches (the grey M70330N-0006, the black 0005 and the opaline/blue M70330B-0004) make up the current Heritage Chrono line and are still available from AD’s as well as Tudor’s website. Today we’ll be focusing mainly on the grey dial, as this is the watch I’ve spent the last few weeks with.
The Heritage Chrono features a moderate case diameter of 41.8mm and a lug to lug height of 50.3mm. As these figures suggest, the watch has a notable presence on-wrist. With that being said, those with smaller wrists can still consider the Heritage Chrono as an option due to its vintage-style down turning of the end link’s middle link, meaning that the stated 50.3mm lug to lug measurement is all the wrist space that the watch needs in order to fit your wrist. Additionally, the Heritage Chrono is only 1mm thicker than the small wrist favourite that is the Black Bay 58 at around 13mm thick. For reference, that’s 1mm thinner than the Black Bay Chrono, the same as the current Speedy Pro and only ever so slightly thicker than the current Daytona (which is 12.2mm). In short, the Heritage Chrono will fit wrists down to around 6 ½ inches.
Inside of the two 70’s style contrasting sub-dial sections we have a bi-compax layout that’s actually reversed from the original Valjoux-powered Oysterdate Chronographs. The left register is responsible for counting elapsed minutes and the right is a continuous seconds hand. Both subdials, along with the branding, are extremely well printed.
One of my favourite features of the watch is the triangular orange chronograph second hand, a period feature that was shared by many other legendary 1970’s chronographs such as the Citizen Bullhead, the Omega Dynamic and the Heuer Monaco. The dial is finished with a well-integrated 6 o’clock date that provides excellent symmetry - you barely notice it until you need it. While there is a lot going on, the dial doesn’t look overly busy. This is likely down to the minimal dial text reading simply ‘Tudor, Geneve’ just below the polished Shield logo at 12 o’clock.
Along with the case size and finishing, one other aesthetic change that’s been made between the original 7033 and this modern rendition is the ditching of the 6’oclock cyclops and domed acrylic crystal. In its place, we have a flat sapphire crystal which looks to have a few layers of clear anti-reflective coating on the inside.
Like the screw-down chrono pushers and 3 o’clock crown, the bezel also features a unique knurled finish. Aside from setting itself apart from every other coin-edge bezel sports watch, the finish is very well done with a tactile, easy to grip feel. The 48-click bi-directional aluminium bezel features 12-hour markings that enable the user to track a second timezone by simply lining the bezel up in accordance with the time difference. Unlike the Pelagos, or any other Tudor watch that features a rotating bezel, the Heritage Chrono doesn’t feature a tinny click, but more satisfyingly silent thumps.
Faux rivet haters will be pleased to see the lack of the odd-looking screw heads on the flanks of the Heritage Chrono’s bracelet. Instead, we have a classic three-link oversized Oyster bracelet with a pleasing taper from 22mm at the lug to 19mm at the clasp. The clasp itself is as good as anyone could hope for on a sub £10,000 sports watch. Its build quality is incredibly reassuring and the ceramic bearings on the inside of the flip lock catch should mean that the action will continue to be nice and snappy even after prolonged use. Like the bracelet, it features a brushed top and polished flanks. If you do buy the watch on its bracelet, and I recommend you do, you get a tasteful black, grey and orange fabric strap in the box. The strap is great and looks fantastic on the watch, however, I found it to be too short for my 8-inch wrists.
For hardcore movement enthusiasts the Heritage Chrono’s internals will be the elephant in the room. Due to the fact that Tudor didn’t strike up their movement deal with Breitling until 2017, there was no go-to option when it came to choosing an off-the-shelf movement for what was, at the time, Tudor’s only automatic chronograph. Rather than going for a traditional, integrated automatic chronograph movement like the ETA 2894 or the Valjoux 7750, Tudor opted to go for a modular set-up. A modular chronograph is different to an integrated chronograph in that it’s not built ground-up to be a chronograph. So, the Heritage Chronograph features what Tudor call a Calibre T401 - an ETA 2892 (3 hand + date) with a Dubois Dépraz chronograph module sitting on top of it (dial side).
This ETA/Dubois Dépraz set-up is nothing new. In fact, before the B01 was developed, Breitling used a modular set-up in a large number of their automatic chronographs. Dubois Dépraz work at all levels within the movement industry. Their ‘bolt-on’ modules, which can provide complications such as moon phase, power reserve, chronographs or even perpetual calendars, are a great way for brands to expand their product lines while still using their own base calibres (look at the Offshore series). Other popular brands that use/have used Dubois Dépraz modules include Omega, Ulysse Nardin, AP and even Richard Mille in their RM011 and RM016 (£100,000+ watches).
The ‘T401’ in the Heritage Chrono features a standard 42-hour power reserve with unstated accuracy and no information regarding a service interval. While I don’t own a timegrapher, for the fortnight that I had the watch in the house Toolwatch claimed it was running at around +10 seconds per day - not awful, but not good enough for a £3,390 watch. With that being said, I’m not sure if the watch that I had in had been serviced since its purchase date in 2017.
When it comes to service costs, there are some conflicting opinions floating about. Some claim that due to a modular chronograph’s nature being, well… modular, if something were to break in-between services, a whole teardown isn’t necessary as it would be for an integrated chronograph. However, more reliable sources tell me that integrated movements take less time to service and are therefore less expensive. Either way, it’s not going to be an inexpensive job.
The good news is that in my (admittedly brief) experience with this genre of movements, this is the best implementation of a modular chronograph that I’ve seen. Yes, the Heritage Chrono is fairly chunky, but no more than if Tudor had opted for an integrated off-the-shelf automatic movement like the aforementioned Valjoux 7750, for example. You also don’t get any of that annoying rotor wobble. Additionally, Tudor have managed to align the chrono pushers with the crown - a rarity amongst most watches that use modular chronographs (Speedy Reduced, TAG Monaco, AP Offshore) where the two pushers often sit slightly higher than the crown. I assume the movement also has a nice Tudor rotor but I haven’t dared to check on this watch and I can’t find any photos of the T401 online. Another plus point is the action on the pushers. While you might not get the satisfying clunk of the Valjoux Cal.234 that was in the original Monte Carlo, the activation feels much nicer than on the module-based Monaco that I’ve previously experienced (which pretty much felt like a quartz chrono to start, stop and reset).
What’s Great
While it’s likely a bi-product of that modular set-up, I really like how close the dial is to the crystal. It really makes the watch look a whole lot less bulky on-wrist. However, the main thing that stands out as soon as you get the Heritage Chrono in hand is just how well built it is. It’s weighty, yes (around 165 grams), but due to how solid the bracelet is, it’s not top-heavy like you’ve might expected. The fit and finish of the end links is excellent, the bezel action is addictive, the threading on all three crowns is buttery, the etching on the clasp is deep and luxurious and the dial is really attractive. If you’re in the market for a racing chronograph and versatility isn’t a big priority, I can’t think of a better watch for less than the RRP of £3,390.
Additionally, all three watches in the Heritage Chrono line seem to hold their value surprisingly well for a vintage-inspired watch. The 0006 ref that we’re looking at today regularly sells pre-owned for £2,900 to £3,200. This means that if you buy one and you don’t like it, you’re not going to be bitten with Brietling-esque depreciation when you come to sell it on.
What's not so Great
As with pretty much all watches, there are a few imperfections. For a start, the date wheel is too deep into the dial. This can really negatively effect it’s legibility, especially in low-light environments. By adding a module to the movement, you’re adding more space between the base movement (which carries the date wheel) and the crystal - this is why a lot of watches with a module inside use some form of cyclops to combat the problem (the UN Marine Diver, AP Off-Shore).
My next gripe is purely aesthetic - I don’t understand why Tudor felt the need to dip coat the ends of the crown and pushers with black paint. It doesn’t add anything to the usability and it does take away from the vintage look of the watch.
My final complaint regards the servicing of the T401 Calibre. It’s going to be far tougher to find a third party service centre that can service the mishmash movement meaning you’ll likely have no choice but to go for a Tudor service. With this in mind, if you’re going to buy a new Tudor Chronograph, there is potentially a better value option. While the Heritage Chrono’s list price of £3,390 is by no means bad value, the newly released Panda Black Bay Chronos cost only £510 more at retail. That’s £3,900 for a similarly good-looking watch with the addition of a well-regarded Breitling movement with COSC accuracy and a 70-hour power reserve. Food for thought of the prospective Tudor Chronograph buyer.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I’m a big fan of the Tudor Heritage Chrono and I’ve really enjoyed wearing it over these past weeks. It’s not so much a ‘vintage-inspired watch’ (no faux patina, no fake rivets, no pressed clasp), but more a product that takes key style ques from a previous design while utilising modern production methods and materials while also taking modern consumer demands into account.
The Heritage Chrono is a ‘real’ Tudor in many ways. From a brand standpoint (or Tudor’s original purpose): it’s a Rolex quality case, a more affordable price point and an ETA movement. From an enthusiast standpoint: design freedom/out-there styling that Rolex can’t or won’t do. Another key distinction, you can walk into an AD and buy the Heratige Chrono tomorrow.
What are your thoughts on this 70's inspired chronograph? Let us know in the comments below.
Specs:
Dimensions: Case diameter 41.8mm, 50.3mm lug to lug 22m lug, 13mm height
Movement: Calibre T401 (ETA 2892 + Dubois Dépraz module)
Power Reserve: 42 Hours
WR: 150m
Price: £3,390
Go-Everywhere Value Kings - The Christopher Ward Sealander Collection
Yesterday, Christopher Ward announced a new ‘go anywhere, do everything’ range of watches with a key focus on the idea of versatility in both style and functionality. The Sealander series is made up of three watches, all sharing impressive capabilities as well as surprisingly low price points. I sat down (virtually) with Christopher Ward CEO Mike France and Senior Designer Adrian Buchmann to talk through the new hyper-techy Elite, the familiar-looking GMT as well as the brand’s first attempt at an everyday watch. Along with a fun discussion on the launch with two of the brand’s most distinguished characters, I was able to get hands-on with two of the three new releases: the Sealander GMT and the Sealander Automatic.
The C63 Sealander GMT
The vast majority of modern watch launches often provoke some form of an accusation from the community that’s usually along the lines of: ‘that watch looks like a X’. While I’m not going to argue that the Sealander GMT doesn't look a bit like an Explorer II, a Grand Seiko GMT or even a Glycine Airman, I can say that after more than a first glance, a number of details reveal plenty of originality.
The aspect of the C63 GMT that’s most in keeping with the aforementioned watches is the fixed steel bezel that features familiar black etched 24-hour markers around it. As mentioned, the more time spent dissecting this new watch, the easier it is to see it as its own thing. At a second glance, the bezel is noticeably thinner than that of the Explorer II with far more of the watch head being taken up by the dial. Like the C63 Auto, the GMT model features an attractive polished lacquer dial with stick indices starring diamond polished facets. This finishing results in both a dressy, formal appearance and increased legibility, especially on the white dial variant. The dial text is kept simple with ‘Automatic GMT’ and ‘150m/500ft’ at the 6 o’clock, just above the colour-matched date wheel. On the topic of dial printing, many CW fans will be pleased to see a return to a traditional 12’o clock logo placement on all three of the Sealander watches. The handset is also consistent across all of the Sealander models featuring a large arrow hour hand, a truncated pencil minute hand and a colour-tipped needle second hand featuring the trademark 3-pronged fork on the counterbalance. The GMT model features the additional 24-hour hand which is highly reminiscent of the large orange arrow from the Steve McQueen Explorer II 1655. The dial and handset are covered by a sapphire crystal with a pronounced bevelled edge and AR undercoating.
Flipping the watch over, we find a screw-down case back with a circular sapphire window exhibiting the Sellita SW330-2 that powers the Sealander GMT. This second-generation version of Sellita’s workhorse Swiss-made GMT calibre features a healthy 56-hour power reserve and standard accuracy of +/-20 seconds per day. The movement is finished well for the price point and features a custom ‘Twin-Flag’ engraving on the rotor. The watch is available on a plethora of fun and colourful rubber and leather straps, however, I’d highly recommend optioning these on as extras and going for the excellent steel bracelet which we’ll cover shortly.
Specs:
Dimensions - 39mm diameter, 11.85mm thickness, 20mm lugs
Dial Options - Black or White
WR - 150m
Movement - Sellita SW330-2 (+/-20 seconds per day)
Price - £795 on a strap, £900 on the bracelet
The C63 Sealander Automatic
The Sealander press release was notably honest regarding CW’s consciousness of the popularity of the Datejust, Oyster Perpetual and Aqua Terra lines. It stated how the brand wanted to offer something as comfortable, capable and as versatile but at the entry-level side of the market. These were the targets set for the least expensive offering in the new range - the C63 Sealander Automatic.
As mentioned, the C63 Auto features the same lacquer dial and handset as the GMT, except this time with red accents on the second hand, dial text and hour markers. Again, like the GMT, the C63 Auto features CW’s signature ‘Lightcatcher’ case with a balance of brushed and polished surfaces that really match up to the do-anything, everyday dress watch brief.
The steel bracelet that comes on both watches is a real feat of engineering. The links are extremely well put together and the quick-release end links are solid and integrate really nicely with the case finishing. The clasp is free from any sharp edges, very well finished and feels as though it could be fitted to a watch 5 or 6 times the price of these CW watches. The clasp also makes use of a handy on the fly adjustment system that offers 10mm of extension for those warmer days where wrists can expand. 
The movement powering the C63 Auto is the venerable Sellita SW200-1. Based on the ETA 2824, the Sellita movement has powered hundreds of entry-level luxury watches for over a decade. Inexpensive to service, fair accuracy, good reliability, nice finishing (with that same custom rotor) and an adequate 38 hours of power reserve, the Sellita is a great movement to have in a £595 watch.
Specs:
Dimensions - 39mm diameter, 11.25mm thickness, 20mm lugs
Dial Options - Black or White
WR - 150m
Movement - Sellita SW200-1 (+/- 20 seconds per day)
Price - £595 on a strap, £700 on the bracelet
Observations
After a good few days with both watches on the wrist, these are my thoughts.
Firstly, the 39mm case diameters of both watches is a great fit with the go anywhere, do anything vibe and wears particularly well on my 7.5-inch wrist with both casual wear and semi-formal outfits. It’s also genuinely refreshing to see two modern sports watches without slab-sided cases. The mixture of finishes and the different sections help both watches blend into your wrist, resulting in a cohesive feel where the watch looks as good on the wrist as it does sitting on a wet rock in a *Tudor* press release.
The next aspect that’s hard to miss when evaluating these watches is the ultra-competitive price points. My daily wear watch is a 2015 TAG Heuer Aquaracer 41mm and as it’s similarly specced to these two Christopher Ward watches, I found myself comparing them - often with the Sealander’s coming out favourably (legibility, clasp, case finishing). It then struck me that the Aquaracer retailed for twice the price of these new watches showing the impeccable value for money offered by them. While the brand equity may not yet match up to some of the larger players in the market, the enthusiast fanbase and the prevalence of brand-customer communication from CW far surpasses that of many of the well-established ‘entry-level’ brands like Hamilton, Seiko or Tissot. You only have to join the independently-run CW Facebook group to see how many passionate fans there are out there on the web.
As far as criticisms go, the list isn’t long - these are both highly impressive watches that I’d happily recommend to someone looking for a value one watch collection. With that said, the C63 Auto seems to lack a pleasing pop when unscrewing the crown. This can make it difficult to know whether you’re in the winding position, the date adjustment position or if you’re still attached to the thread. There were one or two occasions where I unscrewed the crown on the C63 Auto to wind the watch where I accidentally flipped the date change over or began screwing the crown down again. This could just be an issue with the crown stem on my press piece as I’ve never experienced it before with the Sellita SW line.
Finally, I do not enjoy sizing pin and collar bracelets and while I accept this is a process you’ll only have to do once (unless you pay the £10 for CW to do it for you), I’d much rather have screw links. I should follow that with an apology to CW: yes, I have lost one of the pin collars from the C63 Auto press piece. I’m sorry, it’s somewhere in my office carpet - if I find it, it’ll be in the post.
A word on the C63 Sealander Elite
Retrospectively, I wish I’d been able to get hands-on with the C63 Elite as it looks to be one of the most interesting entry-level releases of the year so far (sorry NOMOS). It’s a handsome, automatic Chronometer with 150m of water resistance, pioneering crown-locking technology, full titanium construction resulting in a weight of just 45 grams and a price of £1,150. These specs speak volumes both for the extent of Christopher Ward’s technological innovation and the success of the direct-to-consumer sales model that allows the brand to charge incredibly decent prices. Later next week, we’ll release an article surrounding Mike and Adrian’s answers to the questions you asked on Instagram - stay tuned for that as we’ll go over some of the ways CW managed to get the weight so low on the C63 Elite.
Specs:
Dimensions - 40mm diameter, 10.7mm thickness, 20mm lugs
WR - 150m
Movement - Sellita SW200 COSC (+6/-4 seconds per day)
Price - £1,150 on a strap, £1,380 on the titanium bracelet
To Close
So, the CW Sealander collection: incredible value, decent movements, well-finished and unique cases and disproportionately high attention to dial detail for the price. If you’re looking to add a capable sports watch that can handle the occasional Ivy visit, I think you’re safe in buying either of these watches. If you’re looking to silence your buddies when it comes to technical innovation in a sub £5,000 watch, go for the C63 Elite.
What really sold me on these new pieces was something Adrian Buchmann said over the interview; he’s the first senior designer that I’ve ever heard actively encourage owners to look at their watch dial through a loupe - if that doesn’t scream confidence in the quality of finish on an entry-level luxury watch, I don’t know what does.
The best watch Rolex WILL launch in 2021 - Rolex Rumours
2021 is different from other years. This year we know one of the Rolex Steel Sports watches that will be launched, the 50th Anniversary Rolex Explorer II 126570.
The first Rolex Explorer II was launched in 1971 with the reference number 1655. Unlike the modern versions, the first generation only came with a black dial. This version of the Explorer II has the nickname "Steve McQueen" after the actor was spotted wearing one. Although McQueen didn't actually own an Explorer II, it was simply lent to him for press photos.
Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655
The current version of the Rolex Explorer II reference 216570 was launched in 2011. When this version was launched, it was one of the biggest changes to the model range in recent years. The case size was increased, both the diameter and depth. Along with the case, the dial and hands were also increased as well.
Rolex Explorer II ref. 216570
2021 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Explorer II range. With the exception of the Rolex Explorer, Rolex has always celebrated the 50th anniversary of their watches and often with a touch of colour. The Explorer II is already one of the more colourful Rolex sports watches, so it will be interesting to see what they do to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Explorer II.
Here is a prediction of what Rolex might release in 2021 for the Explorer II:
