Partners in Time - Damasko DA36, Tudor Black Bay…
These are certainly strange partners in that they are almost polar opposites.
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The Damasko DA36 IMO being one of the ultimate 'tool' watches. There is nothing about this watch that is anything but being a great tool to tell time with. The simplest of designs. A black dial with numbers from 1 to 11 and arrow for the 12. Long white luminous hands with a yellow second hand that does add a splash of color to the watch. The case is simple and well designed, no polished sides or edges. Just rock solid, made of ice hardened steel that looks more like titanium. A large screw down crown with crown guards. Simple, straightforward and executed almost to perfection. It is also a good size at 40mm and 12mm height. A lug to lug of about 47mm. I know this may be small for those that prefer a larger watch. It fits well on my 7.5" wrist and is excellent for those with smaller wrists. It works great with my black Isofrane band (a legend of it's own). I almost forgot to mention the small day and date below the 3. It is almost not noticeable. Inside is a well regulated ETA 2836-2. It has been keeping excellent time (about +1 sec/day). The result is a well executed ultimate tool watch.
Now enter the Tudor Black Bay. This watch is all about design, details and paying homage to Tudors of the past. It has borrowed various design elements from Tudor's history of dive watches. This watch has received much praise and various awards including '2012 Watch of the Year' and the '2013 Revival Prize'.
It is well designed with a domed sapphire crystal, dark brown dial with luminous hands and markers surrounded in pink gold and the Tudor snowflake hour hand. It has a solid case that has brushed and polished surfaces, a big crown with the Tudor Rose logo and burgundy crown collar that perfectly matches the burgundy timing bezel. The bezel is excellent with 60 firm clicks, locks at 12 and has a luminous dot at 12. It is a good size at 41mm, 11mm high and a lug to lug of around 50mm. For me 50mm lug to lug is my limit for a comfortable fitting watch. I have it on the brown distressed leather band with the excellent Tudor deployment buckle. This band adds to the soft vintage character of the watch. It is also available with an excellent stainless steel band. It has an ETA 2824 movement which had been well regulated. Mine is running within 2 secs/day. The top grade ETA 2824-2 has been modified with a Triovis fine-adjustment regulator and KIF shocks, and the middle click associated with the quickset date change is also removed (since the Black Bay has no date). I know many feel that a watch in this price range should have a 'higher quality' movement but the 2824 is a well proven design and I have had 'higher quality' movement watches that have not been as accurate as this watch. The result is a classy, but not flashy, design that gives off a soft vintage appearance. This is definitely a jeans to suit kind of watch
So I guess I should mention prices. The DA36 sells new for $1200, I was able to get one in excellent condition for $735. The Tudor sells for about $2800 with leather and $3000 with steel bracelet. I was able to get one in excellent condition and still under warranty for $2150 with box and papers. The Tudor is also available with a Blue bezel and silver hands.
I think these are 2 great examples of excellent watches that took a very different approach in their design and execution. One is a great tool watch from a small German company and the other from a Swiss company with a long history that has worked hard over the past several years to make a comeback and develop a distinct personality from their big brother Rolex. The rest is left for us to determine where they stand in the world of many watches.
Please share your experiences with these watches or maybe you have some strange partners in time also…
These are certainly strange partners in that they are almost polar opposites.
The Damasko DA36 IMO being one of the ultimate 'tool' watches. There is nothing about this watch that is anything but being a great tool to tell time with. The simplest of designs. A black dial with numbers from 1 to 11 and arrow for the 12. Long white luminous hands with a yellow second hand that does add a splash of color to the watch. The case is simple and well designed, no polished sides or edges. Just rock solid, made of ice hardened steel that looks more like titanium. A large screw down crown with crown guards. Simple, straightforward and executed almost to perfection. It is also a good size at 40mm and 12mm height. A lug to lug of about 47mm. I know this may be small for those that prefer a larger watch. It fits well on my 7.5" wrist and is excellent for those with smaller wrists. It works great with my black Isofrane band (a legend of it's own). I almost forgot to mention the small day and date below the 3. It is almost not noticeable. Inside is a well regulated ETA 2836-2. It has been keeping excellent time (about +1 sec/day). The result is a well executed ultimate tool watch.
Now enter the Tudor Black Bay. This watch is all about design, details and paying homage to Tudors of the past. It has borrowed various design elements from Tudor's history of dive watches. This watch has received much praise and various awards including '2012 Watch of the Year' and the '2013 Revival Prize'.
It is well designed with a domed sapphire crystal, dark brown dial with luminous hands and markers surrounded in pink gold and the Tudor snowflake hour hand. It has a solid case that has brushed and polished surfaces, a big crown with the Tudor Rose logo and burgundy crown collar that perfectly matches the burgundy timing bezel. The bezel is excellent with 60 firm clicks, locks at 12 and has a luminous dot at 12. It is a good size at 41mm, 11mm high and a lug to lug of around 50mm. For me 50mm lug to lug is my limit for a comfortable fitting watch. I have it on the brown distressed leather band with the excellent Tudor deployment buckle. This band adds to the soft vintage character of the watch. It is also available with an excellent stainless steel band. It has an ETA 2824 movement which had been well regulated. Mine is running within 2 secs/day. The top grade ETA 2824-2 has been modified with a Triovis fine-adjustment regulator and KIF shocks, and the middle click associated with the quickset date change is also removed (since the Black Bay has no date). I know many feel that a watch in this price range should have a 'higher quality' movement but the 2824 is a well proven design and I have had 'higher quality' movement watches that have not been as accurate as this watch. The result is a classy, but not flashy, design that gives off a soft vintage appearance. This is definitely a jeans to suit kind of watch
So I guess I should mention prices. The DA36 sells new for $1200, I was able to get one in excellent condition for $735. The Tudor sells for about $2800 with leather and $3000 with steel bracelet. I was able to get one in excellent condition and still under warranty for $2150 with box and papers. The Tudor is also available with a Blue bezel and silver hands.
I think these are 2 great examples of excellent watches that took a very different approach in their design and execution. One is a great tool watch from a small German company and the other from a Swiss company with a long history that has worked hard over the past several years to make a comeback and develop a distinct personality from their big brother Rolex. The rest is left for us to determine where they stand in the world of many watches.
Please share your experiences with these watches or maybe you have some strange partners in time also…
