Is The Tudor Black Bay A Cheaper Submariner?

Rolex, a brand that many would have heard in their lives regardless of whether watches are your cup of tea. From a two-tone Datejust to the Daytona, it’s pretty safe to say that the brand needs no introduction. But the watch we’re talking about today isn’t a Rolex. Instead, we’re here to talk about Tudor, a sister company to Rolex that has in my opinion, gained a cult following over recent years through its modern line.

With Tudor often being associated as the affordable Rolex, is it really? As the Tudor Black Bay line gains more attention, I have decided to use it as the comparison point. In particular, the Tudor Black Bay divers, are they really alternatives to their more expensive sibling, the Rolex Submariner?

Personally, I feel like there’s no point going to the spec sheet to speak technical language because at the end of the day, I believe that it’s not the reason why many buy these pieces. Instead, let’s compare them in terms of looks and wearability to see if they’re similar. 

First off, looks. Despite both being divers, they look really different. Vibe wise, the Black Bay reference 79230N has tons of vintage flavor compared to the more modern-looking Submariner date reference 116610LN. Looking at the Black Bay, the lines on the case are softer compared to the more pronounced lines on the Submariner. Case style aside, one of the contributors to making these watches appear so different at first glance would be the bezel choice. With the Black Bay having a matte aluminium bezel, the Submariner seems to outshine (literally) it’s sibling with its ceramic bezel that reflects a lot more light. To add on, the fact that the Black Bay has no crown guards and softer bezel edges allow it to pull off a much more subtle look compared to the Submariner.

Next, how do they wear? Both watches wear and feel very different due to the difference in size and thickness. Considering their sizes of 40mm and 41mm, both the Submariner and Black Bay wear reasonably well with good lug-to-lug widths of 47.2mm and 50mm respectively. To be honest, both have little to no visual overhang on my 16cm wrist. However, thickness does factor into the equation for me. As great of a watch as it is, the thickness of 14.8mm on the Black Bay takes away some joy from the wearing experience. Although the weight feels rather balanced when worn on bracelet, it just doesn’t feel as comfortable as the Submariner if I’m being real.

So back to the question, is this Black Bay an affordable Submariner? Simply said, no. I’d say they are very different watches to begin with. However, whether or not the Black Bay 58 has a closer feel to the Rolex Submariner is still debatable and something that I would like to explore in the future.