Two watch series Tudor Black Bay 58 and Grand Seiko SBGK007
A tool watch, a dress watch.
As a thinking exercise, “two replica watches for sale collection” forces us to decide the most important thing in the watch and then decide to collect. In the collection of two watches, it is not enough to be novel or interesting. Limited real estate means we have to plan carefully and then ask: Is this the best expression of what it is trying to achieve? If the answer is “no”, then there is no space in the collection. This is the principle I have to follow when forming two watch series. Whatever it is, it must be the best expression.
Another product of the “Two Watch Collectibles” thinking exercise is that it allows us to really consider how we use watches and the role of collectibles. If we are honest with ourselves, then both watches are one piece and we need to consistently have the perfect watch on every occasion. Following this principle, you will conclude that versatility is essential.
Therefore, when I practice, the parameters are: a) It must be the best expression of any purpose to be achieved; b) The collection must meet the needs of daily life.
The previous issues of this column pointed out that the collection of two watches can be very personal and reflect the author’s ideas. Take Ben’s 2016 selection as an example: Patek Philippe 3940 and A. Lange & Söhne’s 1815 chronograph. Things like these won’t work for me, because I spend a lot of time doing things that will only be regarded as the art of watchmaking, and I don’t want to do anything that does not respect the Walter Lange or Stern family. Things in any way.
This means that at least one of the watches must be able to withstand an active lifestyle. Another issue can be reserved for unharmed. In other words, it is an elegant timepiece. A tool watch, a dress watch.
Enter Tudor Black Bay 58 and Grand Seiko SBGK007.
But practicality is not the only parameter that leads to choice. There is indeed a thematic connection between the two watches, which is related to what Gary Steingart once called the “new trinity of watches” on the HODINKEE radio (here 1:01:48). He is on something. Tudor, Grand Seiko and NOMOS are in a unique position in the field of modern timepieces to provide incredible value and refinement. But to understand the philosophy behind the new Trinity, we must look at the “old” traditional Trinity: Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet. These manufacturers have deep roots in the tradition of watches and clocks, and in a long history, they have won the honor of top luxury producers. Therefore, many of their watches are out of reach. When viewing the “Two Watches” question, I chose to keep prices within a more accessible price range.
Providing strong value is part of Tudor, Grand Seiko and NOMOS’ promotion to new positions. Both watches manage to capture the spirit of today’s timepieces in different ways. Seiko provides a new design and a new mechanical movement by looking forward to it; by integrating the elements of Tudor and Rolex’s historical Submariner, Tudor watches are perfectly integrated.
Considering the new Trinity, I run Mr. Shteyngart’s two watch series. After we realized that this kind of practice would lead to too many ideas and words, when it was time to really find simplicity, he had to say this:
“This is the perfect collection of two of the Trinity. One is a tribute to the past, and the other is a dress watch crying for adventure. The beach in Morocco comes to mind for some reason. I know there are blue and Green, but the champagne dial is doing amazing work. My NOMOS Minimatik comes from another trinity member.”
The perfect collection? I’m not sure if I can achieve perfection, but the pair will definitely be close. In my opinion, these watches fake represent the best modern timepieces in their respective categories, and together they form a collection that can prepare you for almost any occasion. Tudor Black Bay 58 and Grand Seiko SBGK007 may be a watch series, let’s take a look first. Between these two, all your bases are covered.
Seiko SBGK007
The champagne dial Shteyngart refers to SBGK007, which is part of Grand Seiko’s Elegance series of thin watches. People usually describe it online as silver, but in fact, flat silver skin has a light cream to make it more interesting. Add a subtle radial brush and you will get a dial that is as clean as a whistle, but hidden in subtle texture details. The soft champagne color makes the polished hands and markings absolutely shiny; I have many tools that are clearer and easier to read than SBGK007. Even without a lot of light, the facets of the functional parts on the dial are so finely polished that they illuminate the dial.
However, on this model, the iconic Grand Seiko zarastu polished shimmer is not the only thing that caught my attention.
The elegant series is one of the first products developed after Grand Seiko separated from its parent company Seiko. This is a unique watch because it is really different from many Seiko brothers. It was launched with the limited edition SBGK005, which is basically the same as our SBGK007 here, but the SBGK005 has a blue dial. That watch was Grand Seiko’s home run, but only 1,500 were produced. Soon after, SBGK007 and SBGK009 were introduced. SBGK009 has a dark gray dial, but in my eyes, it is the star of the SBGK007 series, so it is included in these two watch series.
First of all, the design of the case and dial is not derived from the past Grand Seiko design, but it is worth looking forward to. The thickness of the case is 11.6 mm, as Stephen pointed out in his “A Week On The Wrist” that SBGK005 is the sapphire sibling of the watch, “The shrinkage and tension of the case design is so successful And the reason for the pleasure.” Grand Seiko set out to produce an elegant watch. Although it does, the way the case is worn brings an undeniable sense of movement. On the wrist, it inspires confidence, and the curvature of the case coincides with the wrist to limit the exposure of scratches. This is an excellent housing design. Crystal has a beautiful curvature, which not only protects the case, but also makes the 39mm case perfectly transition to crystal-it forms a continuous beautiful curve.
This dial is where Seiko’s “less is more” concept is fully reflected. The hands are sharp and the marks are beveled to capture light in a prismatic way, achieving a visual balance between the sub-seconds at 9 o’clock and the power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock. Some people feel sorry for the “ivory” power reserve indicator. I find it useful on manually wound watches. The scales of the second hand and power reserve indicator are cleverly printed on the dial, so that the eyes are attracted to the sub-second sharp lines and backup hands. Looking at the dial, the eyes do not look around for settlement, on the contrary, it is just a soothing uniform appearance.
Seiko (Grand Seiko) of course brags about its “Japanese style” in brand communication, but SBGK007’s restrained aesthetic is what makes this concept clickable. The feeling of this watch can only come out of Japan. This is due to the fact that there is no usually redundant text at six o’clock on the dial to describe the type of movement in the watch. If you want to know, please turn it over. You will have a good understanding of the newly launched manual winding 9S63 movement inside.
Nothing is more exciting than feeling “creaky” when winding a high-end movement. Watch collection is mainly a hobby of visual appreciation, which may be “wrist feeling” to some extent, but one of the tactile pleasures of watch collection is winding watches, and 9S63 is just a clockwork. When it comes to industrially manufactured high-end movements, Grand Seiko attributed it to a science. And the number proves this: it is adjusted to + 5 / -3 seconds and provides a power reserve of 72 hours. Like all Seiko, it is internal and has typical wide stripes on the boards and bridges.
It should also be noted that the designer did not leave any annoying brands on the crystal. When SBGK005 was released, the Grand Seiko lion blocked the sight of the movement, which made some collectors unhappy. The incredible details of SBGK005’s “Iwate Mountain” dial fascinated me deeply, but the simple aesthetics of SBGK007 worked in different ways. SBGK007 does not have unique and outstanding details like SBGK005’s amazing dial, but instead fills the monochromatic theme with a futuristic sense, such as the giant chrome-plated spaceship in the 1950s, while its ritual and clockwork feel is romantic and romantic. Take us to other places, maybe the beaches of Morocco.
Tudor Black Bay 58
Tudor Black Bay 58 was popular even before it even landed at retailers. Size, style and nostalgia are all fused together in one package, which is sold out by the watch industry. This is no surprise: while fully modern and powerful, this is the thing you can get closest to the antique Rolex Submariner without having to deal with a minefield that may be an antique watch. The high quality of the Rolex brand brings you the medieval charm of modern packaging.
Another idea is that the 39mm case is more suitable for more people than the 41mm case of other Black Bay models. On the reduced case, the watch is very thin, with a thickness of 11.9mm. That’s just thicker hair than SBGK007. There is no date window, but it is reminiscent of the light cream color of the 1950s, especially Tudor reference number 7922.
It was like the designers of Tudor took note of what everyone said on the Internet about what they wanted the standard Black Bay to become, and then sat down to make Black Bay 58. This is a bit unusual for anything related to Rolex. Rolex does not let the crowd make decisions for them. But this is also the advantage of Black Bay 58: it is not a Rolex. In this case, this is a good thing, because Black Bay has space to explore and find a foothold. The appearance of this watch has gone through a dozen iterations, but for me, the Black Bay 58 stands out as close to perfection as possible in the context of modern everyday sports watches.
Is it a tool list? Yes Yes. The frame is easy to grasp, the dial is clear and easy to read, and the water resistance is up to 200 meters. Is it a diving watch? of course. Its roots can be traced back to the scuba diving boom of the 1950s. However, these two qualities do not necessarily make “daily” work better. There are many tool replica watches swiss that are simply not suitable for everyday wear. It is best to choose the right tool to complete the correct work, and the cornerstone of the Black Bay 58 collection is that it seems to be able to complete any work, including elaborate dressing. Most “tool” watches are not good at (nor should they). Because of this incredible versatility, Black Bay 58 can be worn in almost any situation.
The Black Bay line used to use ETA movements, but Black Bay No. 58 movement uses the Tudor MT5402 internal movement. Although its movement record is based on a relatively short data range, the movement proved to be the real main force, not to mention its 70-hour power reserve when Seiko seized the wrist. The bracelet is sturdy and familiar, although it does not necessarily require fake rivets. Wearing Black Bay 58 becomes completely natural, which I cannot find in other watches.
Black Bay 58 also occupies a very special time in the field of modern timepieces. In the past five to ten years, most of the time is to review the time and draw inspiration from the great watches of the middle of this century. This trend will also change over time. Manufacturers, including Tudor, are paving the way for new designs and new standards. As the trend of awe decreases, large manufacturers will transition to technologically advanced materials and incorporate modern design trends. Eventually, the aesthetics of the middle of this century will be outdated again. For watches redesigned inspired by outdated times, Black Bay 58 may be the last of its kind. And it did so well, almost reaching the trick that Tudor couldn’t achieve again. As I mentioned before, in order to win a place in the collection of two watches, the watch must be the best embodiment of anything. For me, Black Bay 58 is the best embodiment of a modern, everyday-wear diver who brings together the history and expertise of one of the godfathers in the dive watch category.
Better together
Sometimes, two watch series are composed of one theme. In this case, it is twofold: a rugged everyday tool watch launched in Switzerland, full of nostalgia, and an elegant and refined model at the forefront of the global expansion of the modern Japanese watch industry. The characters in each set are located at opposite ends of the spectrum. But looking deeper, it is clear that they are completely similar. Both use internal movements, both of which are original designs, the basic technology of recent years, and both subtly represent the manufacturers of their origins.
Forming a collection of two watches is more difficult than choosing a collection of watches or even three watches. Perhaps this is why the watch Holy Trinity (old and new) includes three brands. But the number “2” is also important in religion and timepieces: it represents union and balance.