This might come down to whether my AD wants to play ball and allows any negotiation. I am truly on the fence and it might come down to whether they give me any movement on price. Doubtful given the quickness they are selling and this is their last blue BB 58 but it never hurts to ask.

The blue BB58 comes in Silver as an metal option now.

Hi!
I suspect I am in a unique position here, owning both. Have both Doxa and Tudor Black Bay.

Pros of Doxas- lower cost, good build quality, slightly less maintenance cost, definitly less out there/more exclusive, fun no decompression bezel, date box and fun colors. Fun to to knock around in.
Cons of Doxa- band looks nice but clasp and band not anywhere near Omega, Breitling (don't have Tudors on metal, but suspect higher quality metal as well on them). Shinny no decompression bezel will scratch with daily wear, busy dial (though the one you are looking at is not as busy as some others they made), ETA movement (not inhouse made). Only one place in US does routine maintenance work if I recall correctly. I don't consider it a dress/evening watch for fine dinning, etc.

Pros of Tudor- quality movement and construction all around (inhouse or Rolex related, I believe), very legible bezel and face, longer run time, capable of being an elegant/classy daily wear and a dress/evening wear watch on metal band as well as knock around on leather. Easier to find places to do routine maintenance.
Cons of Tudor- cost to purchase, maintenance slightly higher, colors slightly more limited, no date box.

Hope this helps!

PS: Buy the one your heart tells you to buy, not your brain!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sacramento Johnson,

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
it never hurts to ask.

You've got our friend on speed dial by now, haven't you?

I’d go with the Doxa or a funkier Tudor.

Orange Doxa all day long. Though I wouldn't turn my nose up at a black dial version.

When the BB58 gets squared indices, the tables may shift a bit. Not yet.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
Orange Doxa all day long.

Absolutely. I'm one of the few people on the planet that really doesn't care for Rolex or Rolex looking watches.

Forgive the slight thread drift, but could I get a bit of info on that DOXA homage. That one might be more up my alley.

I've got a Doxa and Tudor BB, they're both very cool watches. I love the beads of rice bracelet on the Doxa, but it's got the same movement as my Calvin Klein that cost me $120, LOL. Between the two you're looking at, I think I'd opt for the Tudor.

Bigdeal, it’s a Maranez Samui. I am LOVING IT! I think they might regulate these because the Seiko NH35A is keeping dead on (+/- 0 seconds) with atomic time after two days on the wrist.

Here is a VERY detailed review of the Maranez & how it stacks up against the real deal

Link to buy a Maranez Samui

The thing that’s crazy is I would have to get damn lucky to get a Doxa Sub 300T out of the box that is performing this well. For around $450 this watch blows away everything from Seiko in that price point. My 55th anniversary Capt’n Willard/Apocalypse Now watch is a good match up to it but that Seiko costs a little over 3x as much. The sapphire crystal, accuracy, fit and finish and bezel action are all fantastic.

Tactical Frog, (man that’s a weird name!) is a new Doxa Homage watch that came on the scene recently and for $175 shipped it’s a stupid good deal. Considering what you get, Seiko NH35A, Sapphire crystal, BOR bracelet, triple lock crown and probably legit 200M WR it’s a mind blowing watch. The bezel is a little weird but for the price I was totally shocked. I expected garbage and it is anything but that. I could not build a Seiko turtle mod in the style of a Doxa homage for anywhere close to that price. I beat the absolute crap out of my self doing front and back flips in the pool wearing the Tactical Frog and the watch never skipped a beat. I however felt like I got hit by a truck the next day. I even bruised my face attempting a double front flip and smacked the water so hard my face was numb for 15 minutes.






The sales rep I spoke with at the AD said Tudor will be releasing a few new watches within about a month or so. Has anyone heard anything like this?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

It's not like you can't get both, right?

The orange dial says "sporty" to me while the blue is more "elegant casual."

The only dive watch I owned that never leaked was a Rolex.

If you are going to use it as a fashion statement it doesn't matter.

I think the Tudor will hold it's value over time,the Doxa not so much.

Man, this is easy. The orange Doxa all day long.

Posted by Ray HRH,

quote:

It's not like you can't get both, right?

The orange dial says "sporty" to me while the blue is more "elegant casual."

I would classify both as “modern vintage” style divers. Sure one is more dressy and the other more designed around functionality/legibility underwater but they are both drawing their aesthetic design from vintage dive watches that did that job well.


I greatly dislike the idea of buying both but concede such a thing might be inevitable.

Doxa has never appealed to me. It is entirely subjective, but I just don't like the way they look.

I do agree with Rogue that the round indices on the Black Bay don't jibe with the snowflake hands, but I still like it better.

The panda chrono that Tudor has now is dynamite, by the way.

You've seen these images before but






It would be Doxa for me but I have a connection with them. As a Kid/teen I remember looking through catalogs and seeing the US divers Doxa for about $200-$250 I think (40 years ago). Always wanted one. The only other watch that I have wanted would be a Rolex sea dweller or maybe sub no date. I don't care for the cyclops. When I leave the DROP I might scratch the Rolex itch but will see. My opinion is a scratched up Doxa bezel is more appealing than when it's new unblemished. My watches are tools. They've been in fires, vehicle extrication, EMS calls, training, and diving. To me the charm is the dings and scratches they have accumulated. I don't own a Rolex/Tudor but as for the bezel I don't think they would look as good as my Doxa bezel being put through the same.

You already have homage watches of both. You got the feel and look how they will wear on you. If that doesn't provide you with a clear choice then My view would be the brand name. Which of those 2 makes you feel more exclusive for having one? Besides my previous stated connection when I bought my first 15-16 years ago not a whole lot of people now about Doxa. I wanted to be different. Good luck, Hray

Edit to add I don't care about resale value my kids will get them.

IIRC, Tudor movements are swapped at service time, so if that matters to you, you won't have the original movement after service/repair.

The new movement is really well designed, so there's that.

That said, I am a Rolex fan, so with the exception of the Tudor chrono (pre Tiger) with a 7750 in it, I'd rather have a Doxa.

I am torn between the 300 and the 300T. The high hat crystal is appealing on the 300, but I'd need to see it in person.

Divingstar appeals to me as does the turquoise.

That’s a bummer about the movement being swapped.

Unfortunately they basically all appeal to me.

I’m going to go back to my AD this weekend to make a decision. Now between the 300 & 300T it’s an easy choice for me, 300T all day long. Choosing between a Sub 300T or Sub 1500T is a bit more difficult.

From Hodinkee:

“I like to think of Tudor as Rolex’s Tyler Durden – an outlet for all the impulses and urges the company has, but is just too darn responsible to carry out without fear of consequence. Could you imagine a Rolex Submariner Heritage version of a 6538 Big Crown? (You know they’d call it a 116538.) It would be monumental – and probably disrupt their own market, but let’s not be logical right now.”

That is one hell of an opinion to say out loud but maybe it’s a part of why I am drawn towards their brand and lineup much more than I am towards Rolex. The price isn’t even the main turnoff it’s the unavailability to see in person and the almost bland & boring offerings from Rolex verses Tudor. Yes I realize this is an incendiary statement but I don’t care.

Tudor BB review with that VERY interesting quote

I got this Hodinkee exclusive Zodiac because it's a very fine vintage reissue. Fossil Group rescued Zodiac and built a movement factory just to keep them automatic.

Rado has a Captain Cook reissue that is really close on my list along with the Longines Heritage reissue.

I got given a Deep Sea Dweller after long job abroad, either as a consolation prize or a bribe to stay away - never figured out which it was. It could have been a big thank-you, I'll never know.

I have collection of decent and half-way decent wristwatches, from Breitlings of the simpler kind to IWC and Omega, but never taken to Doxa or Tudor.

Right now I'm on my way out to the range, and I'm wearing a forty-three-y/o year-old Seiko.

I love it as much as all the others.

Watches are a VERY individual thing - one man's dream is another man's yech.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tacfoley,