February 1, 2019
January, 2019
Anybody who has been in business of collecting watches for any amount of time would have come across numerous ‘tempting’ or ‘too-good-to-miss’ opportunities to splurge on new luxury pieces. In the mesmerising world of time, where so many brands are rolling out newer models every year tagged as ‘limited edition’, it becomes imperative to choose wisely. While it may or may not be easy to make that choice, ‘Vishawatch’ begins profiling some special pieces that have caught our attention and why so.
Let’s begin the journey of discovery with the pick-of-the-month — The Tudor Black Bay Bronze Blue. A stunner, this limited edition watch is born out of a partnership between Europe’s biggest watch retailer Bucherer and Tudor.
Known as the biggest seller of Rolex watches in the continent, Bucherer commissioned the Swiss watchmaker to commemorate its 130th anniversary last year. Touted as one of the most affordable or relatively inexpensive, and perhaps the most compelling, the ‘Bucherer Blue’ is the only retailer-exclusive model to date and available at Bucherer stores located mostly in Switzerland, Austria, France and Germany.
The most impressive feature of this watch is the patina — a green or brown film on the surface of bronze produced by oxidation over a long period. The patina of this incredible watch ages and develops naturally. For some it may need to be worn for a few weeks or months for the surface to change, while for others a couple of times out in the wild or rogue weather may do the job.
In any case, part of the desirability of bronze watches is this special patina factor. The discolouration caused due to exposure to natural elements makes every watch develop a different colour, making every single piece unique itself.
The special Nato-style fabric strap, created for the Bucherer edition, is an absolutely perfect fit. With a mustard yellow strip in the centre, the rich blue compliments the dial so well, making this piece a visual delight. The strap is woven on an antique loom via a technique called ‘Jacquard’ weaving and can develop its own personality with wear, like the case.
For those who love leather more will not be disappointed either as the package also includes a brown leather strap that’s same as the one which comes with the regular bronze model.
Now lets get to the movement of the watch. There is a silicon hairspring attached to the balance wheel of this mechanical timepiece which has the in-house cal. MT5601 movement described as “robustly constructed but functional looking” by experts. The 70 hours power reserve features allows you to keep track of time even if it’s off the wrist for a few days.
Wear it to a romantic dinner date or flaunt it in the boardroom. This one is sure to catch attention and can be a conversation starter too. To sum it, this Tudor is one of our favourites and rest assured about the return-on-investment, as it is a scarce limited edition piece that will surely appreciate over the next few years!