Rubber B was the first company in the world to develop custom rubber watch straps exclusively for Rolex timepieces, and since then, the company has added several other prominent watchmakers to its product portfolio. Rubber B also creates custom rubber watch bands for watches produced by Panerai, IWC and Audemars Piguet.
At the end of March each year, the annual Watches and Wonders event happens, which is where watchmakers from around the world display many of their upcoming product lines for the year. Rolex and Tudor, quite famously, did not attend this event for many years, as they host their own, Baselworld, but in recent years, they have changed their minds on this issue and have started attending the conference with other watchmakers.
With that in mind, We are going to review both Rolex Vs Tudor Watches 2022 releases and see what changes they may have made to their respective catalogs of historic watches.
Rolex Watches
One of the most notable announcements that Rolex made was regarding the GMT-Master II. There were two major changes that were made to the watch: the first was the addition of a black and green ceramic insert, and the second was that the crown guards and the cyclops are now positioned at nine o’clock.
They also unveiled a new Air-King model, with the reference number 126900, that notably adds some crown guards, along with some polishing of those crown guards, to previous iterations of this long-standing timepiece. The dial is where the most immediately visible changes have been made to this watch, as the three, six, and nine numerals have now had luminescent material added to them. The five also now says “05” in an attempt to give the watch a bit more symmetry on its dial.
Rolex is never one to miss an opportunity to commemorate an anniversary, and they are doing exactly that with a new 30th-anniversary edition of the Yacht-Master. The new iteration of this watch will be available in a 42 mm case that will be encased in yellow gold. The watch will also have a matte black ceramic insert on the dial and an Oyster flex glide lock clasp.
There is also a new Yacht-Master 42 mm variant that is available in white gold with a new dial variant, which is now being referred to as the “Falcon Eye Dial.”
Tudor Watches
One of the releases that has people most excited is the Black Bay GMT that Tudor has finally released in a 39 mm variant, which, for many collectors, is a move that has been a very long time in the making. However, the unusual thing about this watch is that it is not actually a part of the GMT family, but its own separate product line – the Black Bay Pro, in this particular instance. The Pro contains the same movement, the MT 56, as the GMT, and in many other ways outside of its size, is similar to a Black Bay Pro
A major thing that people are keeping their eye on with this particular watch is going to be its thickness. Tudor has not officially released a thickness measurement for this particular watch as of this time, but early best estimates have it stated at around 14.5 mm or so. Those who were expecting a case more in line with the Tudor Black Bay 58 will likely find themselves disappointed, but everyone else should find themselves excited about the prospects of this release.
The other release that people were very enthusiastic about was the Tudor Black Bay SNG, which has an impressive root beer-inspired color scheme that hearkens back to earlier models of the SNG, as well as the Black Bay Backpack SNG. This watch has a 41 mm case and also utilizes the MT 56 movement.
Tudor will also be releasing a new SNG Chronograph with a new dial that comes in an elegant golden champagne color. Combined with the two sunken black sub-dials, this watch has a very classic, almost 1800’s inspired style and would not look out of place in, say, somewhere like Renaissance France.
What Were Our Final Thoughts on Rolex Vs Tudor Watches 2022?
Overall, this has ended up being a very interesting Watches and Wonders 2022 for these two companies. Neither brand is known for being too radical, especially Rolex, with regards to how they craft their watches, so it is not entirely surprising to see Tudor once again being the more experimental of the two siblings in this scenario.
With that being said though, there’s still a lot to be interested in here, if not outright excited about. The green GMT-Master II, the 30th Anniversary Yacht-Master II, the Black Bay Pro, and the SNG Chronograph were all personal standouts from what we saw this year.
Each of these watches had a vibrant, exciting look to them, and we always appreciate a timepiece that manages to find a way to say something new visually, especially when it is reinvigorating a product line that has been around for several decades
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If you would like to learn more about our complete product catalog, shipping policies, pricing, or have questions about our custom rubber watch straps, please visit the Rubber B website today for more information. One of our valued associated will be happy to answer your inquiry in a prompt manner.
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