TudorHeritage Automatic Black Dial Men's Watch M79230N-0008

Fantastic watch

After more than three and a half decades of marriage, my wife and I decided to gift each other with items to remember our back-to-back struggles to build careers, raise our children and simply survive a lifetime of challenges. I like watches, and there was an international watch show nearby and so we went shopping.After looking at quite a few brands, some of which I have, we both settled on the Tudor Black Bay Black Heritage with distressed leather strap. Generally I prefer metal bands, but this strap was so easily adjustable, well made and casually handsome that I went with it. So far, no regrets - it's comfortable. We also looked at the 39mm Black Bay Heritage 58 in black and it seemed a bit small on my 7-1/2 inch wrist so I went with the 41mm version. However, my wife liked it so much that's she's considering the '58 as her gift - and she deserves it - having worked directly with disadvantaged children as well as our own for decades as an "avenging angel".My BB Heritage Black/leather strap keeps excellent time, losing about 1 second per day in actual use. On a timeographer, its daily rate is -1 sec/day in ANY position, it's beat error is zero and its amplitude is excellent.With a matte-black dial and just hours/minutes/seconds, this is a simple watch that attracts little attention, except from other watch aficionados. Technically, its a moderately priced luxury watch related to Rolex, but it is not a Rolex nor does it have a Rolex movement nor Rolex pricing. Rather it has it's own, technically excellent in-house movement and performs with the same rock solid accuracy and reliability of a Rolex.Slab sided, the watch looks taller than it is, because the case back is recessed well into the watch body rather than protruding to give the illusion of thinness. On the wrist, it wears just fine, although at 14.8mm thick, dress shirt cuffs should be loose to allow it to fit under them.What you don't see in the watch at first glance but experience as a user are several hidden gems.First it's very accurate for a mechanical movement, with a free sprung balance, full balance bridge and variable inertial balance wheel (adjustable screw weights for timing) and simply does not seem to care what position you leave it in at night - timekeeping is about the same. And it appears to be a robust movement. Power reserve is 70 hours or about three days - VERY handy. It's reliable, dependable, simple and just works - I like that.Second, the timing bezel has a hard detent at 12 o'clock, making a "blind resent" after use easy to do. I find this very handy when cooking (and I like to cook) when watching several dishes and resetting timing after a course is finished. Note that the bezel does not "hang out" over the watch sides and has a coin edge - so it's best to grip it from the top and bottom, near the watch strap mounts, which makes it easy to turn.Third, the distressed leather watch strap works well and is easily adjusted, as I mentioned. This is not the strap I'd choose for diving - I'd use a metal or rubber bracelet/strap. But I don't plan to dive with this watch - Seiko or Doxa watches are better for diving IMHO. The leather strap makes the Black Bay a very nice daily casual watch - just set and forget. And the steel bracelet does not have a sliding extension that allows easy adjustment when my wrist swells a bit on a hot day, while the leather deployant strap is very fast to resize, on the fly.Fourth, the hairspring is silicon/non-magnetic. I work in a technical field where I'm often surrounded by incidental magnetic fields - which is why I've had problems and own a demagnetizer for my other mechanical watches. No such problem with this one, so far.Fifth - the case back is plain steel with plenty of room for engraving, very much like a Rolex. I like exhibition case-backs on some watches - but the movement on the Black Bay is not highly decorated as are some watches. The plain back feels good on my wrist, and as an anniversary watch you can imagine what we'll be putting on the back.Sixth - VERY easy to set and read, with an unusually large, VERY easy to handle lock-down water-proof crown with no interfering crown guards and great action - the hands on the watch face DO NOT wobble around during setting. Watch hands are large, well lumed and exceptionally easy to read during the day or in the dark. The hands are large and contrast brightly against the matte black dial, which has very well lumed indices. In short, I can read it very well under just about any lighting condition (broad daylight in-sun, darkness in theater, etc.) even though I have very poor close up vision. Again, this watch just works.So - could I simply have purchased a Seiko or Citizen watch, mechanical or quartz and saved a great deal? Certainly - and I have - those are great, practical tool watches. And when I damage, destroy or lose them I'm a little sad - but not too much out of pocket. In fact, I could simply use my cellphone, which is time-locked to a master timing reference, has a calendar and stopwatch - or simply pick up an Apple or Samsung smartwatch (which I have) to even monitor my vitals.But the Tudor Black Bay Heritage Black is special. It's a mechanical, kinetic piece of understated jewelry that has practical application, is as reliable as a brick and as accurate as much more expensive pieces. I love fine engineering and execution, which this watch has. And I love the fact that many of the person's who'd like to pull it off your wrist and run away with it couldn't tell it from a Timex.All in all, a very good (and safe) memento of a great anniversary.

Great looking watch and durable that homeless people will enjoy wearing because it will last for years.