Ticino Sea Viper Vintage Pro Diver Submariner Watch Reviews
The Tudor Black Bay is an amazing timepiece that tin can be considered the ultimate grail for many collectors. Sadly, the cost of the average Black Bay hovers from $3,000 to $6,000.
If you're similar me, $half-dozen,000 is your budget for a machine, non a wrist ornament. Fortunately, a lot of watchmakers create Tudor Black Bay homages for a very affordable price.
These timepieces are usually very good in terms of quality, but it can be hard to know which ane is best. This article is here for you: I'm going to inform you most the 7 best Tudor Black Bay alternatives currently on the market.
one- Corgeut Automated
The Corgeut Automated's origins are a bit obscure. This watchmaker has no official website and only sells through online retailers such as Amazon or Aliexpress. This leads us to believe this is a Chinese timepiece.
However, the quality of the Corgeut Automated is very good for the low toll, and its design replicates almost flawlessly the Tudor Black Bay.
| | Corgeut motorcar |
|---|---|
| Case Diameter | 41mm |
| Case Thickness | 13mm |
| Lug-to-Lug Length | 51mm |
| Lug Width | 22mm |
The Corgeut'southward 41mm instance is average for a diver's watch, but the 51mm lug-to-lug length makes it a flake lanky (due to protruding lugs). For that reason, I can't recommend this lookout man for anyone with wrists smaller than 6.5".
| | Corgeut auto |
|---|---|
| Movement | Miyota 8215 |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Water Resistance | 100m |
| Lume | Hands/60 minutes Marks |
| Bezel | Unidirectional xc clicks |
| Easily | Snowflake |
Move:
The Miyota 8215 automatic motion found in this Corgeut is a truthful workhorse. This caliber is renown for its legendary Japanese reliability , as well equally the functions information technology offers (mitt-winding, quickset date).
The rest of 8215's specs are upwards to par with entry-level mechanical movements: 21 jewels, 21,600 bph and 42 hours power reserve.
Specs:
For a sub-$150 watch, the components of the Corgeut are pretty impressive. You go a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal as well as 100m water resistance thanks to the screw-down crown. The WR is a controversial point, considering the punch says "200 meters" even though the bodily resistance is 100m.
As for the lume, in that location's a healthy layer of it spread on the easily, hour marks, and bezel (at the 0-minute mark). You tin await it to be bright and durable inside reason, but nada as functional as Seiko's Lumibrite application.
Design:
Corgeut had only ane job when creating this timepiece: replicating the Tudor Blackness bay equally closely every bit possible. I must say it is mission accomplished, because everything from the lx minutes bezel to the snowflake easily to the scripts are nigh identical.
All the same, there are still a few differences that separate the Corgeut from the original Black Bay. Showtime, the Corgeut has a date window, which is not nowadays on the Tudor . This is a big deal-breaker to some, but don't worry because there are other non-date models on this list.
Secondly, the Corgeut lacks the signature red paint on the bezel's arrow. These are minor inconveniences and I think it's ok not to copy exactly the Black bay'southward styling.
Pros
Cons
ii- Lorier Neptune
| | Lorier neptune |
|---|---|
| Case Diameter | 39mm |
| Case Thickness | 12mm (w/o Crystal) |
| Lug-to-Lug Length | 48mm |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
Coming in at 39mm, the instance bore of the Lorier Neptune makes it the perfect piece for men with 6'' to seven.25'' wrists. Too, the 48mm lug-to-lug length also as the 20mm lug width make this watch fit snugly effectually your wrist.
The bulkiest part of the Neptune is undoubtedly the Superdome plexiglass crystal. It sticks out a couple of millimeters, giving a vintage/old-school vibe that can't be ignored.
| | Lorier Neptune |
|---|---|
| Movement | Seiko NH35 |
| Crystal | Superdome Plexiglass |
| Water Resistance | 200m |
| Lume | SuperLuminova |
| Bezel | Unidirectional 120 clicks |
| Hands | Arrow / Blastoff |
Move:
Like the Corgeut Motorcar, the Lorier Neptune uses a Japanese automatic movement. This fourth dimension, the eye of the timepiece is Seiko's NH35 mitt-wound and hackable automatic caliber. This gives you 41 hours of power reserve, 24 jewels, and a low frequency of 21,600 vph.
Since the NH35 is produced by Seiko, you lot go their proprietary Diashock system, which gives industry-leading shock resistance.
Specs:
Lorier is a proper microbrand, so they pride themselves in the high quality of the components they employ. Of course, this comes with a cost, which explains the steep cost increase betwixt this and the Corgeut.
In my opinion, every boosted penny is largely worth it. The bracelet has solid end-links and a cracking modular (independent articulation) pattern which makes information technology extremely comfortable. Also, the 120-clicks bezel is very well-baked and the SuperLuminova application is superlative-class.
Blueprint:
Opposite to some watches on this listing, the Neptune is a standalone spotter with its own personality, non a elementary recreation of the Black Bay. Unfortunately, this means you won't become the signature snowflake hands.
Also, the bezel uses a smaller font for the 60-minutes scale, merely information technology has the aforementioned coin border pattern as the Blackness Bay. The biggest resemblance betwixt the two watches is constitute in the dial.
For instance, you get almost indistinguishable hour marks, too as a no-date layout.
Pros
Cons
three- Tiger-Concept 5508
| | Tiger-Concept 5508 |
|---|---|
| Example Diameter | 38.7mm |
| Case Thickness | Unknown |
| Lug-to-Lug Length | 48.6mm |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
On their website, Tiger-Concept is very precise with the measurement of the case diameter (38.7mm) and lug-to-lug length (48.6mm). Also, they give u.s. the lug width of 20mm, but the case thickness is not provided.
Unfortunately, I haven't had the risk to take the Tiger-Concept 5508 in my own hands, so I couldn't measure the case thickness myself. Simply know it is very thick considering its use of a Superdome crystal.
| | tiger-concept 5508 |
|---|---|
| Movement | DG2813/MIYOTA8215/9015 |
| Crystal | Superdome Sapphire |
| Water Resistance | 30m |
| Lume | Vintage |
| Bezel | Unidirectional 120-clicks |
| Easily | Snowflake |
Motion:
Tiger-Concept is a very polyvalent watchmaker, so yous get to choose between three different movements depending on your budget.
The cheapest of the three is the Chinese DG2813 automatic caliber. This is a pretty reliable movement with a bit lower than average accuracy. It does offer hacking and hand-winding, but the stop is unremarkably pretty crude.
The Miyota 8215 is the mid-range movement, offered for an extra $46. This is the same quotient institute in the Corgeut Automatic.
Finally, for an boosted $60 (over the 8215'due south toll) yous can get the high-terminate Miyota 9015 motility. This premium automatic caliber beats at a medium-high frequency of 28,800 vph, uses 24 jewels, and volition be much more than authentic than the other two.
Specs:
Even if the cheapest version of the 5508 V6 is reasonably priced, you still get a lot of quality for the coin. For instance, all models get the Superdome sapphire crystal, which was fabricated of mineral composite for the V5.
Also, yous get a high-quality solid stop links bracelet, a 120-clicks coin edge bezel, and a big spiral-down crown.
To release itself from liabilities, Tiger-Concept only guarantees a 30m water-resistance, only I'm confident it can handle much more than than that (at least 100m, but I don't recommend testing it).
When information technology comes to lume, Tiger-Concept uses an unknown application for the hands and hr marks, which the company qualifies equally "vintage lume".
Design:
Since the Tiger-Concept 5508 V6 is specifically designed to replicate the Tudor Black Bay, there'southward basically no difference between the two. It uses the exact same hour marks, snowflake hands, and script font/color.
The 5508 is highly customizable, and then you tin can bandy the easily, punch and bezel insert.
Pros
Cons
4- Parnis Alpha
| | Parnis Alpha |
|---|---|
| Case Diameter | xl-42mm |
| Case Thickness | 13.2mm |
| Lug-to-Lug Length | 48.7-50mm |
| Lug Width | twenty-22mm |
As of the fourth dimension of writing the article, the Parnis Alpha collection has 18 different models, ranging from twoscore to 42mm in instance bore.
Appropriately, the 40mm version has 48.7mm of lug-to-lug length with a 20mm lug width, and the 42mm version has 50mm of lug-to-lug length and a 22mm lug width.
| | Parnis Alpha |
|---|---|
| Movement | Miyota 8215 |
| Crystal | Mineral/Sapphire |
| Water Resistance | 100m |
| Lume | Hands |
| Bezel | Unidirectional 60 Minutes |
| Hands | Mercedes |
Movement:
Once more, the movement used in the Parnis Alpha is the famous Miyota 8215. Like I said before, this 21 jewels movement is built with durability in mind, and it has an estimated power reserve of 40 hours.
Specs:
It's a bit catchy to talk almost the specs of the Parnis Alpha since the company produces two different variations for every one of the 18 models.
The first pick is the ane sold by resellers (such as eBay). This 1 costs a bit less, but it gets lower quality components such as a zinc alloy case and a mineral crystal.
The 2nd option is the i sold direct from Alpha's Website or in specialized boutiques. This variation comes with a college-quality sapphire crystal as well as a 316L stainless steel case.
Design:
Since the Blastoff is a closer representation of the Rolex Explorer than it is a Black Bay, it uses a Mercedes hands prepare. Besides, the the Parnis has a minor appointment window at the iii o'clock position.
Even so, a lot of collectors consider the Parnis to exist a Tudor Black Bay Homage too. Y'all always have the option to swap the hands for a set of snowflake hands.
Pros
Cons
v- Ticino Sea Viper II
| | Sea viper II |
|---|---|
| Case Bore | 40mm |
| Case Thickness | 13mm |
| Lug-to-Lug Length | 48mm |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
Similar most watches on this list, the 40mm case diameter/48mm lug-to-lug make the Sea Viper II a mid-sized watch. The curved lugs and small lug width contribute to the compact design, so it should look skilful even if you have 6'' wrists.
| | sea viper ii |
|---|---|
| Movement | Miyota 8215 |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Water Resistance | 200m |
| Lume | C3 Superlume |
| Bezel | 60 Minutes w/ Ceramic Insert |
| Hands | Mercedes |
Movement:
Surprise, surprise! The Miyota 8215 shows upwards yet again. By now y'all should've probably realized that this is the become-to movement if you want cheap Japanese reliability.
At this indicate, there'due south really nothing much to add nigh this motion. If you want to get real technical, information technology's expert to know that it has a unidirectional rotating arrangement, a 49-degree lift angle and a 5.67mm thickness.
Specs:
For a $150 watch, the Ticino Sea Viper Ii packs a lot of punch. Information technology seems similar the designer cut no corner with this one. You get a sapphire crystal, C3 Superlume application that'south renown in the manufacture (and has a cool blue colour), and even a ceramic bezel insert which is very scratch-resistant.
Also, the spiral-downward crown allows for 200m of water resistance, the stainless steel bracelet is heavy duty and the bezel has about no play.
Design:
Again, the Ocean Viper II is a bit closer the Explorer than it is to the Black Bay, so you lot go a set of Mercedes hands and a sub bezel pattern. At to the lowest degree, the Ticino has no date window and sports the same verbal hour marks as the Tudor.
Pros
Cons
6- Modded Seiko SKX
| | Seiko skx |
|---|---|
| Example Bore | 42.5mm |
| Case Thickness | xiii.25mm |
| Lug-to-Lug Length | 46mm |
| Lug Width | 22mm |
The Seiko SKX007/009 has a really interesting shape. With its 42.5mm example, information technology is technically the largest lookout man on the list, but its 46mm lug-to-lug length makes it the shortest of the bunch. This means it will look much smaller on your wrist than you would think.
| | seiko skx |
|---|---|
| Movement | 7s26 |
| Crystal | Mineral |
| Water Resistance | 200m |
| Lume | Lumibrite |
| Bezel | 60 Minutes Aluminum |
| Hands | Snowflake (one time modded) |
Motion:
The 7s26 is Seiko's in-house entry-level motility. It is a pretty barebones automatic caliber with no mitt-winding nor hacking . The residue of the specs are pretty similar to the Miyota 8215: 21,600 vph, 40 hours ability reserve and 21 jewels.
The reliability and durability of the Seiko 7s26 will exist on par with the Miyota, and the accuracy will be good nearly of the time (except for a few lemons).
To mimic the Tudor Black Bay's hand-wound/hackable movement, some SKX owners will swap the 7s26 for an NH35 (also found in the Lorier Neptune) or a 4R36 move.
Specs:
Out of the box, the specs of the Seiko SKX are zippo out of the ordinary. This shouldn't matter to you if y'all plan on going for the Black Bay modern. Along the fashion, you will get the opportunity to upgrade almost every single component.
For instance, people will swap the aluminum bezel insert for ceramic and/or bandy the mineral crystal for sapphire to get more scratch resistance out of both parts. The water resistance is already 200m, so in that location's no need to alter the seals, gaskets or crown.
Blueprint:
Depending on your level of delivery, you tin become the SKX007 to look well-nigh identical to the original Tudor. Equally you can run into below, information technology is really easy to notice exact replicas of the Blackness Bay's hands, dial and bezel online.
If you like the SKX as a modding platform, I encourage you lot to head over to my "7 Best SKX Mods" article.
Pros
Cons
7- Modded Invicta 8926
I know, I know, Invicta gets a pretty bad rap in the sentinel community. A lot of collectors deem this watchmaker equally unoriginal and low-quality.
As I explained in my "Are Invicta Watches Whatsoever Good?" article, this is true for the majority of Invicta's collection, but at that place are a few exceptions to the rule.
In my opinion, the Invicta 8926 is a diamond in the rough, which makes it a perfect platform for a Black Bay mod.
| | Invicta 8926 |
|---|---|
| Case Diameter | 40mm |
| Instance Thickness | 14mm |
| Lug-to-Lug Length | 47mm |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
The Invicta 8926, which is technically a Rolex Submariner homage, has a very similar shape to the Seiko SKX. The onetime has a bit thicker case as well as a longer lug-to-lug, but the lug width and case diameter are smaller.
This is a perfect timepiece for men with wrist sizes from 6'' to vii.5''.
| | invicta 8926 |
|---|---|
| Motion | Seiko NH35 |
| Crystal | Mineral |
| Water Resistance | 200m |
| Lume | Hands/Hr Marks |
| Bezel | 120 clicks lx-minutes |
| Easily | Mercedes |
Motion:
Like the Lorier Neptune, the Invicta 8926 gets Seiko'southward beloved NH35 hand-winding/hacking automatic movement.
This 24 jewels quotient beating at 21,600 vph is an unbranded version of Seiko's 4R35 movement. Information technology is sold to hundreds of brands or microbrands such as Invicta, Vostok, Lum-Tec, etc..
The accuracy is boilerplate, the reliability is superlative of the form, and the power to hand-air current is what makes the NH35 so popular. Also, you lot get the same ≈twoscore hours power reserve every bit any other sentry on this list.
Specs:
Since it is role of Invicta'due south Pro Diver collection, the 8926 gets a large screw-down crown and is certified for 200m of water resistance.
Yous too become lumed hands and hr marks, only it looks a bit odd because there's a much thicker layer on the hands compared to the pips, making information technology look disproportionate (hour marks are very slow).
The bezel really stands out to me because it has a 120-clicks mechanism and is pretty well-baked, which is rare for such a cheap timepiece.
Design:
As I mentioned earlier, the Invicta 8926 is originally a Rolex Submariner homage, just a few piece of cake tweaks can make information technology await identical to the Tudor Black Bay.
As you can see above, Watchuseek forum user LifeTrekker replaced only the hands, punch, bezel, and crystal to make his 8926 equally close as possible to the Tudor. I think the cherry-red triangle of the bezel insert really seals the deal.
Pros
Cons
Source: https://romeoswatches.com/tudor-black-bay-homage-the-7-best-alternatives/
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