This Charming Replica Watch – Explaining The Tudor Heritage Advisor

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So impressive was the MT-5621 that it overshadowed the retro-modern North Flag that showcased it. Last year Tudor unveiled its first manufacture movement to nigh-on internet-breaking levels of fanfare and buzz. But it’s a little remarked upon fact that Tudor’s first foray into in-house happened way back in 2011, in the Tudor Heritage Advisor – one of earliest, and (in my opinion) most under-rated of the Geneva-based brand’s popular Heritage collection.

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First released in 1957, the original Tudor Advisor was a small alarm replica watch, often in an Oyster-style case, powered by a manually wound A. Schild movement.Before we talk about why the Advisor holds such a special place in Tudor’s line-up, let’s find out a little about where it came from.

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A vintage Tudor Advisor. Image by Kristian Dowling

Few replica watches capture the charm and anachronism of mechanical timekeeping quite like alarm complications. In these days of Google alerts and iPhone reminders it’s hard to imagine what possible use we could have for a wristwatch with a mechanical alarm – but back in the day it would have been remarkably useful.

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Oddball though the complication is, Tudor hasn’t cut any corners with the Advisor. The 42mm case is titanium and steel, with a polished steel bezel. Aside from cutting down on weight, the properties of titanium make for a clearer alarm. And, while the main movement of the Advisor is based on the trusty ETA 2892, the module has been developed completely in-house by Tudor. Other than the alarm power reserve and on/off indicator, the most interesting feature is that the whirring of the alarm doesn’t slowly fade away – rather it ends abruptly. It’s a detail few who weren’t familiar with alarm replica watches would appreciate, but it’s impressive nonetheless. The alarm itself is wound and set via the crown at two, and engaged by the pusher at eight.

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Given that there isn’t much call for mechanical alarms these days, the Advisor is often overshadowed by the rest of the Heritage line (especially the expanding Black Bay family), but it says a lot about Tudor that for one of its first reissues it chose to recreate such a historic model (this being the only alarm Tudor or indeed Rolex have ever made), in an interesting and challenging way. It’s also good to see the brand still paying attention to the Advisor – this cognac-dialled version, released earlier this year now joins those with silver and black dials.

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Tudor Heritage Advisor Australian pricing and availability

 

6 technical achievements that set Tudor apart

Over the past five years Tudor has transformed from a brand with a sprawling product offering and proposition into one that makes some of the best-looking, best-value Swiss timepieces around. A large part of this shift is due to the success of its on-point Heritage collection, which offered the perfect blend of modern quality and vintage style. Another less obvious, but equally important part of this equation is Tudor’s technical capacity as a replica watchmaker. It may not be immediately obvious, but its replica watches boast features and finish rarely seen at this price point.

Brushed bronze

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Not only that, the patina will develop evenly, thanks to the finely brushed case finishing. These are small details, but details that take time to get right. The result is a bronze replica watch that’s finished to a level well beyond any other piece at a comparable price.

Bronze replica watches aren’t new, but Tudor’s take on the genre is typically meticulous, opting for an alloy that’s high in aluminium, which means it will develop a more subtle patina than many other bronze replica watches on the market.

Advanced alarms

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While the MT-5621 was the brand’s first in-house movement, its first in-house module was developed way back in 2011, for the Heritage Advisor. Not only does it have an on/off indicator, date and alarm power reserve indicator, the alarm also ends abruptly, rather than slowly trailing off as most other alarms do – even on big-budget replica watches. The team at Tudor didn’t need to do this, but it sounds better, so they did.

Black ceramic

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Tudor’s skill with cases doesn’t stop there. Consider the Fastrider Black Shield, its case made from a single piece of black ceramic. Ceramic isn’t the easiest material to work with, but Tudor managed to deliver this highly technical case at a competitive price. The Black Shield has an RRP of $5,850 AUD.

Technical titanium

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Perhaps the most significant example of Tudor’s caseworking expertise is the mighty Pelagos. It’s the first ever fully titanium replica watch Tudor (or, for that matter, Rolex) has ever made, and it was worth the wait. Surprisingly enough, one of the best features of the Pelagos is the clasp, which can be altered on the wrist thanks to its patented micro-adjustment system.

Superior straps

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Anyone who owns a replica watch from Tudor’s Heritage collection won’t need to be sold on how impressive the fabric straps are, but it’s worth repeating. Hand-woven using traditional jacquard techniques, the technology might be centuries old and labour intensive, but boy does it result in a superior strap.

Manufacture movements

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Tudor introduced its first in-house movement last year, the MT-5621 which showed up in the North Flag. With a strong three-day power reserve, silicon hairspring and COSC reliability it’s a big step up from ETA. Twelve months down the track and in-house movements are happily ticking away in the Pelagos and Black Bay collections.

An evening with Tudor replica watches and the Rapha Cycle Club

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Last Wednesday, members of the Rapha Cycle Club braved the cold Melbourne weather for an informal catch-up. Also in attendance was Tudor, bringing along the 2016 collection for its first public appearance in Australia, plus some of the brand’s greatest previous releases.

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Rapha riders in Tasmania. Image via rapha.com

Angus Burrell,  Marketing Coordinator for the RCC Australia and New Zealand welcomed everyone, even though he had some difficulty recognising the assembled cyclists, as none of them were wearing helmets or (thankfully, it must be said) lycra.

Mr Boutellier went on to discuss Tudor’s recent innovations, in particular the commitment involved in developing an in-house movement – a process that took around five years of research and development. Of course, with  Tudor suddenly playing in a whole new market-segment, it’s been a worthwhile investment.

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Patrick Boutellier, General Manager of Rolex and Tudor Australia, also a member of the RCC, explained that the bond between Rapha and Tudor started, like so many of the best relationships, with some innocent flirting. Common interests, shared passions, a mutual appreciation for the finer things in life. After all, accuracy and precision are key to both good cycling and good replica watchmaking and, as Boutellier pointed out, there’s crossover in the technologies used, with carbon fibre, ceramic and titanium showing up in both.

With the formalities over, the drinks flowed, as did the cycling shop talk and war stories. And while most of the room was filled with your typical pub hubbub, there was a different energy near the display of replica watches. Several of Tudor’s replica watchmakers were on hand to answer questions and explain the inner workings of their in-house movement. More importantly, people were able to try the latest replica watches on for size.

 

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The Black Bay Bronze was a clear hit, spending most of the night on admiring wrists. The new Black Bay fabric straps were also well-liked, while the other big hits of the night were the stealthy Black Bay Dark and Fastrider Black Shield, not a massive surprise given their sporty good looks.

If the reaction of the Rapha Cycle Club is anything to go by, Tudor looks set to continue with its long-running string of successes this year.

PHOTO REPORT: Kayaking down the Hudson River with a replica Tudor North Flag

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Having billed last year’s North Flag as an intrepid replica watch, Tudor wasn’t satisfied with merely talking a good game. To back up their claim, they enlisted modern-day adventurer James Bowthorpe – who made his name circumnavigating the globe in 175 days, on a bicycle – to put it to the test.

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Preparation for the reconnaissance trip.

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The expedition saw him strapping a North Flag to his wrist for a 300-mile exploration of the Hudson River late last year, to be documented and released as a film called The Hudson River Project.

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Bowthorpe spent just over a month kayaking from the head of the river at Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Mountains, all the way down to the international shipping lanes of New York, gaining a seldom-seen perspective on the relationship between the waterway and the changing landscape around it.

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Boat-building in NYC.

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This alone would be quite a journey, but Bowthorpe did it in the depths of winter, adding snow, ice and freezing temperatures to the equation. And he did it in a boat he made himself – from objects found on the streets of New York City. The former furniture designer took eight days to gather the materials for his boat and craft the aluminium-hulled boat.

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Using the North Flag as a sun compass.

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Bowthorpe reports that his North Flag performed admirably on the journey – emerging unaffected by cold or water, and unscathed from his brushes with the grade-four whitewater rapids. And it does all this while looking good and keeping time to COSC standards.

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Tudor Iconaut Men’s Automatic Replica Watch 20400-GYSSS

Check out this article: Best Tudor Replica Watches to Own

Product Description

  • Case – This timepiece features a round stainless steel case that measures 44 mm in diameter. It has two silver tone pushers and knurl edge crown on the side.
  • Band – It also features a three-link stainless steel bracelet with deployment closure.
  • Bezel – This replica watch has a stainless steel stationary bezel with black markings. The inner bezel has a tachymeter feature as well.
  • Dial – It also comes with a mud grey dial that has luminous silver tone hands, luminous red tone sweep seconds, thee chronograph sub dials, date display at 4 o’clock, red hour markers, and scratch proof sapphire crystal window.
  • Others – It has an analog display, water resistance depth of 495 feet, power reserve of 46 hours, and automatic movement.

Advantages

Sporty and refined

The mud grey dial, chunky bezel, red tones, and large numerals create a sporty and masculine feel to the replica watch. Meanwhile the link bracelet makes it look more polished and refined. The black accents add a touch of classic hint to this timepiece as well. With the combination of the different elements, you can easily dress up or dress down any outfit with this.

Useful features

The replica watch has a good water resistance depth that allows you to use it for swimming, snorkeling, and other water activities except diving. It’s admirable that this timepiece remains true to its water resistance claim, unlike other replica watches. It also has a power reserve feature helps you avoid those annoying instances wherein you forget to replace your battery. Since it has spare energy, it gives you more time to purchase a new battery. The deployment clasp on the strap guarantees you that the replica watch will stay in place.

Disadvantages

Non luminous hour markers

Luminosity is one of the most vital components of a timepiece because it secures precision and readability even during low-light situations. Thus, it can be said that not having complete luminosity on those important specs somehow defeats the purpose of the replica watch. A timepiece should be a gadget that you could rely on at all times.