Review: Tudor Heritage Advisor
I've got a bit of a thing for vintage-styled watches with two crowns; Longines' Legend Diver, IWC's Vintage Aquatimer, Jaeger-LeCoultre's Memovox and the oh-so-elegant Tudor Advisor are, to me, as close to wrist-worn nirvana as is possible. When Tudor revealed that they were going to produce a modern imagining of their 1957 original Advisor, I had high expectations—after all, the Heritage Chronograph and the more recent Heritage Black Bay both hit the mark.
The Advisor, both new and old, is an alarm watch. Tudor's modern Heritage Advisor bases its movement on the ETA 2892, with the addition of a few neat functions that make using the alarm surprisingly straightforward. Pressing the pusher at eight o'clock turns the alarm on, and a small window on the dial indicates its activation. A second crown at two o'clock is wound to power the alarm, whilst another useful indicator on the dial displays the power reserve of the alarm mainspring. The alarm time, indicated by the red hand, is set with the same crown. It's as simple as that. A cursory glance is all that's needed to know exactly what state the alarm is in, and the chime itself rings freely and is fairly pleasant, if perhaps not loud enough to be heard in a busy, outdoor environment.
In usual Tudor fare, the case is well finished and the dial is too. Detailing is spot on, with no cut-corners or budget-restrained materials as is expected for its nearly £4,000 RRP, particularly for a watch that bases its movement on an ETA. It doesn't feel quite up to the standards of its elder brother, Rolex, but then that's no surprise. For the additional complications and the price difference, it's about right.
It all sounds positive, and the sum of its parts should make for a great watch, but there's something amiss. The size, the weight, the design—it doesn't all gel properly and feels a little awkward for a watch that traces its roots back to stylish elegance and slender proportions. The heft of the case is not dissimilar to Tudor's other Heritage offerings, but in those instances a slice of sporty chunkiness is befitting, whereas here it stands out like an unwelcome guest.
The Heritage Advisor feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be; is it sporty, is it dressy, is simple, is it complicated—its messages are mixed. Granted, it does nothing drastically wrong and there is a lot to like, but when it comes to honouring a fifties classic, it falls just wide of the mark.
Watch Spec | Tudor Heritage Advisor
Case: Steel and titanium Dimensions: 42mm dia Crystal: Synthetic sapphire Water Resistance: 100m Movement: ETA 2892 with Tudor developed alarm, automatic Frequency: 28,800 vph Power Reserve: 42 hours Strap: Steel bracelet
