These days, watches can easily become too fussy and over-designed. Whether it’s an unnecessarily complicated, unwieldy aesthetic or a misjudgment about innovation, sometimes a replica watch just needs to be a watch. Tudor 41 black bay is a case in point. This is a timer, the first and most important thing is to tell time, be honest and clear. There is not much decoration, not much design, just a clean and simple design, a beautiful blue dial, solid construction quality, and almost bulletproof movement. It’s the perfect model, and late last year, our fearless editor Felix Scholz had the good fortune to make it himself.
Now, you may be surprised to learn that not everyone wants a watch bedecked with bezels, chronographs, and other functionality to complicate the equation. Some people are just after a nice watch that tells the time, simple as that. 
The Tudor Black Bay 41 is a watch you should definitely look into if that’s something that resonates with you. Introduced several years ago as a 36mm case with a black dial, the collection has since grown to include 32 and 41mm versions, and most recently blue dial options. Today we’re looking at the BB 41, with a blue dial.
Before we get to the major talking point — the new dial — it’s worth recapping the numerous charms of the 41. While the case strongly references the ‘other’ Black Bays — those tall, straight sides, the ‘big’ crown, and proud, beveled lugs — the most obvious difference is the bezel. Gone is the tool-like unidirectional dive bezel of the diver, the 24-hour scale of the GMT, or the tachymeter of the Chrono. Instead, there’s a fixed bezel in polished steel. On paper, it’s a minor change, but one that radically alters the look and feels of the watch. It’s still utilitarian but in a very unassuming, everyday way. It’s a watch that will comfortably fly under the radar in most environments – personally, I think this is a very good thing.
Don’t make the mistake of being understated and understated equals dull. The dial of this watch proves that it is not at all. Decked out with the same bold pattern of highly luminous dot-and-dash hour makers, together with those snowflake-tipped hour and seconds hands, the dial has that bold Black Bay look. But for me, it’s the dial color and texture that seals the deal. Blue dials are hardly anything new, but the way replica Rolex has treated this one is wonderful. First, it’s a very interesting blue: rich and deep, but not navy — for me, it is cobalt, with occasional flashes of dark blue in the light. Speaking of light, the end of the dial does add to its charm. It’s a shiny dial, meaning it’s full of vibrant, reflected, and refracted light.
The blue-dialed Tudor Black Bay 41 is a well-designed, well-made fake watch that is happy to make a name for itself on its merits. Its job is simple — it tells the time and only the time. It is a work watch that has achieved an unperturbed, largely restrained style.