This review focuses on the Tudor Royal model, which has a small 28mm case. While the Royal might seem like a low-key choice among Tudor's many popular models, such as the Black Bay 58 and Pelagos Ultra, the combination of yellow gold and chocolate brown creates a gorgeous design that exudes classic cuteness.
Photographs & Text by Chieko Tsuruoka (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published on January 27, 2025]
Review of the Tudor Royal women's model
Tudor is known for its sporty men's models. In fact, the Black Bay and Pelagos are both well-known and popular, and are the collections that come to mind when thinking of Tudor. Meanwhile, the Royal series, launched in 2020, has a more dressy feel, with a bezel decorated with notches, a thin case, and a dial featuring Roman numeral indices. While it may be less well-known than the popular collections mentioned above, after reviewing the Royal model with a 28mm case and chocolate brown dial, I learned that it is a Tudor watch that is easy to recommend to everyone, with many of the "classic goodness" qualities.
Automatic movement (Cal. T201). 25 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 38 hours. Stainless steel case (diameter 28mm, thickness 9.8mm). Water resistant to 100m. Price: 603,900 yen (tax included).
Through this review, I would like to share with you the many highlights of this piece that gradually become apparent when you wear it.
I wonder why I didn't buy the "Royal"
The Royal was released in 2020. At the time, the COVID-9 pandemic was in full swing, and the watch industry's new product exhibitions in early spring were canceled. Many watch brands either postponed the announcement of their new products for that year or announced them online instead. Tudor, along with Rolex, announced their new products for the year in September, and the Royal was among the new models.
From that time until now. I've always loved the Oyster Prince Submariner, manufactured when Tudor was still known as "Tudor" in Japan, and was thinking about buying a current model, so I decided to look for a 28mm Royal model (my current favorite is the so-called "Mini Sub," which is 33mm in diameter). However, in 2020, Rolex prices skyrocketed on the secondary market, affecting its sister brand, Tudor, resulting in a continued shortage of current models. The COVID-19 pandemic may have also contributed to this, as it made it difficult to transport products overseas. In any case, I had a hard time seeing Tudor's new models even in boutiques, so I ended up buying the Black Bay 32.
I could have waited for the Royal to arrive and seen the actual watch, but I didn't because I had the image in my mind that "modern Tudor is the Black Bay!" After that, I looked at the models lined up in the store, but I hadn't had the chance to touch and feel the actual watch (I hadn't joined Kronos yet), so I somehow put it off until today.
However, this time, I had the opportunity to actually review the 28mm Royal, which I had been considering purchasing myself back in 2020, and after wearing it for about a week, my desire to purchase it was once again stimulated. There were two reasons for this: first, the "cute" design I felt when wearing it was unexpectedly good, and second, its dressy yet highly practical design, typical of Tudor, was a lifesaver every day.
The yellow gold and chocolate brown coloring is cute!
As mentioned above, Tudor Royal is available in a wide variety of sizes. There are four sizes alone: 41mm, 38mm, 34mm, and 28mm (only the 41mm model is a day-date model with a day display, while the others are date models). The material is primarily stainless steel, and there are also "combination" models, such as the model worn here, with the bezel and screw-down crown in 18K yellow gold and the bracelet with a yellow gold cap.
The gorgeous design of this "combination" is perfectly matched with the chocolate brown dial, giving the impression of classic cuteness.
For Tudor, the Royal is positioned as a "sports chic watch," and like the Black Bay, it has a sporty feel. However, these two colors, the yellow gold dial with Roman numerals, and the thin case give this watch an elegant, dressy look that you'd want to wear on a special occasion, and I was very drawn to that image.
With demand for these slim, dressy watches on the rise in recent years, it's safe to say that any Tudor fan, male or female, who hasn't checked out the Royal should definitely take a look at this collection.
A highly practical piece
Although it has a dressy design, another great feature of this watch is that it has practical specs that are typical of a sports watch.
The watch is water resistant to 100m. While it's not as water resistant as the Black Bay or Pelagos, 100m is sufficient for everyday use. This is one of the reasons why it's recommended for users who do a lot of work with water.
The movement used is the automatic Cal. T201. It's a general-purpose watch with a power reserve of approximately 38 hours, which is shorter than recent models equipped with Kenissi movements, but I personally think it's not a problem considering the price. The winding efficiency is good, and although I haven't properly measured the accuracy, there was no significant discrepancy, so there was little effort required to wind the mainspring or adjust the time.
This stainless steel model uses 18K yellow gold for the bezel and crown, and is priced at 541,200 yen including tax, making it a reasonable price considering the recent rise in prices of Swiss-made watches. In fact, it's a shame that the price has risen due to the in-house movement...
As mentioned earlier, there is little need to adjust the time, but I tried adjusting the time and date to check the operation feel. The crown is small but easy to operate, and the decoration on the crown does not cause pain to the pads of the fingers.
However, although the operation is standard—pulling the crown out once fast-forward the date and pulling it out twice operates the hour and minute hands—pulling it out twice requires a fair amount of force (which is unavoidable since it's a general-purpose movement), and there were several times when I thought I'd pulled it out twice only to find that it hadn't. Be careful not to accidentally pull it out once and operate it during the time when calendar operations are prohibited.
I want one! A Tudor watch
We reviewed the Tudor Royal 28mm model.
Tudor has been a huge success in the Japanese market since opening its doors in 2018. Although they are known for their men's watches, their women's watches also boast excellent quality, design, and practicality, which once again highlights the high level of Tudor's craftsmanship.
I had previously considered purchasing this item from the collection, and needless to say, this cute design has made me want to buy it again. I'll do my best to earn some money.
