The Original Haptic Watch: The Tudor Heritage Advisor

Tudor hit a home run with the Black Bay 58. In fact, it’s a watch that’s so popular that it has eclipsed some of Tudor’s other offerings. Today, we’ll take a look at the Tudor Heritage Advisor, a truly unique timepiece with some unusual features. The Heritage Advisor probably won’t take the place of the BB58 in your watch roll, but you may decide to add it to your collection as your haptic watch. 

THE ALARM FUNCTION

There’s one type of watch person for whom the Tudor Heritage Advisor is a must-buy, and that’s a person who loves mechanical watch alarms which is the reason we are calling it the original "haptic" watch. When your Apple watch buzzes and vibrates, Apple calls that the "haptic touch." Since the Tudor Heritage Advisory also has an alarm feature, we'll dub it as such. It’s a rare complication (in fact, many argue it’s not technically a complication), but it’s attracted a legion of diehard fans who love a watch they can set to alarm. Our own Nick P. is one of these fans, and he spent several years tracking down a vintage JLC Memovox, one of the most beloved alarmed watches. There aren’t many in production, and the Tudor Heritage Advisor is one of the most reasonably-priced options for a mechanical alarmed wristwatch. 

Unlike the typical smartphone alarms, the sound of most watch alarms is a bright buzz that’s noticeable but not jarring. (Hodinkee described one watch alarm as having a “charming” tone, and we couldn’t agree more.) 

THE BOLD GOOD LOOKS

The original Tudor Advisor was released in 1957, and Tudor released a newly redesigned reference in 2011. A black-dial variant followed in 2013 and a beloved cognac dial in 2019. It features a 42mm Grade 5 titanium case with stainless steel bezel, pusher, and crowns. (Yep, we said crowns. Just like the original Advisor, the Heritage Advisor features two crowns.) The crown at 2 sets the alarm function while the crown at 4 is for the time and date. A stainless steel pusher at 8 turns the alarm function on or off, and a handy power-reserve sub-dial shows how much power the alarm function has remaining. Along with a pointer-style date sundial, this makes for a bit of a busy dial. Yet every sundial and indicator has its purpose, and in harmony with the two crowns and teardrop-shaped pusher, everything works together in perfect harmony. The customized ETA 289 calibre inside is a solid movement with an alarm function added on.  

WHY AN ALARMED WRISTWATCH STILL MATTERS IN 2020 

Using a watch with an alarm complication can seem way too quaint or precious, but that’s not true in the least. In a world that is increasingly aware of how time is spent, the alarm watch is an analog way to track time that doesn’t require downloading apps, syncing up browser extensions, or filling in spreadsheets to account for every single moment of your time. 

The Tudor Heritage Advisor is to smartphone alarms as bullet journals are to Evernote™. If you collect watches, you probably already understand the advantages of physical (mechanical) tools over electronic ones. It’s easier and more satisfying than asking Siri to time you, and it’s less disturbing to others if you’re in an open office workspace. It’s a personal alarm that works as an advisor -- a helpful tool for scheduling blocks of time in your day.  If you’re someone who tracks time often, or if you just want a gentle nudge to move from one project or task to the next, you should consider the Tudor Heritage Advisor. Think of it as a luxury Pomodoro timer that’s also a well-made machine. It should make checking things off your to-do list just a little more satisfying.

THE POWER OF A WELL-MADE OBJECT

If you appreciate intentional design and manufacture, check out an Everest Bands rubber or leather strap for your Tudor. We offer several different watch bands and straps that are carefully designed to fit individual references with no unsightly gaps. Try one out on your collection today.   

Written by Meghan Clark

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