Sunday Morning Showdown: Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue” Vs. TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox In Purple

Is it Sunday already? Yes, it is, and we’ll make sure you have a good last day of the weekend with this week’s episode of Sunday Morning Showdown. Daan and Lex will go head to head with two colorful chronographs. In one corner, Daan represents the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue,” which gives off serious Miami Vice vibes. In the other corner is Lex, who picked something Prince would’ve loved to wear while walking through the rain, the dark purple TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox. May the best color win!

You are probably very familiar with both the 41mm Tudor Black Bay Chrono and the 39mm TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox. The Tudor with a “Flamingo Blue” dial is a newcomer, though. The Carrera, with its smoky purple sunburst dial, has been around a bit longer, but you can probably understand why we put these two chronographs against each other. Both watches are exuberant variations on a classic theme. Tudor went “full Florida” on the Black Bay Chrono, and TAG Heuer found inspiration at a farmer’s market outside La Chaux-de-Fonds while looking at organically grown plums. That, however, is not in the TAG Heuer press release.

Last week, on Sunday Morning Showdown…

Before we get into today’s battle, let’s recap last week’s, which saw the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm and IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 compete. Are you surprised that the Midnight Blue version of the Laureato beat the blue-dialed IWC Ingenieur? It was reasonably close, though, with the GP taking 58% of votes and the IWC coming away with 42%. We’re guessing that we’ll have an even closer race on our hands this week. What we have here are two watches with dials in very peculiar colors. Ultimately, the question will probably be: What’s your favorite color — Florida blue or deep purple?

Lex: TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox “Deep Purple”

The foundation of this purple-dialed watch is the classic 39mm stainless steel Carrera Chronograph case with horizontally brushed sides and polished bevels and lugs. The best feature, in my opinion, is the double-domed sapphire crystal, aka the glassbox. Not only does it look somewhat retro in a contemporary way, but it also looks soft and elegant, and elegance is in short supply in the land of mechanical chronographs. This Carrera is indeed elegant, though, and not just the case and crystal but also the dial. Look at that sophisticated chapter ring with a convex top and concave sides. Not only does it fit nicely into the curved crystal, but it also minimizes distortions.

Still, no matter what TAG Heuer has done to the case and the crystal, the major visual factor is the dial. It’s very hard not to notice the dial’s smoky purple color. It’s also impossible not to have an instant opinion ready. Outspoken colors do have that effect. I like it. Even though I’m usually not the biggest fan of dials with a metallic sheen and a sunburst finish, this one tickles my fancy. It makes me think of a Prince song and a Deep Purple track all at once, and in my head, that remix sounds awesome!

Normally, I prefer a matte dial, like the Tudor one named after a non-existent bird. But this time, I prefer the shiny dial with a purple-to-black gradient. Combined with the black azurage-finished sub-dials, it ensures the purple hue isn’t too dominant. Although purple is quite a daring color, it comes across as more timeless than the Tudor’s light blue dial. This particular shade of purple makes for a more refined color accent than the in-your-face blue of the Carrera’s competitor.

Nothing to hide

I’m not saying a 41 × 14.4mm chronograph is too big for my wrist. However, I will say that the 39mm TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox, with its 46mm lug-to-lug and 13.9mm overall thickness, feels and looks better on my wrist. Compared to the movement used in the Tudor, this Carrera also has the edge. The automatic TH20-00, a 33-jewel in-house chronograph caliber, has an 80-hour power reserve, which is 10 hours more than the movement inside the Tudor.

And unlike Tudor, TAG Heuer is not afraid to show you the movement. The see-through case back allows a nice view of the caliber outfitted with a column wheel and a vertical clutch. You will also notice the Geneva stripes and skeletonized rotor, a couple of nice little touches of luxury for your money. Speaking of money, the 39mm TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph with a smoky purple dial costs €6,500. It’s marginally more than the Tudor, yes, but totally worth the extra €510.

Daan: Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue”

If the Tudor Black Bay with its turquoise dial is a flamingo, then the TAG Heuer Carrera with its purple dial is like a European starling. It’s mainly black, but it also has a purple shimmer all over its feathers, just like the Carrera on its dial. I quite like the starling; it’s a bird I see a lot here in Amsterdam and a big part of city life. However, it can’t compete with the flamingo, even if the latter doesn’t live in Amsterdam and is an imaginary blue one.

Both the flamingo and the turquoise dial of this Tudor Black Bay Chrono are more outspoken than the starling and the dial of today’s TAG Heuer Carrera. Neither of these watches is going to be your first watch. Likely, you’ll already have your fair share of white and black dials in the collection before you decide to buy either of these options. I just feel that the Carrera is a bit too safe. It reminds me too much of the model with the black dial because, in most lighting conditions, you won’t even notice its purple shimmer. That’s why I think the Tudor is a much better choice. It offers something truly different next to the more conventional dial colors in your collection.

COSC certification vs. extended power reserve

Although these are both two splendid chronographs, in terms of looks and specs, they’re quite far apart. However, I didn’t expect you, Lex, to put the TAG Heuer ahead of the Tudor simply because of its 10 extra hours of power reserve. How much difference does that actually make in the real world? None? Exactly, you can easily put both these watches down for the weekend and wear them again on Monday without having to set or wind them again. What I think is much more valuable is the Black Bay’s COSC certification and Tudor’s extra effort to make it run between -2 and +4 seconds a day.

To me, that seems more like a sign of quality and dedication than an extended power reserve does. Plus, I swap watches way too many times a week to properly notice the total hours of power reserve inside a movement. On the other hand, I do enjoy it when a watch runs accurately and can tell me the actual time when I glance down at my wrist.

Bracelet vs. perforated leather strap

There’s also another difference I think is super important here, and that’s the lack of a bracelet on the Carrera. Sure, you can order an additional stainless steel bracelet for it, and it’s a decent-looking one as well. However, that will increase the price of the TAG Heuer even more. Then, the price difference between these two watches becomes a bit too large. Another problem (for the Carrera) is that Tudor is known for its very solid and well-designed bracelets.

The one on this Black Bay Chrono is a nice Jubilee-style/five-row bracelet. The links have a comfortable oval shape from the side and feature a brushed and polished finish. In addition, the clasp has Tudor’s T-Fit mechanism for easy-breezy micro-adjustments anytime. That certainly comes in handy while you’re parading the Miami coastline. It also stands the heat better than the perforated leather strap on the Carrera!

Get ready to vote!

All right, there you have it — a battle between two chronographs with unusual dial colors. Will you go for the TAG Heuer Carrera that looks like a plum, or do you prefer the Tudor with its “flamingo blue” dial? Rumor has it that the latter smells like roasted peanuts as blue flamingos only eat blue M&Ms. Anyway, make sure to vote, leave the reasons for your choice in the comments below, and enjoy your Sunday!