The Tudor Black Bay is an amazing timepiece that can be considered the ultimate grail for many collectors. Sadly, the price of the average Black Bay hovers from $3,000 to $6,000.

If you're like me, $6,000 is your budget for a car, not a wrist ornament. Fortunately, a lot of watchmakers create Tudor Black Bay homages for a very affordable price.

These timepieces are usually very good in terms of quality, but it can be hard to know which one is best. This article is here for you: I'm going to inform you about the 7 best Tudor Black Bay alternatives currently on the market.

1- Corgeut Automatic

The Corgeut's 41mm case is average for a diver's watch, but the 51mm lug-to-lug length makes it a bit lanky (due to protruding lugs). For that reason, I can't recommend this watch for anyone with wrists smaller than 6.5".

Movement:

The Miyota 8215 automatic movement found in this Corgeut is a true workhorse. This caliber is renown for its legendary Japanese reliability, as well as the functions it offers (hand-winding, quickset date).

The rest of 8215's specs are up to par with entry-level mechanical movements: 21 jewels, 21,600 bph and 42 hours power reserve.

Specs:

For a sub-$150 watch, the components of the Corgeut are pretty impressive. You get a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal as well as 100m water resistance thanks to the screw-down crown. The WR is a controversial point, considering the dial says "200 meters" even though the actual resistance is 100m.

As for the lume, there's a healthy layer of it spread on the hands, hour marks, and bezel (at the 0-minute mark). You can expect it to be bright and durable within reason, but nothing as functional as Seiko's Lumibrite application.

Design:

Corgeut had only one job when creating this timepiece: replicating the Tudor Black bay as closely as possible. I must say it is mission accomplished, considering everything from the 60 minutes bezel to the snowflake hands to the scripts are near identical.

Nonetheless, there are still a few differences that separate the Corgeut from the original Black Bay. First, the Corgeut has a date window, which is not present on the Tudor. This is a big deal-breaker to some, but don't worry because there are other non-date models on this list.

Secondly, the Corgeut lacks the signature red paint on the bezel's arrow. These are minor inconveniences and I think it's ok not to copy exactly the Black bay's styling.

2- Lorier Neptune

Coming in at 39mm, the case diameter of the Lorier Neptune makes it the perfect piece for men with 6'' to 7.25'' wrists. Also, the 48mm lug-to-lug length as well as the 20mm lug width make this watch fit snugly around your wrist.

The bulkiest part of the Neptune is undoubtedly the Superdome plexiglass crystal. It sticks out a couple of millimeters, giving a vintage/old-school vibe that can't be ignored. 

Movement:

Like the Corgeut Auto, the Lorier Neptune uses a Japanese automatic movement. This time, the heart of the timepiece is Seiko's NH35 hand-wound and hackable automatic caliber. This gives you 41 hours of power reserve, 24 jewels, and a low frequency of 21,600 vph.

Since the NH35 is produced by Seiko, you get their proprietary Diashock system, which gives industry-leading shock resistance.

Specs:

Lorier is a proper microbrand, so they pride themselves in the high quality of the components they use. Of course, this comes with a cost, which explains the steep price increase between this and the Corgeut.

In my opinion, every additional penny is largely worth it. The bracelet has solid end-links and a great modular (independent articulation) design which makes it extremely comfortable. Also, the 120-clicks bezel is very crisp and the SuperLuminova application is top-class.

Design:

Contrary to some watches on this list, the Neptune is a standalone watch with its own personality, not a simple recreation of the Black Bay. Unfortunately, this means you won't get the signature snowflake hands.

Also, the bezel uses a smaller font for the 60-minutes scale, but it has the same coin edge pattern as the Black Bay. The biggest resemblance between the two watches is found in the dial.

For instance, you get almost indistinguishable hour marks, as well as a no-date layout.

3- Tiger-Concept 5508

On their website, Tiger-Concept is very precise with the measurement of the case diameter (38.7mm) and lug-to-lug length (48.6mm). Also, they give us the lug width of 20mm, but the case thickness is not provided.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to have the Tiger-Concept 5508 in my own hands, so I couldn't measure the case thickness myself. Simply know it is very thick considering its use of a Superdome crystal.

Movement:

Tiger-Concept is a very polyvalent watchmaker, so you get to choose between three different movements depending on your budget. 

The cheapest of the three is the Chinese DG2813 automatic caliber. This is a pretty reliable movement with a bit lower than average accuracy. It does offer hacking and hand-winding, but the finish is usually pretty rough.

The Miyota 8215 is the mid-range movement, offered for an extra $46. This is the same caliber found in the Corgeut Automatic.

Finally, for an additional $60 (over the 8215's price) you can get the high-end Miyota 9015 movement. This premium automatic caliber beats at a medium-high frequency of 28,800 vph, uses 24 jewels, and will be much more accurate than the other two.

Specs:

Even if the cheapest version of the 5508 V6 is reasonably priced, you still get a lot of quality for the money. For example, all models get the Superdome sapphire crystal, which was made of mineral composite for the V5.

Also, you get a high-quality solid end links bracelet, a 120-clicks coin edge bezel, and a large screw-down crown.

To release itself from liabilities, Tiger-Concept only guarantees a 30m water-resistance, but I'm confident it can handle much more than that (at least 100m, but I don't recommend testing it).

When it comes to lume, Tiger-Concept uses an unknown application for the hands and hour marks, which the company qualifies as "vintage lume".

Design:

Since the Tiger-Concept 5508 V6 is specifically designed to replicate the Tudor Black Bay, there's basically no difference between the two. It uses the exact same hour marks, snowflake hands, and script font/color.

The 5508 is highly customizable, so you can swap the hands, dial and bezel insert.

4- Parnis Alpha

As of the time of writing the article, the Parnis Alpha collection has 18 different models, ranging from 40 to 42mm in case diameter.

Accordingly, the 40mm version has 48.7mm of lug-to-lug length with a 20mm lug width, and the 42mm version has 50mm of  lug-to-lug length and a 22mm lug width.

Movement:

Once again, the movement used in the Parnis Alpha is the famous Miyota 8215. Like I said before, this 21 jewels movement is built with durability in mind, and it has an estimated power reserve of 40 hours.

Specs:

It's a bit tricky to talk about the specs of the Parnis Alpha since the company produces two different variations for every one of the 18 models.

The first option is the one sold by resellers (such as eBay). This one costs a bit less, but it gets lower quality components such as a zinc alloy case and a mineral crystal. 

The second option is the one sold directly from Alpha's Website or in specialized boutiques. This variation comes with a higher-quality sapphire crystal as well as a 316L stainless steel case. 

Design:

Since the Alpha is a closer representation of the Rolex Explorer than it is a Black Bay, it uses a Mercedes hands set. Also, the the Parnis has a small date window at the 3 o'clock position.

Still, a lot of collectors consider the Parnis to be a Tudor Black Bay Homage too. You always have the option to swap the hands for a set of snowflake easily.

5- Ticino Sea Viper II

Like most watches on this list, the 40mm case diameter/48mm lug-to-lug make the Sea Viper II a mid-sized watch. The curved lugs and small lug width contribute to the compact design, so it should look good even if you have 6'' wrists.

Movement:

Surprise, surprise! The Miyota 8215 shows up yet again. By now you should've probably realized that this is the go-to movement if you want cheap Japanese reliability. 

At this point, there's really nothing much to add about this movement. If you want to get real technical, it's good to know that it has a unidirectional rotating system,  a 49-degree lift angle and a 5.67mm thickness.

Specs:

For a $150 watch, the Ticino Sea Viper II packs a lot of punch. It seems like the designer cut no corner with this one. You get a sapphire crystal, C3 Superlume application that's renown in the industry (and has a cool blue color), and even a ceramic bezel insert which is very scratch-resistant.

Also, the screw-down crown allows for 200m of water resistance, the stainless steel bracelet is heavy duty and the bezel has almost no play. 

Design:

Once again, the Sea Viper II is a bit closer the Explorer than it is to the Black Bay, so you get a set of Mercedes hands and a sub bezel pattern. At least, the Ticino  has no date window and sports the same exact hour marks as the Tudor.

6- Modded Seiko SKX

The Seiko SKX007/009 has a really interesting shape. With its 42.5mm case, it is technically the largest watch on the list, but its 46mm lug-to-lug length makes it the shortest of the bunch. This means it will look much smaller on your wrist than you would think.

Movement:

The 7s26 is Seiko's in-house entry-level movement. It is a pretty barebones automatic caliber with no hand-winding nor hacking. The rest of the specs are pretty similar to the Miyota 8215: 21,600 vph, 40 hours power reserve and 21 jewels.

The reliability and durability of the Seiko 7s26 will be on par with the Miyota, and the accuracy will be good most of the time (except for a few lemons).

To mimic the Tudor Black Bay's hand-wound/hackable movement, some SKX owners will swap the 7s26 for an NH35 (also found in the Lorier Neptune) or a 4R36 movement.

Specs:

Out of the box, the specs of the Seiko SKX are nothing out of the ordinary. This shouldn't matter to you if you plan on going for the Black Bay mod. Along the way, you will get the opportunity to upgrade almost every single component.

For instance, people will swap the aluminum bezel insert for ceramic and/or swap the mineral crystal for sapphire to get more scratch resistance out of both parts. The water resistance is already 200m, so there's no need to change the seals, gaskets or crown.

Design:

Depending on your level of commitment, you can get the SKX007 to look almost identical to the original Tudor. As you can see below, it is really easy to find exact replicas of the Black Bay's hands,  dial and bezel online.

If you like the SKX as a modding platform, I encourage you to head over to my "7 Best SKX Mods" article.

7- Modded Invicta 8926

The Invicta 8926, which is technically a Rolex Submariner homage, has a very similar shape to the Seiko SKX. The former has a bit thicker case as well as a longer lug-to-lug, but the lug width and case diameter are smaller.

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This is a perfect timepiece for men with wrist sizes from 6'' to 7.5''.

Movement:

Like the Lorier Neptune, the Invicta 8926  gets Seiko's beloved NH35 hand-winding/hacking automatic movement. 

This 24 jewels caliber beating at 21,600 vph is an unbranded version of Seiko's 4R35 movement. It is sold to hundreds of brands or microbrands such as Invicta, Vostok, Lum-Tec, etc..

The accuracy is average, the reliability is top of the class, and the ability to hand-wind is what makes the NH35 so popular. Also, you get the same ≈40 hours power reserve as any other watch on this list.

Specs:

Since it is part of Invicta's Pro Diver collection, the 8926 gets a large screw-down crown and is certified for 200m of water resistance.

 You also get lumed hands and hour marks, but it looks a bit odd considering there's a much thicker layer on the hands compared to the pips, making it look disproportionate (hour marks are very dull).

The bezel really stands out to me considering it has a 120-clicks mechanism and is pretty crisp, which is rare for such a cheap timepiece.

Design:

As I mentioned earlier, the Invicta 8926 is originally a Rolex Submariner homage, but a few easy tweaks can make it look identical to the Tudor Black Bay.