Help Me Pick: 16570 Polar Explorer II, Black Bay Black or Pelagos?

[joshuagull]

I currently have some affordables along with a Speedmaster Professional 3572.50 and a Rolex Submariner 14060M.




On my own personal time, my Submariner is my "go anywhere, do anything" watch while I wear my Speedy to mix things up or for special occasions that don't require dressing up too much. Currently the few times a year I have to really dress up I wear an affordable dress watch that I'm planning on upgrading down the road (NOMOS Ludwig or Orion), but I want to get one more "nice" tool watch first. Which brings me to the topic at hand...

I'm trying to choose something geared toward my specific work needs which are a bit unique. I work at UPS (district/regional) and everything I'm considering will work well with business casual, but at work when I have to wear the UPS "browns" uniform there are a lot of watches I like that simply look out of place. I'm wanting a watch that's complimentary to that uniform when I have to wear it without it sticking out like a sore thumb (the modernness and shininess of my particular Speedy and Sub models just looks a little too much with the uniform IMO).

NOTE: I don't have to do any specific package handling so I'm not worried about damaging a nice watch. There isn't a need to take that into account like there would be if I were a package delivery driver or warehouse employee for instance.

As such, I'm considering a few specific models--particularly the Tudor Black Bay Black, Pelagos and the Polar Explorer II ref 16570 from Rolex--and have put together some panels of photos. In colder months I wear pants and work boots with my "browns" and in warmer months I wear shorts and all black sneakers with my "browns" (I threw the photos of the Wayfarers in the panels since I needed to fill that space in the collage and those are the sunglasses I've always worn).

Colder Months:




Warmer Months:




Here are my thoughts...

• Tudor Black Bay Black: I'm thinking the warmth of this piece's chocolate/gilt dial goes well with the uniform and it's also the most classy of the three for business casual. It's fairly close to the look of my Sub but in a way that works a lot better for my work purposes. Going BBN also adds in a gilt dial and snowflake hands to my collection, which I don't otherwise have, and those are two stylistic elements that I really enjoy. I could see me wearing this to work daily and being very happy with it, but not getting much wear away from work since I'd grab the Sub for it's smaller size and comfort (which is okay). But maybe I'm wrong about that since it does have such a different vibe from the Sub. Only ding is lack of date but that's VERY minor as I have the date around me somewhere all the time anyways (and I could always use the bezel pip to mark the date if I wanted--but a lack of date doesn't bother me at all on my Sub, Speedy or any of the affordables that I wear that are dateless).

• Rolex Polar Explorer II 16570: I feel like this is the best option aesthetically with the uniform for colder months. It's always been said that the Polar Explorer II flies under the radar and it's a big benefit for my needs. It also gives me the GMT feature as I do have to travel from central to eastern time zones periodically, so that could be helpful. Also has the date which could be helpful. It would be the 16570 40mm reference specifically because I prefer the older bracelets and size, so this one gives me the best fit/footprint. It wouldn't be the single solution though because it's going to look weird wearing a white dialed steel watch on bracelet with black sneakers during the warmer months (just my opinion). Other drawbacks are that I already have the 14060M Sub which has the same basic case and hands (different finish obviously) so it would be more of the same in my collection in a way, BUT it's a watch I could see me wearing away from work more often than the other two choices because the white dial adds some variety to my Speedy and Sub. I could actually see this being my go-to vacation watch so where it restricts me in ways during summer months at work, maybe I could just wear my Sub or Speedy to work during the summer months and add the Polar Explorer for variety's sake since it brings so much versatility. But then again that's not really the point of acquiring my next piece and rather a bonus, and as a result I'm really torn on this model and how it would fit my needs.

• Tudor Pelagos: With its matte titanium finish and larger size this is the most tool watch of all the choices obviously. I can make it work in business casual just fine and it wouldn't get much if any wear away from work as it doesn't really go well with my personal style, but that's okay as that's what the Sub and Speedy are for anyways. In a way this would be a benefit as it would have the specific purpose of being my work watch. For work purposes the date and especially the strong lume and fully lumed bezel are benefits over the other choices (as I work odd hours and some of those hours are in the late evenings or early mornings). The titanium weight and finish are also bonuses for the watch to feel smaller on the wrist despite it being the largest of the three, and for the finish to not be too eye-catching nor to show scratches as easily as the other two. The ceramic bezel also being scratch resistant is a benefit. It works well stylistically for summer months but looks a little off for winter months (maybe a warm leather strap would help to make it look more fitting?). I feel like this may be the best overall "jack of all trades, master of none" pick for my needs, and I do really like the Pelagos, but I'm not sure if that should be the reason I pick it. In a vacuum with my specific needs not considered, I like the Black Bay and Polar Explorer II equally, with the Pelagos a half step behind them for me. But if it's the best fit for my specific needs, shouldn't it be the right choice? It leaves me torn.

I do realize the value differences but that's not a major concern. I'm more concerned with making the right choice, and as I intend for this watch to last me a LONG time, the price difference isn't that much of a factor overall.

So if you were in my shoes, which would you pick and why would you make that choice? Thanks a ton for any help.