Tim Mosso's "Watches Tonight" is the premier forum for discussing luxury watches and topics in watch collecting. Tonight, Tim discusses controversial men's watches from Rolex, Tudor, Audemars Piguet, A Lange & Sohne, and other top watch brands. From the two-tone Rolex Sea-Dweller to the Tudor Black Bay P01, the watches that stirred debate are here for your review. Tim discusses each model and the case for learning to love the watches we loved to hate.

The 2019 Rolex and Tudor watch model year was a contentious one. First, the 2018 Rolex Sea Dweller 43 gained a flamboyant running mate. Rolex reference 126603 -- the two-tone steel-gold Sea Dweller -- was more than watch collectors could bear. Given Rolex's reputation as a purveyor of premium priced sports watches, the dandy-like character of the steel gold SD43 placed it in the company of pure showboat watches like the Hublot Big Bang, Audemars Pigeut Royal Oak, and various Franck Muller models.

While Rolex had built immense two-tone sports watches before -- witness the Yacht-Master II and Sky Dweller -- the use of two-tone on an oversized dive watch was viewed by many as a path too far. Even worse, the new two-tone Sea Dweller dispensed with the standard SD43's "Fliplock" diving suit extension. The Submariner's 20mm "Glidelock" system is present, but the standard steel Sea Dweller's extra fold-out links are gone.

However, Rolex does have a precedent for building and selling monumental two-tone dive watches, and the Rolex "Deepsea Special" of the 1950s and 60s proves the point. While only a few dozen examples of this record-setting Rolex dive watch were built, units with steel and yellow gold in combination exist, and some even sport full factory Oyster bracelets. In that context, the Rolex Sea Dweller 126603 isn't a pander to modern tastes so much as a revival of a rare tradition from Rolex's past.

The Tudor Heritage Black Bay P01 launched into a watch market that expected and demanded exactly one thing: a Tudor Submariner re-edition. For months prior to Baselworld in 2019, Tudor's social media accounts had teased an historic revival dive watch of unspecified lineage. Most Tudor watch collectors anticipated the revival of the 1954-1999 Tudor Submariner. And while the existence of the Heritage Black Bay -- basically a Tudor Submariner homage -- should have tempered hopes for a new Tudor Sub, watch buyers still reacted with wounded anguish when the Black Bay P01 arrived.

And this backlash was ironic. First, Tudor's over-dependence on the standard Black Bay had become something of a running joke even by 2019. As with AP and the Royal Oak or Blancpain and the Fifty Fathoms, Tudor had risen to success with the Black Bay but struggled to expand beyond this proven performer. Safe variations in case metal, bezel color, dial color, and complications never strayed far from the basic Black Bay design that arrived in 2012. But with the P01, Tudor took a legitimate chance.

Tudor watch collectors weren't impressed. Despite making a dramatic break from its most popular watch, Tudor received few plaudits for the P01. Complaints ranged from the odd ergonomics to the obscurity of the vintage prototype to the price, but the simple fact is that people really wanted a Tudor Submariner.

Two years later, the Tudor P01 remains available as a low-volume Tudor niche model ready for those who approach their watch collecting with an open mind and a willingness to ignore popular opinion. As with the two-tone Rolex Sea Dweller, the Black Bay P01 has found a market among iconoclasts with a penchant for quality and imagination.

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