Watchbi

Suisse · Fondation 1926

Tudor

Created by Rolex's founder in 1926; the French Navy used its Submariners for two decades.

Texte éditorial en anglais.

Tudor is Rolex's sister brand, created by Hans Wilsdorf, based in Geneva and owned through Rolex by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation. Once a maker of Rolex-cased watches with bought-in movements, it now fits its own calibres to the Black Bay, Pelagos and Ranger lines. Most new watches list between about €3,000 and €5,500.

Histoire

Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex, registered the name The Tudor in 1926, entered in public records on 17 February; the filing was made on his behalf by the Geneva firm Veuve de Philippe Hüther. He took the brand over in 1936 and established Montres Tudor SA as a separate company in 1946. The idea was a watch that Rolex dealers could sell at a lower price with comparable reliability: Tudor combined Rolex Oyster cases, crowns and bracelets with movements bought from outside suppliers, since Rolex's own calibre output was limited.

The Oyster Prince of 1952 was Tudor's first self-winding model, and 26 of them went with the British North Greenland Expedition of 1952 to 1954. In 1954 came Tudor's first diver, the Oyster Prince Submariner ref. 7922, water-resistant to 100 metres, raised to 200 metres in 1958. The French Navy helped develop Tudor divers and was supplied with them from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, and from 1964 Tudor made a Submariner for the US Navy. Square-tipped snowflake hands entered the Submariner line in the late 1960s.

Tudor's first chronograph, the Oysterdate of 1970, used a manually wound Valjoux calibre 7734; the 1971 series is nicknamed Montecarlo for its roulette-like dial. Sales in the United States stopped in 2004, and the brand was also withdrawn from the UK for some years. A relaunch began in 2009, the Heritage Chrono revived the Montecarlo in 2010, and the Heritage Black Bay and the titanium Pelagos, rated to 500 metres, followed in 2012. Tudor returned to the US market in 2013 and to the UK in 2014.

The 2015 North Flag introduced Tudor's first in-house movement, the calibre MT5621, and manufacture calibres reached the whole sports range in 2016 and 2017. In 2018 the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, named after the 1958 Submariner, paired a smaller case with the thinner MT5402. The 2021 Black Bay Ceramic was Tudor's first METAS-certified Master Chronometer, and in 2023 Tudor inaugurated a manufacturing facility in Le Locle entirely its own, allowing METAS certification. The brand marks its centenary in 2026.

Fondateurs

Hans Wilsdorf
Founder · 1881–1960
Founder of Rolex, who registered the Tudor name in 1926 and set up Montres Tudor SA in 1946 to offer Rolex-grade reliability at lower prices. His foundation still owns Rolex and, through it, Tudor.

Dates clés

  1. 1926

    The Tudor name registered

    The name The Tudor is registered on behalf of Hans Wilsdorf and entered in public records on 17 February.

  2. 1946

    Montres Tudor SA founded

    Wilsdorf establishes Tudor as a company separate from Rolex.

  3. 1952

    Oyster Prince to Greenland

    Tudor's first self-winding model launches, and 26 pieces join the British North Greenland Expedition.

  4. 1954

    First Tudor Submariner

    The Oyster Prince Submariner ref. 7922 is Tudor's first divers' watch, water-resistant to 100 metres.

  5. 1958

    200-metre Submariner

    Water resistance of the Tudor Submariner rises to 200 metres, the model later honoured by the Black Bay Fifty-Eight.

  6. 1970

    First chronograph

    The Oysterdate chronograph uses a manually wound Valjoux 7734; its 1971 successor is nicknamed Montecarlo.

  7. 2012

    Black Bay and Pelagos

    Two divers launch: the heritage-styled Black Bay and the 500-metre titanium Pelagos.

  8. 2015

    First in-house calibre

    The North Flag debuts the manufacture calibre MT5621.

  9. 2018

    Black Bay Fifty-Eight

    A smaller Black Bay with the thin MT5402 calibre is named after the 1958 Submariner.

  10. 2023

    Le Locle manufacture

    Tudor inaugurates a manufacturing facility entirely its own in Le Locle, allowing METAS certification.

Trois choses que savent les collectionneurs

26 watches on the Greenland ice

Twenty-six Oyster Princes accompanied the British North Greenland Expedition of 1952 to 1954. The 2015 North Flag, Tudor's first watch with an in-house movement, is named after it.

Straps from a French silk weaver

Tudor's fabric straps are woven by a passementerie maker near Saint-Étienne, a centre of French silk weaving since the 15th century. The same firm makes ribbons for Vatican medals.

Early Tudors could carry Rolex's name

Tudor watches of the 1920s and 1930s bore a Tudor signature with an elongated T, and some rare pieces also show the Rolex name. The shield logo has been used on its own since 1969.

Modèles emblématiques

  • Diver styled on early Tudor Submariners; won the Revival prize at the 2013 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.

  • Smaller Black Bay named after the 1958 Submariner, with the thinner in-house MT5402.

  • 42 mm titanium diver rated to 500 metres, the first titanium watch from the Rolex group.

  • Ranger2014

    Military-style field watch based on a 1967 Tudor model.

  • 19262018

    Dress watch line named after the year the Tudor name was registered.

Questions

Is Tudor owned by Rolex?
Yes. Montres Tudor SA is a subsidiary of Rolex SA, and both are owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation. The brands have separate collections, pricing and movements.
Does Tudor use Rolex movements?
No. Early Tudors paired Rolex cases and bracelets with movements from outside suppliers such as ETA. Since 2015 most models use Tudor's own manufacture calibres, such as the MT5602 and MT5402.
Where are Tudor watches made?
In Switzerland. Tudor is based in Geneva and inaugurated a manufacturing facility of its own in Le Locle in 2023.
Why is the brand called Tudor?
Hans Wilsdorf chose the name of the English Tudor dynasty. The Tudor rose appeared in the logo around 1936 and is still used on the winding crowns, while the shield has been the dial logo since 1969.

Sources

  1. Tudor history from 1926 until today (Tudor)
  2. A century of Tudor (Tudor)
  3. Tudor divers' watches 1954 to 1968 (Tudor)
  4. Tudor Watches – Wikipedia
  5. Rolex – Wikipedia

Références les plus proposées

Toutes les références