Tudor

Tudor exists because Hans Wilsdorf wanted to sell a Rolex to people who could not afford one. He registered the name in 1926 and relaunched it properly in 1946 as a separate company: Rolex cases, Rolex bracelets, Rolex crowns, but bought-in movements — usually ETA — at a fraction of the price.

For decades this made Tudor the practical choice for organisations buying in bulk. The French Marine Nationale issued Submariners to its divers. The US Navy tested them. Tudor's military history is arguably richer than Rolex's, because navies bought Tudors.

The watches developed their own identity regardless. The snowflake hands fitted to Submariners from 1969, specified by the French navy for legibility, became a signature the brand still uses. The Monte Carlo chronographs of the early 1970s, with their orange and blue dials, look nothing like anything Rolex made.

The brand withdrew from the US market in 1996 and spent a decade in relative obscurity before returning in 2013 with the Heritage Black Bay, which mined the archive rather than chasing modernity. It worked. Tudor now develops its own movements through a partnership with Kenissi, supplies calibres to Breitling, and holds METAS Master Chronometer certification — a technical position it never had when it was simply the affordable Rolex.

Tudor holds 38 models, from £1,650 to £13,950. Half cost less than £3,450, and a quarter less than £3,050. 35 of 38 are automatic. 21 are stocked by more than one retailer, giving 65 offers in total. Prices are checked nightly against the retailers’ own feeds.

1926

Hans Wilsdorf registers the Tudor name.

1946

Montres Tudor SA is established as a separate company.

1969

Snowflake hands appear on Submariners for the French navy.

2012

The Black Bay revives the brand internationally.

2015

The first in-house Tudor calibre is released.