tudor history the origins: from 1926 to 1949 hans wilsdorf’s intuition “For some years now, I have been considering the idea of making a watch that our agents could sell at a more modest price than our Rolex watches, and yet one that would attain the standard of dependability for which Rolex is famous. I decided to form a separate company, with the object of making and marketing this new watch. It is called the Tudor watch company.” - H. Wilsdorf 1926 birth of the brand In February 1926, the house of “Veuve de Philippe Hüther”, a watch dealer and maker, registered the trademark “The Tudor” for Hans Wilsdorf. Established in Geneva, he acquired the exclusive usage rights from the dealer.
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1932 FIRST TUDOR WATCHES IN AUSTRALIA The first watches bear a simple TUDOR signature on the dial, with the horizontal bar of the T lengthened above the other letters. On some rare pieces, the name Rolex also appears. Rolex would effectively guarantee the technical and aesthetic quality of TUDOR watches until the brand attained autonomy in this field. The TUDOR-signed watches included models for both men and women; they
were mainly rectangular, barrel-shaped or with bevelled sides. In 1932, TUDOR watches for the Australian market were delivered exclusively to the Willis company, which was entrusted with distributing them to the best jewellery shops in the country. TUDOR “CATANACH’S”The rectangular watch with bevelled sides in chromium-plated metal presented here illustrates the type of product that TUDOR created in this initial period. It had a twotone, two-sector cream dial with luminescent Arabic numerals, baton hands in blued steel with luminescent material, a minute track and a small seconds hand at 6 o’clock. Its calibre was barrel-shaped, recognisable by its three red rubies visible on the top plate. Established in Melbourne since 1874, Catanach’s Jewellers is one of the oldest jeweller families in Australia. 1936 Hans Wilsdorf takes back the brand “the tudor” On 15 October 1936, the house of “Veuve de Philippe Hüther” transferred the brand “The Tudor” to Hans Wilsdorf. In this same period, the rose of the Tudor dynasty appeared on the dials. Inscribed within a shield, this logo symbolised the invincible union of strength – the watch’s robustness – with grace – the beauty of its lines.
1946 creation of the “montres tudor S.A.” company Just after the Second World War, Hans Wilsdorf knew that the time had come to expand and give the brand a proper identity of its own. Thus, on 6 March 1946, he created the “Montres TUDOR S.A.” company, specialising in models for both men and women. Rolex would guarantee the technical, aesthetic and functional characteristics, along with the distribution and after-sales service. 1947 EVOLUTION OF THE LOGO From 1947 onwards, a year after the official launch of TUDOR, the shield gradually disappeared from the logo. Henceforth it would consist of only the company name and the rose – finely drawn or as an applique in relief – thus emphasising the brand’s elegance and style. TUDOR OYSTER 4463 The example of reference 4463 presented here has a 34 mm waterproof Oyster case. Its silver-coloured dial is punctuated with luminescent hour markers and Arabic numerals. The hour and minutes hands are also luminescent. Its seconds hand is painted red for better visibility. It has a screw-down case back signed “TUDOR”. Its movement is the mechanical
calibre 59 with an anti-shock system and two positions. Its crown is the patented riveted Oyster-type crown 1948 first tudor-specific advertising In 1948, the first advertisements dedicated to TUDOR were launched. The brand was clearly associated with Rolex, both in the text and in the logo. The models shown were for both men and women. The copy emphasised the aesthetics of the watches, their chronometric precision and their waterproofness.
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birth of the tudor oyster prince In 1952, the TUDOR Oyster Prince was launched, accompanied by an advertising campaign that was particularly original and striking for the era. This campaign was not limited, as was usual practice, to showing and describing the product. Instead it emphasised the qualities of strength, reliability and precision in a very detailed text, as well as through illustrations showing men at work in extreme conditions wearing a TUDOR on their wrist. It was a less conventional choice than depicting sporting activities. These strong images, associated with the product’s credibility, contributed to giving TUDOR watches a style and personality reflecting the ideas of modernity and reliability – greatly surpassing the individual contexts in which they were shown.
1952 tudor oyster prince Hans Wilsdorf used this new campaign to link the Rolex and TUDOR brands, sanctioning this new product in which he was investing his credibility: I have decided that the Tudor Prince deserves to share with Rolex two advantages I would allow no other watch to use – the famous and unique waterproof Oyster case and the original self-winding Perpetual ’rotor’ mechanism. All Tudor Oyster Princes will have these two exceptional features, previously exclusive to Rolex. This indicates, I think, the measure of our faith in the new watch. I am proud to give my personal endorsement.
1952 BRITISH NORTH GREENLAND EXPEDITION discover In 1952, 26 TUDOR Oyster Princes would be included in the British scientific expedition to Greenland organised by the Royal Navy. The brand thus proved the strength, reliability and precision of its products.
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1953 proof of robustness In 1953, Rolex launched a campaign based on robustness tests on the TUDOR Oyster Prince and its endurance in particularly difficult conditions: -watch worn by a coal miner during 252 hours of excavation by hand -watch subjected to the vibrations of a pneumatic drill for 30 hours watch worn by a stonecutter for three months -watch worn for a month while riveting metal girders in building construction -watch worn by a motorbike racer over a distance of 1,000 miles. Emphasis was placed on the great strength of the watches, their precision, their efficient winding and their waterproofness even in extreme conditions.
1955 TUDOR OYSTER
PRINCE “TUXEDO” 7950 TUDOR “Tuxedo” is the name given by collectors to the Oyster Prince watches sporting a two-colour dial with large hour markers like the type that equips the reference 7950 illustrated here. Its central decoration in enamelled paint is divided into four sectors. It is surrounded by a metal insert with guilloche decorations. This black and white design recalls the characteristic colours of a tuxedo, hence the name. Powered by the calibre 390 with copper-coloured brass finishings, this reference 7950 features a 34 mm stainless steel case with a slightly streamlined middle as well as a domed screw-down case back inscribed “Montres TUDOR S.A. Geneva Switzerland Patented”. Its reference number and serial number are engraved on the case back at 6 o’clock. The lugs of this reference were sometimes stylised depending on the year of manufacture.
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1957 tudor advisor: the first alarm watch The TUDOR Advisor alarm watch is one of the brand’s most atypical models, the only one in its history to offer an alarm function. From 1957 to 1977 three different versions of the TUDOR Advisor were produced, two with an Oyster-type case, references 7926 and 1537, and a last one with a new dedicated case, reference 10050. In 2011, this legendary alarm watch was relaunched under reference 79620T, entirely redesigned and with a diameter larger by 8 mm (42 mm as opposed to the previous 34 mm).
1957 TUDOR ADVISOR 7926
A unique and extremely rare model, reference 7926, of which an example with a “Jubilee” bracelet is pictured here, was manufactured from 1957 to 1968. Only a few thousand pieces were produced. The Oyster-type case was modified on TUDOR Advisor reference 7926 to optimise the vibrations of their alarm function. Two crowns, at 2 and 4 o’clock, enabled the operation of the alarm and time functions respectively. Its movement was the famous manually-wound A.S. 1475 (A. Schild).
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1957 FIRST EXTRA-THIN WATCH WITH A WATERPROOF case The thinnest watch ever made by TUDOR, only 6 mm thick, is a very rare model, produced in small number for only a few years, from 1957 to 1963. In the late 1950s, it went down in watchmaking history as being the thinnest waterproof TUDOR wristwatch. Today it remains one of the TUDOR timepieces most sought-after by collectors. TUDOR OYSTERTHIN 7960 The TUDOR Oysterthin presented here dates from 1961. It features an extra-thin waterproof steel case 34 mm in diameter and 6 mm thick, excluding the crystal. Its charcoal-grey dial is punctuated with recessed baton hour markers and luminescent dots. It has baton hands and is powered by the extra-thin calibre 2402 – 3.6 mm thick, 23.7 mm in diameter – easily recognisable by its three rubies screwed into the top plate. It beats at a frequency of 18,000 beats per hour.
1961 BACK TO THE ORIGINS OF SEDUCTION Refinement and the art of feminine seduction are part of TUDOR’s stylistic history. Jewels of a resolutely modern elegance, these wristwatches are a perfect fit with the brand’s identity. Their sensual curves reveal the brand’s exceptional savoir-faire, in a marriage of style, precision and virtuosity. TUDOR ROYAL 8533 The TUDOR Royal seen here is a ladies’ watch in 9 ct gold. Its case is ovalshaped with a round gold bezel. The dial is silvery white with gold Arabic numeral appliques. The barrel-shaped mechanical movement is one of the brand’s smallest, calibre 343, which measures 13 mm wide, 15.55 mm long and 3.60 mm thick. It has a frequency of 21,600 beats per hour. Derived from the Peseux calibre 342, it has no seconds hand and is equipped with a shock absorber system. The inside of the case back is inscribed with the notation “Made For Rolex”. The winding crown bears the Rolex crown insignia. The dial and the movement are engraved “TUDOR”. The flexible articulated snake chain bracelet is in 9 ct gold. The clasp bears the Rolex signature.
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1967 TUDOR OYSTER PRINCE RANGER 7995/0 The TUDOR Oyster Prince Ranger model was introduced in the 1960s and was first listed in the catalogue in 1969. It remained in the catalogue until 1988. The model presented here (reference 7995/0) dates from 1967 and has a 34 mm waterproof steel case. Its matte black dial with the rose logo is punctuated with luminous rectangular hour markers and luminous Arabic numerals at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock. Its characteristically shaped hands also feature luminous material. Its self-winding movement is the ETA calibre 2483 with the signature “TUDOR AUTO-PRINCE” on the rotor. The screw-down case back is engraved “MONTRES TUDOR S.A. GENEVA SWITZERLAND PATENTED” on the inside and it bears the signature “ORIGINAL OYSTER CASE BY ROLEX GENEVA” on the outside. The steel Oyster-type bracelet (reference 7835) has folding links and a Rolex signed clasp.
1969 NEW EVOLUTION OF THE LOGO From 1969 onwards, with the principles of a classic aesthetic established beyond doubt and the brand’s production moving increasingly towards robust and technical products, the rose disappeared from the logo in favour of the shield – a symbol of solidity and unfailing reliability. TUDOR OYSTER PRINCE DATE+DAY 7017/0 Produced from 1969 onwards, the Oyster Prince Date+Day is one of the largest TUDOR watches in the Prince line. The example of reference 7017/0 shown here has a 37.5 mm steel case. Its screwdown waterproof case back is inscribed “Montres TUDOR S.A. Geneva Switzerland Patented” on the inside. On the outside, the case back is engraved “Original Oyster Case by Rolex Geneva”. The self-winding movement with date and day mechanisms is A.S. calibre 1895. The rotor is signed “TUDOR AUTO-PRINCE SWISS MADE”. Its dial is metallic blue with a sunray finish and features baton hour markers as well as luminescent dots beside the hour markers on the minute track around the circumference of the dial, luminescent baton hands and a large seconds hand. The date is visible in an aperture at 3 o’clock and the day of the week in a large aperture at 12 o’clock. It has an Oyster-type bracelet, reference 7836, with folding links and a folding clasp signed Rolex.
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