Tudor, Rolex’s sister brand, sells about 250,000 watches annually worldwide. While the brand is well-known and respected in the US today, it is interesting to note that Tudor was completely absent from the US market from the early 2000s until 2013. Since it’s re-entry into the market, the brand has found remarkable success and developed a devoted clientele, most recently and prominently with the Black Bay model series.

Tudor is owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, the same organization that owns and operates Rolex. Rolex’s founder, Hans Wilsdorf, established Tudor in 1926 with the goal of offering an affordable alternative to the more expensive Rolex line. After the second world war, Tudor was officially established as its own separate company. It was clear from the beginning, however, that Rolex would continue to be intimately involved and went on to supply bracelets and winding crowns as well as cases to the smaller sister brand. It was only in 1996 that Tudor decided to no longer use Rolex parts in their timepieces.

Tudor started manufacturing a portion of its movements in-house back in 2016 with all calibers achieving COSC certification. Prior to 2016, the brand used movements from ETA and other third-party suppliers that were modified as necessary. In 2021, the brand went a step further and received Master Chronometer certification, which requires a timepiece to be accurate to 0/+5 seconds per day, in addition to meeting strict guidelines pertaining to magnetic resistance, power reserve, and water resistance. Today, all Tudor in-house calibers are manufactured to an internal standard of -2/+4 seconds per day.

Yes, the French Navy issued Tudor Submariners to their ‘Marine Nationale’ divers. The ref. 7922 was rigorously tested and ultimately modified to meet the requirements of the Navy, becoming the famed reference 7924. This reference is considered to be the inspiration for the popular Black Bay 58 model, with the number paying homage to the year the reference 7924 was first delivered to Marine Nationale Divers.