Skip to content
The Encyclopedia of Horology

Geneva, Switzerland

Tudor

Partially verified

Mechanical wristwatches in the upper price segment

History

The Tudor trademark was originally registered in 1926 by the company Veuve de Philippe Hüther on behalf of Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf.

Wilsdorf intended to create a reliable and quality watch that could be sold at a lower price point than Rolex models. Early models utilized Rolex cases and bracelets, while the brand eventually moved into producing specialized tool watches for military and professional use. The brand's logo underwent changes over the years, transitioning from a rose emblem to a shield to emphasize robustness.

Both Tudor and its sister company Rolex are currently controlled by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation.

The extended history summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.

Current watchmaking & later fate

  • Tudor continues to operate as an independent watch manufacturer based in Geneva.
  • The company remains under the control of the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation.
  • Tudor currently offers various collections including the Black Bay line, classic watches, and diving watches.

As stated in the references listed under Sources, retrieved 2026-11-03. Ownership and collections change; check the maker's own announcements for the latest position.

Key models

Oyster Prince
Launched in 1952, the Oyster Prince was the first self-winding model released by Tudor.
Oyster Prince Submariner
Introduced in 1954, this model was designed as a professional diving instrument.
Black Bay
Reintroduced in 2012, the Black Bay collection reinterprets early Tudor Submariner designs.
North Flag
Released in 2015, the North Flag was the first model equipped with an in-house calibre MT5621 movement.
1926
The 1926 model line was launched in 2018, named after the year the brand was trademarked.

Major innovations

  • The company introduced its first in-house manufacture movement, calibre MT5621, for the North Flag model in 2015.
  • The Snowflake hands were introduced in 1969 to improve legibility on Tudor Submariner diving watches.

Known markings

  • The brand has used both a rose and a shield as its logo symbols.

Serial numbers

No serial-number system for this maker is recorded in the cited references.

Collecting significance

The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.

In the object catalogue

33 catalogued objects are recorded under Tudor. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

Show 21 more

Diagram

top plate or bridgespillar platebalance and cockwheel train between the plates
Schematic: plate and bridge layout. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. Tudor Watches, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  2. Tudor (Uhrenhersteller), Wikipedia (German), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  3. Tudor (marque), Wikipedia (French), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.