It is no accident that Tudor watches strongly resemble Rolex
models. There is in fact a very strong link between the two
companies. In fact the founder of Rolex is also the founder
of is also the founder of Tudor. Hans Wisldorf first opened
Tudor watches in 1946. Many Tudor watches, especially the earlier
models strongly resemble Rolex models and Tudor is owned by
Rolex and marketed as a secondary brand.
Tudor
however has not enjoyed the same commercial success as Rolex
however
they were one of several brands used by the
French Navy for its divers with the first Tudor Submariners
being purchased in the late 1960’s. Additionally the
same model was used by the US Navy for its UDT and Navy Seals.
More recently Tudor has been moving away from the similarity
with Rolex and has begun to develop its own style as evidenced
by the Monarch model. It should also be noted that Tudor does
not use Rolex movements. Instead their movement is for the
most part 17, 21 or 25 jewel Swiss ETA movements.
Tudor watches do benefit from Rolex technical achievements
however and even though the advances may not be recent they
are valid in terms of their technological viability. This is
especially true when one considers that in many cases Rolex
watches carry technology that is ahead of their time.
The most well known celebrity used by Tudor for advertising
their Hydronaut is Tiger Woods. The ad features an image of
Tiger teeing off and implies that the Hydronaut is as tough
as a tiger.
Genuine Tudor watches are sold through official Tudor retailers
but are currently not available in the United States.
Tudor Replica Watches - A Brief History
Not a great deal of information is available regarding the
actual history of the Tudor line. Unlike many brand web sites
the Tudor site does not provide any extensive history that
lists its achievements or for that matter even any company
information.
Some historical information regarding its founder Hans Wilsdorf
is available however. Wilsdorf was born in 1881 spending his
childhood in Bavaria. Orphaned by the age of 12 and after spending
several years at a boarding school at 19 he became involved
with watch making in Chaux-de-Fonds.
In 1905 he set up his own company in England and began producing
high quality watches. It was in 1908 that he began the Rolex
brand. He ran the business in England for about fifteen years
and then moved to Geneva in 1920.
Hans Wilsdorf first opened Tudor watches in 1946. Many Tudor
watches, especially the earlier models strongly resemble Rolex
models and Tudor is owned by Rolex and marketed as a secondary
brand. The brand name Tudor was chosen because Wilsdorf wanted
to pay tribute to the Tudor period of England.
Tudor watches are considered to be highly collectable and
are widely available. Their movements are generally 17, 21
or 25 jewel movements and when properly cared for will keep
time just as well as Rolex
Many Tudor watches, especially the earlier models strongly
resemble Rolex models and Tudor is owned by Rolex and marketed
as a secondary brand. Having said that let us be clear that
they are not one and the same as far as the actual watches
go. One research source indicates that Tudor uses Swiss ETA
movements for the majority of its time pieces. They did and
still do in some cases use Rolex crowns, cases and bracelets.
However, more recently Tudor is moving away from using Rolex
components and becoming more of its own brand.
Hans Wilsdorf passed away in 1960 and a great deal of his
personal fortune was left to charity as there were not children
from his marriage. His name lives on however as the man responsible
for creating the world famous Rolex brand and its sibling Tudor.
Tudor Watches - Our collection of Tudor watches include; Tudor
Prince Date Day, Tudor Prince Date, Tudor Prince Date Chronograph.
Tudor Prince Date Hydronaut, Tudor Princess Date.
