TUDOR PRINCE OYSTERDATE, ROTOR SELF-WINDING, 70s

Tudor: Heritage of Precision and Robustness

Foundation and Strategic Vision
Tudor was born in 1926 thanks to Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex, initially registered by the Swiss watchmaker Veuve de Philippe Hüther. Wilsdorf conceived Tudor as an affordable alternative to Rolex, maintaining superlative quality standards but with standardized movements and shared components. In 1946, he solidified its identity by creating Montres Tudor SA, an independent entity based in Geneva. Rolex, from the start, guaranteed technical precision, distribution, and after-sales service, establishing its reputation with its early models distributed in markets such as Australia.

Era of Robustness: Expansion and Extreme Tests
The 1950s defined Tudor’s utilitarian DNA:

• 1952: Launch of the Oyster Prince, the brand’s first automatic watch with a waterproof Oyster case. Twenty-six units accompanied the British Greenland Expedition, demonstrating reliability in extreme arctic conditions.

• Stress Tests: Tudor subjected the Oyster Prince to unprecedented tests: 252 hours in coal mines, vibrations from pneumatic hammers, and 1,600 km on competition motorcycles, validating its resistance to the public.

• 1954: Debut of the Submariner, resistant to 100 meters depth, evolving to 200 meters in 1958. This model laid the foundation for professional dive watches, adopting unidirectional rotating bezels and highly legible dials.