In addition to the new version of the Heritage Black Bay, Tudor had two other introductions at Baselworld this year. The Rolex sister brand added the rugged new Ranger to its Heritage collection, and introduced a new collection known as Style.
For 2014 Tudor has expanded its Heritage collection of watches that echo the brand’s earlier designs. The Ranger draws upon a military-style watch of the same name that the brand introduced in 1967. Under a domed sapphire crystal it has a high-contrast dial, with hand-painted numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. The numerals are domed to give greater dimensionality, and the paint includes Super-LumiNova. The most distinctive feature of the Ranger is its brown leather bund strap. Like a NATO strap, it is a single piece of material, running underneath the watch head. It is especially tailored to the watch, with a tapered oval to fit the shape of the case. It has visible white stitching along the sides; the thin edges are painted black. Leather also runs around the crosspieces, so the watch is fully embedded in its strap. If the bund strap isn’t your pleasure, Tudor also offers the Ranger with a steel bracelet, or a darker brown strap in a more traditional style. All these options have a satin-finished folding clasp and safety catch. All versions of the Ranger also come with an additional fabric strap in a distinctive woven camouflage pattern.
The Ranger is powered by automatic Caliber 2824. Its case is 41 mm in diameter. It is waterproof to 150 meters. The bracelet version costs $2,950; the leather strap options are $2,825 each. The Ranger will be in stores in July.
This year Tudor is launching a new collection, known as Tudor Style. These watches, available for both men and women, are fashioned with retro, mid-century elements and an understated design. The Style is Tudor’s new entry-level offering, with prices starting at $2,000. The Style also is powered by Tudor’s automatic Caliber 2824 (or Caliber 2761 for the smallest model). Its power reserve is approximately 38 hours. The watch comes in four sizes, with diameters of 28 or 34 mm for ladies and 38 or 41 mm for men. The thin case is steel with polished and satin finishing on its double bezel. A screw-down winding crown bears the Tudor logo. The dial of the Tudor Style emphasizes 1950s design. The hour markers at 12 and 6 o’clock are doubled. All of the hour indexes are beveled, as are the dauphine hour and minutes hands. The black version of the dial is lacquered for contrast and depth of tone. The minutes track is understated. There is a date window at 3 o’clock. The Style comes on a leather strap or steel bracelet. There is also a two-tone version, with yellow gold added to the steel on the bracelet links and on the bezel. All versions are water resistant to 100 meters.
Tudor’s Style line will be available in July of this year. Pricing runs from $2,000 to $3,500.
