Rolex to Launch Tudor in the U.S. this Summer


Tudor Heritage Black Bay watchRolex has confirmed to WatchTime that it will be launching its sister brand, Tudor, in the United States in the late summer. It has set up a new company, Tudor Watch USA LLC, in New York City.

The company has tapped Russell Kelly, most recently a sales executive at Vacheron Constantin, as brand manager for Tudor in the United States. An executive at Rolex USA said the stores that will carry Tudor have been chosen but declined to say how many there will be or to give any other details about the introduction. There will be a major national and regional advertising campaign, the executive said. The company will officially announce the Tudor launch at a press conference at the Baselworld fair in April.

The Tudor brand has not been available in this country for nearly a decade: Rolex stopped selling it here in 2004.

Tudor Heritage Black Bay wristwatch
The Tudor Heritage Black Bay
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  1. Sirs, The tudor heritage back bay is an attractive looking Watch ! Is the bezel Ceramic, aluminum or Stainless steel ! Thanks, rod

    Reply
  2. Edward

    I really enjoyed reading WatchTime’s review of the Tudor Heritage Black Bay and the supplemental Last minute article, Behind the Tudor-Mania, in the latest issue (August 2013 edition) of the print magazine.

    For those that have not purchased the magazine or are not subscribers (you should at least buy the magazine if you’re a Black Bay or Tudor fan), the watch received the following scores:

    Bracelet & clasp (max. 10 points): 9
    Operation (5): 5
    Case (10): 8
    Design (15): 14
    Legibility (5): 5
    Wearing Comfort (10): 9
    Movement (20): 12
    Rate results (10): 6
    Overall value (15): 12
    ————————————————–
    Total (100): 80 Points

    The movement and the rate results seemed to be the watch’s weakest features. Despite Tudor’s use of the “Top” version of the ETA 2824 movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETA_SA – confirming my earlier post in this thread), WatchTime noted that their Black Bay was found to gain strongly an average deviation of 13.5 seconds per 24 hours. This contrasts with my own finding of 4 – 5 seconds average per 24 hours. Needless to say, I think WatchTime’s measurements are probably more accurate. :)

    As usual, I found the article by WatchTime very insightful and photo layouts attractively done. It also confirmed my beliefs about the Black Bay and the current line of Tudors in general (i.e., they are handsome watches and excellent value). For me, there’s been no buyers remorse, which is more than I can say for a few other supposedly comparable brands I have purchase in the past.

    I think Tudor has several clear winners in its current collection. I hope the new line will herald a permanent renaissance for this brand which now seems to be stepping out more boldly from the shadow of Rolex.

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  3. Markus

    If I have one criticism of Tudor it is this.
    I accept missing out on Rolex qualities such as 31 Jewel/ better bridge balancer vs Tudor 27 Jewel movement and poorer bridge balancer, Tudors poorer quality illuminescent battons, Tudors non-reflective crystal galss, Tudors omission of a tripple lock crown.

    WHAT I DONT ACCEPT and what SADENS me is the non-use of Rolex’ highly anti-corrosive 904L stainless steel in Tudors case material. Tudor use to sport Rolex cases with poorer internals, now the case suffers too. Shame Tudor… shame…

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    • Shcmidt

      I agree. The Rolex Oyster made case is what linked Tudors credentials to ROLEX and made the brand albeit ‘just’ the second most prestigious watch one could buy.

      The fact Tudor has chosen omit a Rolex made case is IMHO a tradgedy to the Tudor brand name and a pet down to its loyal consumers. This is a high end brand and must attain the famous oyster case and the 904L steel you mentioned. It makes one beg to ask what is next, quality control in China. Mmmm…

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      • I had no idea the Tudor case was not genuine Rolex anymore. And your right this is upsetting.

        That be said the Herritage Black Bay is still one fine and highly practical timepiece IMHO.

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        • Markus

          Maybe there are other considerations… Back in the day, 1954 when the Oyster Case was conceived it was very difficult both in design and concept to produce such a case. The case needed to withstand extreme water pressures, yet be functional as well. As a result it needed to be milled from a solid mass of steel.

          It could be argued however that since the 1950’s and 60’s manuafacturing technologies have improved. We are now well beyond the concepts of both desiging and producing such as case as manufacturing techniques are for such a case could be said to be mainstreamed.

          A case of this magnitiude is therefore not the issue it was to produce half a century ago. Just my two cents worth!

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    • I was dismayed to hear this. You certainly know these watches. The fact that Tudor has not implimented a Rolex made or at least signed Oyster case is upsetting. I believe Tudor needs to justify this and the price of the watch as a result.

      I value the Tudor Heritage Black Bay to be now be worth $2200 not $3000.

      Shame on you Tudor… Shame…

      Reply
  4. I m glad Tudor is coming back to US. The question I ask myself is which Tudor to buy first!

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    • Thats easy. Tudor is a traditional brand, so run with a traditional model – The Heritage Black Bay as pictured here. Beautiful watch.

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  5. Disagree. The company can establish this brand at a new price point. The watches are very nice. The Black Bay is made with a vintage patina and is well done and affordable. My friend enjoys his along with his Patek and Breguet and has been complementary. Comparing auto makers to Swiss watches does not apply as this line is not redundant.

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  6. I purchased tudor when I was in Germany from wempe , I could have purchased rolex or cartier or many
    Other high end brands , but I bought tudor because its rare and tudor has strong history , and said to myself I can buy rolex anytime in us but tudor are hard to find , I don’t trust buying over Internet tudor

    Reply
    • Markus

      I am the same and I agree.
      There are many reasons I choose Tudor, although I can afford a Rolex.
      1.) It has a time honoured reputation with links to Rolex – offers traditional ‘oyster case’ and IMHO the Black Bay is a remarkable choice combining classic style, modern technology and no headaches of having to find the mint condition genuine article.
      2.) Tudor is second to Rolex in prestige terms, yet conveys ‘I’m wealthy, but I am not untouchable royalty’ to the extent others will detest you. Also as far as fitting in with this line of reasoning, Tudor is trendy and hip in style terms, while exuding a classic character and an aura of elegance, captured wonderfully by the contemporary Heritage Black Bay model.
      3.) If I lost my watch or it was somehow badly damaged, I could live with $3000. I could not say the same for a $8500 a new Rolex Submariner. That said Tudor is realistic, practical and AFFORDABLE prestige!
      4.) A new Tudor is servicable a vintage Rolex is not – at least in my country and elsewhere I looked overseas.
      5.) It is simply impossible to both find a mint example and importantly check all the boxes and be guaranteed of originality and authenticity of a used Rolex Submariner when purchasing overseas and in my country used examples are rare and almost double in price! Import taxation is also grossly expensive on luxury watches.
      6.) Now that Tudor has only recently been introduced to the US market it is the perfect time to buy one cheap, knowing that because of this they will likely depreciate very slowly.
      7.) The Heritage Black Bay is a unique watch, as it captures the history of the submariners yet offers all the mod cons.

      Reply
  7. Tudor sales was good at one ime in us , smart people prefer tudor over rolex because of the same quality, craftnanship , history , parent company ( rolex ) offered with tudor brand but at lower cost then rolex. Rolex saw drop in rolex sales so rolex pulled away tudor from us market so people can spend more money on rolex watches then tudor , tudor are sold all over world at moment except for us , real watch people and or collectors buy tudor along with rolex for the fun of it because they have the papers ( money ) or immaculate credit to purchase ,

    Reply
  8. Judah S

    I’m happy to see their return. I only hope they adjust their pricing to a more realistic level. ETA powered dive watches like the Black Bay & Pelagos shouldn’t be priced in the $5000-$6000 range when a Rolex Sub with the in house caliber 3135 can be had for just a tad more.

    Reply
    • Markus

      Agreed. Dont pay anymore than $3200 for a Black Bay. I’m not…

      Reply
    • Edward

      I just purchased the Heritage Black Bay for my birthday last week, and am extremely happy with it thus far.

      I’m not sure why all the naysayers are quoting a price of about US$5,000 – US$6,000. I purchased my Black Bay in Southeast Asia for about US$3,200 without any special discounts. For the Pelagos, I recall the price tag being about US$3,800 again without any special discounts. That’s not a bad price for a titanium watch.

      About the ETA movement, I find that I only gain on average about 4 – 5 seconds per day over the past week. As I recall the ETA 2824 movement comes in 4 grades. These are in ascending order: Standard, Elaborated, Top and Chronometer (as certified by COSC). See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETA_SA. Based solely on performance, that would suggest that the Black Bay’s ETA movement falls within the Top category, which isn’t too shabby and I think in keeping with the price. The case and the rest of the watch are beautifully finished and the overall presentation is very handsome. I have received compliments from several Rolex owners who are now considering their first Tudor watch.

      I think Tudor is going in the right direction: capitalizing on the design successes of its earlier sports models while at the same time introducing many of its own innovations (e.g., ceramic watch, titanium watch) quite separate from Rolex rather than merely accepting hand-me-downs from the more famous brand as it has done so in the past. Also IMHO the partnership with Ducati is a step in the right direction. In short, I think Tudor should market itself to a younger but affluent market, ones with active lifestyles. As these people age, they will buy Rolex. Also, I find the opposite true in Southeast Asia: many well-to-do Rolex owners are now clamoring for heritage Tudors as a very sporty, hassle-free alternative though still very much part of the Rolex family.

      Reply
  9. Actually, I was hoping they would dump this line. Bad move from what I can see. Tudor has no brand cache like Rolex has. I would never buy a Tudor.

    Rolex needs to learn from GM, Chrysler and Ford about dumping useless brands.

    Reply
    • Ron

      Get a clue. Tudor has more brand cache than Rolex. I own a Black Bay and challenge you to see if you have ever seen one on a wrist, or if you could go out tomorrow and purchase one. Rolex watches perform unbelievably (but that wasnt your problem with Tudor), however, like dog s..t and Chevy Camaros you see them on every street. My Tudor watch has generated as many positive comments as my Rolex, IWC, Patek, Brequet, etc, possibly combined.

      Reply
      • Markus

        Well said.
        In real terms owning a Rolex can be a detriment to those who ‘know’. I am one of them and owned a new two tone datejust in the mid 1990’s – it did’nt fit in! In fact I was worried someone would oneday cut my arm off for it because I would not let it go without a fight. I was younger then. Crickey I paid almost 10 grand for it!

        I am not too ashamed to admit that while I am middle class and proud of it, I will not be hanging with the likes of Madonna or Prince Phillip, nor do I want to.

        Tudor is once again coming into its own. I am going to buy the Heritage Black Bay new and I am going to cherrish it.

        Reply
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