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In 1953, the first Rolex Submariner arrives and launches one of the most legendary dive watch stories of all time. Shortly afterward, sister brand Tudor follows with a very similar dive watch that borrows not only numerous components but also the name of its famous relative: Submariner. In our brief history lesson, you'll find out why company founder Hans Wilsdorf opted for this resemblance and why the name was later replaced by Tudor Black Bay.
The Long Road to the Submariner
Born in 1881 into a merchant family in Upper Franconia, Wilsdorf has a natural talent for business and, following the early death of his parents, is left to fend for himself at a young age. In 1905, together with his brother-in-law Alfred Davis, he founds the company Wilsdorf & Davis in London, which is renamed Rolex three years later. The brand doesn't achieve its breakthrough, however, until the 1920s, when the water resistance of the first Oyster makes headlines. Around the same time, in 1926 to be precise, Swiss manufacturer Philippe Hüther creates the Tudor brand, which Wilsdorf takes over ten years later and which, according to the German entrepreneur's vision, is to become the more affordable Rolex second brand. It's a plan that can only be put into practice after the horrors of the Second World War.
The delay does nothing to diminish the brilliance of the concept, though: when the brand's first collection, the Tudor Oyster, appears in 1947, it helps itself freely to the parts of its role model. Cases, crowns, and bracelets are in some cases completely identical and initially even bear the five-pointed crown. Wilsdorf achieves further savings by forgoing an in-house Rolex movement, which is replaced by a sourced caliber and plays only a minor role for most customers of the time anyway. What matters is robustness and quality, which, thanks to equivalent components, are on par with Rolex. The Oyster formula becomes a complete success and serves as the blueprint for developing the Submariner.
The Key Questions About the Tudor Submariner at a Glance:
Is Tudor a luxury brand?
Yes, Tudor is generally regarded as a luxury watch brand. It offers high-quality watches that impress in both craftsmanship and design, though usually at a lower price than some other luxury watch brands.Is Tudor related to Rolex?
Yes, Tudor has close ties to Rolex. The brand was founded in 1926 by Hans Wilsdorf, who is also the founder of Rolex. Tudor was originally conceived as a kind of "sister company" to Rolex, offering high-quality watches at a more affordable price.
Is Tudor a Rolex brand?
Rolex Popularity as a Marketing Factor
The latter, of course, must not appear before the group's flagship, which is why the first Tudor dive watch launches in 1954, exactly one year after the Rolex Submariner. By then, the parent brand already enjoys an international reputation, while its offspring still has to earn its standing. Wilsdorf manages to speed up this process with a clever idea: why not adopt the model name Submariner from the already successful dive watch to make the equal quality and close kinship clear? The idea wins out, and the Geneva diver enters the market as the "Oyster Prince Submariner Reference 7922." Known from then on as the Tudor Submariner, it uses the name of its sister model as a springboard into a success story of its own.
A second explanation for the identical name lies in the striking similarity of the first models. Not only the screw-down "Oyster" caseback and the domed acrylic crystal but also the 100 meters of water resistance link the models. The dials and cases could easily pass for mirror images; the Tudor Submariner 7922 even still carries the Rolex logos on the crown and stainless steel bracelet. Only the sourced Fleurier 390 automatic movement sets it significantly apart from the in-house movement of its more expensive role model. Given the many parallels, different names would hardly have been justifiable; as a step toward transparency for buyers, the name Submariner was chosen for both.
The Road to Independence: The Tudor Submariner Until 1999
The following generations of the Tudor dive watch are defined by technical improvements and attempts to break away from the strict resemblance to Rolex. The rare Ref. 7923 from 1955, for instance, does without the parent brand's prominent "Mercedes" hour hand and introduces a flatter case design, while the 7924 "Big Crown" impresses three years later by doubling water resistance to 200 meters. The Mercedes hand, however, makes a comeback. In 1959, the first crown guard follows on the Ref. 7928; rounded off in 1964, it becomes famous as a hallmark of every later Tudor Submariner.
A new era begins in 1969, when references 7016 and 7021 dare to make a radical break from the Rolex Submariner. Snowflake hands and square indices set the tone for the next 20 years, while the Tudor rose of the English royal house of the same name disappears from the logo and is replaced by a shield that still stands for reliability and toughness today. At the same time, the caliber 390 is phased out and replaced by the ETA variants 2483 and 2484 (the latter with a date window in the 7021). The Tudor Submariner reaches its greatest independence from 1995 onward in its final generation: the Prince Date Submariner 79190. Although it returns to the Mercedes hand, it offers triangular indices, outlined for the first time, and improves underwater safety with a unidirectional rotating bezel. Its era ends shortly before the turn of the millennium and marks the (temporary) farewell to the Tudor Submariner.
New Name, Its Own Direction: The 21st Century
All the greater is the excitement in 2012, when the Swiss manufacturer brings back its highly successful diver. No longer dependent on sharing a name with Rolex models, it changes its name from Submariner to Tudor Black Bay, the name of a fictional bay. Expanded and refined year after year, the Black Bay ranks in hindsight among the most important horological success stories of the 2010s. Today, its family is larger and more independent than ever: in-house manufacture movements, a size range from the 32-millimeter women's watch to the hefty P01, and signature features such as the 1969 snowflake hands define the product portfolio.
The excellent value for money of the Tudor Black Bay is a strong argument for buying it over the Rolex Submariner, but by no means the only one anymore: the line has developed a style of its own, bolder and sportier than the parent brand's classic divers. In terms of quality, however, the same kinship applies that Hans Wilsdorf emphasized during his lifetime. If the founder, who died in 1960, could see the state of his former Tudor Submariner today, he would surely be proud.
