Decades from now, when some historian charts the revival in mechanical watches that commenced in the late 1980s, Tudor will deserve its own chapter. It has no parallel, its first achievement being to shrug off an undeserved reputation as ‘Rolex’s second brand’. That’s like being embarrassed for serving as Marlon Brando’s understudy. The second is becoming the biggest horological success story of the past decade and doing so almost entirely with diving watches.

Actually, the past is what has made the modern Tudor such a covetable brand, and it was in utilising its rich history in diving watches that both exploited and transcended watch enthusiasts’ love of retro. Neither is enough to create desirability, as most watch companies offer submersible timepieces and historical models, but Tudor has the added credibility of unimpeachable military connections, supplying many of the world’s navies for nearly 70 years, and the very watches that passed muster for the services sired the models which now form its line-up.

While inseparable from Rolex, thanks to the Oyster case, the Tudor models are distinct. After years as a well-kept secret, Tudor re-emerged in 2012 with two lines that swiftly charmed enthusiasts. The Black Bay series updated the Submariners that were supplied to the navies, while the Pelagos reinterpreted Tudor’s signature details.

Although Tudor had been founded in 1926, it wasn’t until the years after the Second World War that it began to take off. The arrival of the Oyster Prince, with its water-resistant case, coincided with the explosion in the development of proper diving watches. Both military and civilian use, via the new sport of scuba diving, created the need for such a timepiece.

Tudor was but one of many brands responding to this demand, but its robust case, legibility and other features shared with Rolex increased its appeal for professional users. With its first market-ready diving watch, released in 1954, Tudor soon found clients which, decades later, would form the foundation of its provenance.

In 1956, the French Navy acquired examples of the Model 7922 for testing. After undergoing its test regimen, Tudor extended the depth rating to 200m and increased the size of the crown. The original watch would further evolve to acquire a distinctive, more legible hour hand dubbed “the snowflake”, in 1969, while the French Navy would also specify a blue dial and bezel – another signature touch. Tudor would maintain a relationship with the French Navy into the 2000s.

Other navies, including those of South Africa, Italy, and Jamaica, would employ Tudor Submariners, but it was the US Navy that inspired one of Tudor’s most fascinating models. Already a customer for the Reference 7928, the USN proposed a set of specifications to which Tudor responded with the “Commando”, with a unique locking bezel. This would prevent accidental rotation, which could cause false readings of remaining diving times.

Though it didn’t reach production, in 2019, the Commando served as the basis for the Black Bay P01, which was nearly identical to the prototype but with added refinement. This watch has joined the existing Black Bay line-up, which has grown to include chronographs, the GMT, models in various diameters, coloured dials and bezels, and other details which inspire devotees to acquire more than one. What remains common to all are the Oyster cases, snowflake hour hands and durability in water.

More recently, the Pelagos has enjoyed a renewed buzz. Diver Morgan Bourc’his wears a Pelagos during his ambitious new project, filming a documentary in search of whales, subjecting the watch to the waters of both the Mediterranean and the fjords of Norway. As tough a challenge as any that a Tudor diving watch can face.

Tudor has ascended to the heights of watch desirability. So, if you were wondering, Jack Palance was once Brando’s understudy. And you couldn’t ask for a more virile analogy to define Tudor.

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