Are Tudor watches stepping out from under the shadow of Rolex? From the new company developments showcased at Baselworld 2015, it would appear so.
Having long lived with the unglamorous title of ‘little brother’ to the high-end Rolex brand, Tudor have struggled in the past to gain the independent recognition they deserve. The Rolex connection, however, has allowed Tudor to gain something of a reputation for fine timepieces, thanks to shared manufacturing with Rolex.
With the introduction of their own in-house movement at Baselworld 2015, Tudor have taken a massive leap forward and are now set to gain brand recognition and respect in their own right, easing out from under the shadow of Rolex to promote their own brand on its own merits.
A Brand New Movement in the North Flag
It is the unveiling of their own in-house movement which graces the latest model, the North Flag, which has created this buzz around Tudor watches . Tudor’s in-house movement, the Calibre MT5621, is proudly displayed through a crystal cover beneath the North Flag watch, emphasising matte finishes, sand-blasted large surfaces and finely embellished sunray-brushed details. It has a self-winding bidirectional rotor system that’s officially certified by the COSC testing institute and has the following functions: stop seconds for precise time setting, power reserve indicator, minute and second hands with centre hour and an instantaneous date with rapid setting without non-correction range.
Before the development of their own movement Tudor used off-the-shelf ETA calibre, so the creation of their own is a milestone in the company’s history.
Pelagos Model Update
The Pelagos model by Tudor has also been updated to include the new autonomous MT5612 movement, which also has a power reserve of around 70 hours, meaning it can be taken off for an entire weekend without needing to be wound when the owner next puts it on. The new North Flag model from Tudor also has a power indicator in the dial, which is a nice touch.
The Tudor Pelagos is a Titanium diving watch that’s waterproof to 500 metres (1,640 feet), with the option of a rubber strap that comes with the watch. This could be preferable to the chunky titanium bracelet that has become more standard in everyday wear. It’s available in either black or blue, making it a similar colour to the popular Rolex Submariner models. The dial is easy to read with white hour markers and white luminescent minute, hour and second hands on both the blue or black models.
Prices for either watch are reasonable for a watch of this calibre, with the North Flag pegged at around $3,500 with a leather strap or alternatively $3,675 with a steel bracelet. The North Flag, eagerly awaited by watch aficionados everywhere, should be available to buy in the summer of 2015.