Watch Journey – Watch Brand tier List – Tudor

Welcome to the 5th instalment of my watch journey. As the tier list posts continue the next brand on the watch brand tier list above Rolex is Tudor. That means Tudor watches is the second lowest tier but above Rolex. The reason why Tudor rates higher than Rolex is because they are cheaper!

Most non-watch folk have no idea about Tudor as a watch brand. Tudor is a manufacturer (so of) Swiss headquartered and branded watches. Their link to Rolex is due to their founder being buying the company that held the Tudor brand and positioning it as the cheaper brand. Many watch enthusiasts in particular those who don’t own a Rolex like to use that association for brand cred. Of course it doesn’t work the other way round! 

Unfortunately Tudor has no real horological kudos. They are essentially makers of homage or literal copies of  Rolex watches – officially of course but with Tudor branding. That is not a bad thing because they are cheaper but I don’t think they can justify the price premium to other more ‘common’ brands. Note they only recently started doing their own thing in the late 201o’s coincidentally when Rolex went on a serious legal witch hunt against anyone who made a watch the vaguely resembled their models. 

Tudor watches themselves are well made and work well. However they still look like Rolex copies and they don’t make many different models. In fact size, watch band material and colour the only things that demine the price difference. I counted only 8 watch faces they make and common 2 movements and claimed variations?

Are Tudor watches worth buying? No, have you seen their catalogue lately? The latest release watch the Tudor Black Bay 58 ‘Coke’  influencers are trying to sell – let’s be honest folks. It still looks like a fake Rolex but a good one at that. Furthermore the watch does not use the traditional Coke colours. Red Black and Gold are the colours of Coke Zero Caffeine Free range quite a new release and certainly not referred to as the real ‘Coke’.