Tudor Watches: A More Affordable Entry To the World of Rolex

Rolex is one of the best known and most respected luxury watch companies in the world.  But, few Americans know that Rolex has a complementary sister brand called Tudor.  That's unfortunate.  Tudor brand watches offer a different value proposition than Rolex and it's a value proposition that many Americans might find attractive.

In 1926, the founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf, founded a company based on the idea that Rolex-style and reliability could be brought to customers at a more modest price.  Instead of using in-house Rolex-made movements, Tudor watches utilize other high quality Swiss-made movements.  While some Tudor watches are similar to Rolex models, others are designed expressly for more youthful buyers who are just entering the prestigious and exclusive world of Rolex.

Tudor Prince - Photo By Sputniktilt (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tudor also offers some style options that are a little different than Rolex.  For example, the Tudor Heritage Black Bay brings a slightly sinister commando look to the Rolex-style diver.  It has an aged black leather strap and a black dial.

Tudor Heritage Black Bay

If you'd like to read more about the business background of Tudor and the re-introduction of Tudor to the American market, here is a good article on Forbes:

Watch Out America, Tudor Has Arrived (Again) to Invade Your Wrists

If you are looking for a slightly different entry into the rich heritage of Rolex watches, Tudor-brand watches might be a more nuanced choice.

Dream Watch Profile: The Rolex Air King

One of my friends has a high end stereo. He is willing to delay gratification until he can afford the finest components. Then, he plans to keep those components for the rest of his life. He's a regular middle class guy. He isn't rich. He doesn't buy things often, but when he does, he buys the best that he can. It's an approach that some watch collectors take. Instead of having a hodge-podge of 90 watches, they have a collection of just a few high end timepieces.  From time to time, I think it would be nice just to have a few high end Rolex watches.

Rolex Submariners - Photo by Eternalsleeper at en.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes, this approach of saving for a long time and buying carefully can allow middle class people to own some of the finest products. But, when it comes to high end watch brands, many brands have priced their products well beyond the buying capacity of middle class people. I thought that was the case for Rolex. But, I was recently surprised to discover a Rolex model that a middle class person might aspire to own. It's the Rolex Air King.

Rolex Air King - Photo by thnchiba (http://photozou.com/photo/show/74528/1230796) [CC-BY-2.1-jp (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.1/jp/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

At nearly $5000 [nearly $10,000 in 2024], the Air King isn't cheap. The Rolex Air King also isn't engineered to meet some artificial price point in the marketplace. While the Air King is the entry level Rolex, it's not an afterthought derived in a marketing department. This is a watch that is an integral part of Rolex history. According to an article by Joseph Lavender on the blog Jake's Rolex World called “The Complete History of the RolexAir-King,” the Air King was first made in 1945 to honor the bravery of RAF pilots and airmen. Thus, the timepiece is connected to the long heritage of the Rolex brand.

While these watches aren't in my price range, they are within the range of my dreams.