There’s a moment every year, somewhere in the weeks before Watches and Wonders, where the watch community starts buzzing with theories and predictions. This year feels different. Because in 2026, one of the most respected names in watchmaking turns 100 — and that kind of milestone doesn’t pass quietly.
How Tudor Got Here
The name “Tudor” was registered in Geneva in February 1926 by Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex. His intention was characteristically direct: create watches that his agents could sell at a more modest price than Rolex, while maintaining the same standard of dependability. Montres Tudor SA was formally established in 1946, and from there the brand spent the next several decades building hard-wearing tool watches, equipping military diving operations, and quietly building one of the most loyal followings in Swiss watchmaking.
A century later, it has evolved into something genuinely its own. The Black Bay family has become a collector favourite. The Pelagos Ultra is one of the most technically impressive dive watches under £5,000. The in-house Kenissi movement operation — which Tudor founded in 2016 and in which Chanel holds a 20% stake — has made Tudor a credible manufacturer rather than just a vehicle for outside movements. The brand that was once dismissed as “Rolex’s budget option” is now doing things Rolex itself hasn’t.
What’s Already Happened in 2025
Before looking forward, it’s worth acknowledging what it delivered heading into their centennial year. The Black Bay 58 Burgundy arrived at Watches and Wonders 2025 with the METAS-certified MT5400-U movement — a meaningful technical upgrade that carries the brand closer to Master Chronometer standards across the line. The 1926 Luna, launched in September 2025, became the brand’s first-ever moonphase complication, adding a new dimension to the collection that literally carries it’s founding year in its name. Understated moves, both of them — but deliberate ones.
The Big Expectation: The Big Block Returns?
Here’s what the entire collector community is talking about. The Tudor “Big Block” chronograph — introduced in 1976 as the Prince Oysterdate — was not just an important watch. It was the first self-winding chronograph from the entire Rolex/Wilsdorf group. Rolex wouldn’t produce their own automatic Daytona for another twelve years. The Big Block’s thick case, necessary to house the automatic Valjoux 7750 rotor, gave it both its nickname and its personality. Collectors have obsessed over these watches for decades.
In 2026, the Big Block turns 50. And its centennial is the same year. That is a remarkable convergence of anniversaries — and signals have already been sent. At Only Watch 2023, the brand unveiled the Prince Chronograph One, a unique yellow gold Big Block revival powered by a prototype MT59XX in-house chronograph movement developed by Kenissi. The development-phase “Kenissi” marking on that movement — not used on standard production watches — indicated clearly that a production version was in progress.
Nothing has been officially confirmed. But the logic is hard to argue with. A modern Big Block, in steel, powered by a production version of the MT59XX, would arrive as both a historic revival and a statement of technical intent. If Tudor is going to make one centennial hero launch, this is the candidate.
What Else to Watch For
Beyond the potential Big Block, there are several directions Tudor is expected to explore:
The METAS certification rollout is ongoing — the Black Bay 58 Burgundy and some Black Bay Pro models already carry it, but a wider upgrade across the range feels like centennial-year material. An expanded 1926 collection, potentially in precious metals, would make strong symbolic sense — the line literally carries 1926 in its name and remains one of Tudor’s most underutilised canvases. Heritage-inspired releases drawing from Tudor’s military diving history are also well within the brand’s playbook.
Kenissi’s movement portfolio continues expanding. The manufacturing facility in Le Locle is operational and scaling. A new movement family — including that promised chronograph — feels increasingly close to ready.
The Bigger Picture
Tudor turns 100 at an interesting moment for the industry. While many established brands are consolidating and raising prices, the brand has spent the last decade doing the opposite — building technical credibility, keeping prices relatively accessible, and carving out an identity distinct from its famous sibling. The snowflake hands, the bronze cases, the fabric NATO straps, the Pelagos Ultra’s titanium seriousness — these aren’t Rolex moves. They’re Tudor moves.
Watches and Wonders opens in Geneva on April 14. Whatever Tudor announces, a brand celebrating its first century while looking genuinely forward rather than backward is worth paying attention to.
— Theo
Your next favourite watch is probably one article away — Watchesfanboy
