Next year should be huge for Tudor. A century is a big deal for any watch brand, but especially one that’s spent the last decade quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) proving it can do serious watchmaking without losing its value-led soul. If Tudor wants to mark 100 years properly, the clues for how it might do that are already hiding in plain sight.
Let’s start with the obvious one – the Big Block chronograph.
If Tudor brings back just one historic model for its centenary, this is it. And crucially, not as a straight reissue. The real excitement isn’t the case shape or dial (although those are very exciting), it’s what’s inside. Back in 2023, Tudor quietly showed its hand with the Prince Chronograph One created for Only Watch. That watch, ultimately, never made it to auction, but what it revealed was far more important than the gold case it came in.
Inside was the MT59XX. A fully in-house, ground-up, column-wheel chronograph developed by Tudor itself. Not a Breitling-powered Black Bay Chrono. Not a modular compromise. A proper manufacture movement, complete with prototype markings, Kenissi signatures, a 70-hour power reserve, silicon balance spring and Tudor’s familiar -2/+4 seconds tolerance. In short, it was Tudor saying: we can do this now.
The Big Block is the perfect platform for that message. When the original launched in 1976, Tudor made a smart, practical decision to use the Valjoux 7750. It delivered reliability, performance and value – exactly what Tudor stood for. Nearly 50 years later, the values haven’t changed, but the brand’s capability has.
A modern Big Block in steel, powered by a production version of that MT59XX, would be both a nod to the past and a statement of intent. If Tudor wants a hero launch for its 100th birthday, this is it.
Beyond headline launches, a centenary year is also the moment to tidy up the catalogue. Tudor has been slowly, methodically upgrading the Black Bay line with METAS-certified movements and the excellent T-Fit clasp. Colour by colour. Model by model. It’s sensible, but a little drawn out.
Turning 100 feels like the right excuse to go big. A sweeping update across the entire Black Bay range, METAS movements throughout, T-Fit as standard, would underline how far Tudor’s technical advancements have come.
Then there’s the 1926 collection. Often overlooked, but quietly one of Tudor’s most interesting ranges. It literally carries the brand’s birth year in the model name, and the recent 1926 “Luna” moonphase shows Tudor is willing to get creative here. It’s elegant, confident, and a little unexpected from a brand best known for dive watches.
For a centenary, an all-gold 1926 feels like a no-brainer. Not oversized. Not flashy. Just a warm, classic gold dress watch that leans into heritage rather than tool-watch toughness. A reminder that Tudor isn’t only about snowflake hands and dive bezels – it can also do the proper watchmaking stuff.
If Tudor plays this right, its 100th year won’t be about nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It’ll be about showing how the brand has evolved. I can’t wait to see how they celebrate.
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