A PROTOTYPE IN SERIES
Watch Time|May - June 2020
Based on a prototype from the late 1960s, the Black Bay P01 reveals a little-known aspect of Tudor’s history. We test the current serial model.
Martina Richter
A PROTOTYPE IN SERIES

— History tells us that Tudor supplied the U.S. Navy with divers’ watches as early as the late 1950s. But Reference 7922 wasn’t introduced until 1964 and is considered to be the first dive watch from Tudor. It was water-resistant to 100 meters.

TUDOR —Tudor is a Swiss watch brand that offers reliable mechanical wristwatches in a distinctive style and with a good price-performance ratio. Tudor’s origins date back to 1926, when Rolex’s founder Hans Wilsdorf registered “The Tudor” as a trademark. Wilsdorf founded Montres Tudor SA in 1946 to offer wristwatches with the quality and reliability of a Rolex, but at a more affordable price. The Tudor collection currently includes models such as the Black Bay, Pelagos, North Flag, Glamour and 1926. Timepieces in the Heritage line are inspired by the past and feature modern modifications. Tudor has been producing its own manufacture calibers with various functions since 2015.

“Commando” Was the Codename for a Special Bezel System

Three years later, the Swiss brand began developing a highly functional watch to replace the Oyster Prince Submariner Reference 7928, which was the Navy’s standard watch at that time. The first phase of development led to various prototypes and a patent for an unprecedented function. The ambitious project with the codename “Commando” was never realized, but the plans were carefully preserved in the company’s archives. The novel component was a hinged mechanism on the case that could be unlocked to reset the bezel and locked to secure the bezel in place. Patented in 1968, the hinged mechanism was also intended to simplify maintenance and servicing.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May - June 2020 من Watch Time.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May - June 2020 من Watch Time.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من WATCH TIME مشاهدة الكل
Mirror of Civilizations
WatchTime

Mirror of Civilizations

With the new Tonda PF Xiali Calendar (Ref. PFH982-1022301100182), Parmigiani Fleurier celebrates the Chinese New Year (Jan. 22, 2023) with a world premiere: a Chinese complete calendar that is covering a period of 12 years. This model follows the maison's earlier Gregorian Annual Calendar and the Tonda Hijri Perpetual Calendar, or Muslim calendar, a feat of miniaturization that was awarded the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in the Innovation category in 2020.

time-read
6 mins  |
March - April 2023
Return Flight
WatchTime

Return Flight

Longines brings back the famous \"Majetek\" pilot watch from 1935 with a 43-mm case and new bezel system.

time-read
2 mins  |
March - April 2023
Black Capsule
WatchTime

Black Capsule

On January 31, Carl F. Bucherer unveiled five new versions of some of its most popular models in a different cosmopolitan city on the same day - each city having played an important role for the three generations of the Bucherer family over the past 135 years.

time-read
1 min  |
March - April 2023
Touchdown in Le Locle
WatchTime

Touchdown in Le Locle

Aaron Charles Rodgers (born Dec. 2, 1983) is a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL).

time-read
8 mins  |
September/October 2022
Flat Floor
WatchTime

Flat Floor

Just three months after Bulgari had unveiled the world's latest thinnest watch, the 1.8-mm Octo Finissimo Ultra (Ref. 103611), Richard Mille set a new world record with the RM UP-01 Ferrari (in 2021, Ferrari and Richard Mille had announced a multi-year partnership agreement).

time-read
1 min  |
September/October 2022
Tourbillon Waltz
WatchTime

Tourbillon Waltz

On June 26, 1801, Abraham-Louis Breguet (Jan. 10, 1747 Sept. 17, 1823) was granted a patent for a new type of regulator.

time-read
1 min  |
September/October 2022
Tudor's Tool Watch Is Back
WatchTime

Tudor's Tool Watch Is Back

Two years ago, Tudor started to quietly decommission its ETApowered Heritage Ranger from 2014, perhaps one of its most quintessential time-only models that had first appeared in the collection in the 1960s.

time-read
1 min  |
September/October 2022
License To Dive
WatchTime

License To Dive

Underwater explorers and frogmen play as prominent a role in the history of Omega's dive watches as do the seahorse and the world's most famous secret agent.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September/October 2022
HEART-STOPPING MOMENTS
WatchTime

HEART-STOPPING MOMENTS

The TAG Heuer Autavia embodies the excitement of 1960s motorsports and the optimism of the time. The new 2022 models reflect the Autavia's beginnings as a cockpit instrument and build on this history.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September/October 2022
The Lasting Influence of The Nineties
WatchTime

The Lasting Influence of The Nineties

A look back at the decade that saw an industry recover from crisis and steady itself at the cusp of a new millennium.

time-read
10 mins  |
September/October 2022