Tudor
In February 1926, the house of “Veuve de Philippe Hüther” registered the trademark “The TUDOR” for Hans Wilsdorf. Established in Geneva, he acquired the exclusive usage rights from the dealer who was a watchmaker. The first watches were produced using TUDOR signature on the dial with a horizontal bar of the T lengthened above the other letters. Since Hans Wilsdorf was involved some watches also display Rolex on them. By 1932 Tudor had sent watches to the Willis company in Australia to distribute them. The watches sold well and Hans recognized the opportunity to purchase Tudor in October 1936. The brand was transferred and in this same period, the rose of the TUDOR dynasty began to appear on the dials of Tudor watches. Inscribed within a shield, this logo symbolized the invincible union of strength – the watch’s robustness – with grace – the beauty of its lines. Business continued to grow until World War II when things slowed. By the end of the war Hans began to expand the Tudor brand and by 1946 he created the “Montres TUDOR S.A.” company. A year after the official launch of TUDOR in 1947 the shield began to disappear from the logo. Tudor continued to innovate and in 1952 they released their first self winding model. From the 1960s to the mid 80s, Tudor watches were supplied to the French Navy. The watches sold well outside of the French Navy as well and the business continued to grow. In 1970, Tudor released its first Chronograph which also sold well with advancements being made in the mid and late 1970s as well as into the 1990s.
