Rolex and Tudor watches

　　It was in the thirties that Rolex introduced its entry-level brand, Tudor. At the time, Rolex was implementing a Europe-wide promotional campaign centred on the UK, but due to the high price point, Rolex watches were difficult for the average person to afford,Rolex watchesexposing a vulnerability in their sales approach. To expand the market, Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf came up with an idea: create an accessible spin-off brand under Rolex. The criteria were that the new line matched Rolex's quality level while keeping prices affordable for everyday people, with the ultimate goal of boosting sales volume.

　　Eventually, he decided to split a part of his own name to form the moniker for this new brand, Tudor. Tudor was initially translated into Chinese as Diaoduo before being changed to Tudor. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Britain had developed into a global economic hub. In 1905, Wilsdorf crossed the ocean from Switzerland to London and established a watch workshop. The name Rolex was not yet in use; the inner caseback was simply engraved with the letters "W&D". W stood for Wilsdorf, and D stood for his British business partner, Denison. Wilsdorf was full of confidence about expanding into the British market. After launching the new brand, he tied his watchmaking enterprise to the British royal family. The name Tudor itself derives from the English House of Tudor (1485–1603, which saw five monarchs).

　　From 1455 to 1485, the Houses of Lancaster and York among the English feudal nobility fought a civil war for the throne; the former's badge was a red rose and the latter's a white rose, hence it is also known as the Wars of the Roses. Consequently, Tudor's emblem also adopted a badge symbolising the Wars of the Roses, though it was modified by Wilsdorf to somewhat resemble a shield, stamped onto the watch dial. This emblem was originally a rose; later, the rose was drawn inside a shield, and shortly after Wilsdorf's passing, the emblem evolved into its current form, where the rose is barely visible. In fact, the Tudor family crest is a shield, positioned one tier below the royal crown, whereas the Rolex logo is a crown.

　　Tudor WatchesTudor is a subsidiary brand of Rolex, sharing the same quality as Rolex. Before the sixties, Tudor used Rolex movements (at that time, Rolex, Tudor, and Movado all used Zenith movements) and the same cases as Rolex, with a rose as the logo (frankly, apart from the logo, they were no different from Rolex), and the British Royal Family were also patrons of Tudor. Later, Tudor switched to ETA movements, but the movement finishing was excellent. Rolex's sales strategy at the time was to give away a Tudor with the purchase of a Rolex (unbelievable, right?). Modern Tudor watches all use ETA movements and have developed their own style in case manufacturing and movement finishing. Although many watch factories use ETA movements, I believe Tudor's level of finishing is among the best, and the overall quality of the watches is comparable to Rolex; the only thing to criticise is that they do not look as refined as Rolex. If you just want a watch to wear yourself and do not want to spend too much money pursuing an in-house movement, Tudor is a good choice.