Refinement might not be the obvious quality to highlight from Tudor’s new Ranger watches - these are, after all, what the brand called ‘expedition watches’, which could handle anything from the icebound north coast of Greenland to the Arabian Peninsula’s forbidding Empty Quarter (Tudor sponsor the Dakar Rally) - but the term captures how they are designed and produced.
The design concept dates back to a 1960s original that was launched, in typical style, with an advertising campaign testifying how well the watches survived the recent British North Greenland Expedition. It was complete with glowing testimonies from the explorers and logbooks that Tudor supplied to record performance. Entirely pared back of any excess functions, the watches had simply to be utterly legible and utterly reliable – there’s no bezel, no chronograph and no date. Instead, there was a basic Arabic numeral, hour marker and minute track layout paired with a brutally simple hand-set, all highlighted with luminescent treatments and set against a black dial.
The simplicity of the design does, however, mean the details have to be perfectly refined. Out of balance hour markers or hands have nowhere to hide without subdials and date windows. As it happens, this is the superpower that Tudor flexes, arguably, even better than Rolex, as can be seen on the new models, particularly in the cream ‘Dune’ dial, with the colour inspired by the 2026 Dakar route through the desrts and mountains of Saudi Arabia. Closer in size to the 34mm of the original expedition watches, its unobtrusive size contrasts against the dial smartly and night-time legibility is retained through luminous dots.
Satin-brushed cases integrated with cleverly engineered bracelets (there are also fabric strap options) complete the exterior while inside are chronometer-rated, 70-hour power-reserve movements.
Both 36mm and 39mm versions are available in black or Dune dials. Ranger 36mm on bracelet: £2,930, Ranger 39mm on bracelet: £3,020
-
This late-night hangout brings back 1970s glam to LA’s Sunset BoulevardGalerie On Sunset is primed for strong drinks, shared plates, live music, and long nights
-
How Memphis developed from an informal gathering of restless creatives into one of design's most influential movementsEverything you want to know about Memphis Design, from its history to its leading figures to the pieces to know (and buy)
-
Aidia Studio's mesmerising forms blend biophilia and local craftMexican architecture practice Aidia Studio's co-founders, Rolando Rodríguez-Leal and Natalia Wrzask, bring together imaginative ways of building and biophilic references
