Sub-Rosa: Inside Tudor’s Secret Collector Event

While the watch industry chased attention at Watches and Wonders, Tudor gathered some of its most passionate collectors far from the spotlight.

Last week was Watches and Wonders in Geneva, Switzerland, where watch brands showcase their latest releases. The annual trade show is a masterclass in marketing, and the playbook is simple. For weeks leading up to the event, the internet is awash with “Watches and Wonders Predictions,” an organic marketing exercise that benefits both brands and content creators. 

Journalists, tastemakers, and watch enthusiasts flock to Switzerland to see new timepieces. Lavish booths are constructed, and parties with copious amounts of champagne are thrown to showcase the watches and build hype. The cycle repeats itself each year for a simple reason: it works.

W.O.E. and Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour and Tudor CEO Éric Pirson, discussing the nuances of a vintage Tudor collection. A surreal moment for an aspiring watch nerd.  

Tudor - 100th Year Anniversary

With 2026 being the 100th anniversary of Tudor’s founding, I fully expected them to stick to this playbook and host an opulent party, maybe even fly in Lady Gaga or Posh Spice’s husband to debut a new model on the red carpet. But then, I got a call from a contact at Tudor in Geneva:

“I know you said you have no interest in Watches and Wonders, but this year we are doing something different. We are inviting a handful of Tudor collectors to HQ, it would be great if you could bring your vintage military-issued Tudor Submariners. Please keep it confidential.”

He didn’t need to ask if I would come. He already knew.

A collection of military-issued Tudors from Canada, French Marine Nationale, and other nations from Skip Powell (Photo Credit: @detemporeliber)

The Tudor Collector Event

In a rare display of openness from a Swiss watch brand, especially one whose parent organization is Rolex, Tudor invited collectors from around the world to its headquarters in a suburb of Geneva. After an initial introduction from a Tudor executive, we were ushered into a large conference room where we placed our watches on the table. The watches on display represented at least 80 years of history.  

Due to Tudor’s longstanding history with various military organizations, they skewed heavily towards military-issued watches. Some collections were broad, a smattering of vintage Tudor submariners from Argentina, the United States, and Canada, while others were more focused, including a remarkable full set of every French issued “MN” submariner from 1974 to 1983.  

Many of the watches at the collector meet-up were from the same service and even batch, reunited after decades of separation. Once issued as tools, the men (and women) around that table gathered to honor that heritage and tell a part of their story.

The collection of @rolexplorer, featuring five Royal Canadian Navy-issued Tudor Submariners (including three “hybrids”) and various vintage pieces, such as tropical examples of references 7924 and 7928. (Photo Credit: @detemporeliber)

The Collectors

I brought four watches to the event: a South African-issued Tudor Submariner 7016 from approximately 1974, a reference 7928 issued to US Navy Underwater Demolition Team/SEALs in the early 1960s, and another reference 7928 issued to Shayatette 13. The fourth is a newer unit watch, which I don’t feel comfortable discussing just yet.

My watches deserved to be at that table, but I'm not sure I did. In comparison to those who have spent decades seeking out, documenting, and exploring Tudor’s history. I am nobody. Imposter syndrome is real.

If you are envisioning old, rich white men wearing ascots, you would be mistaken. The collectors were an eclectic group from Europe, the United States, Asia, and Africa. There was no “profile”, and really the only thing we had in common was an appreciation, or obsession, for vintage Tudor watches. Some collectors were well known to the broader watch community, while others laughed when I asked if they had social media (“We don’t do that.”)

From the Tudor archives, a French Marine Nationale parachute and various military-issued and civilian Tudor Submariners. (Photo Credit: @detemporeliber)

The Tudor Archives

Equally compelling, Tudor opened its archives, revealing dozens of watches alongside original military procurement documents, as well as the founding record of Hans Wilsdorf trademarking the Tudor name in 1926. The archives included hand-drawn sketches of new and old designs and several watch prototypes, some of which the internet watch Illuminati would swear don’t really exist. One of the more unique watches was the original “Commando” prototype designed for the US Navy in the 1960’s with a hinged bezel-locking mechanism, which was never fielded but later released as the P01 in 2019.

The atmosphere was informal and open. We were encouraged to pick up the pieces and even try them on. Tudor’s head of design, Ander Ugarte, was present to answer questions about current and past references. He was equally inquisitive about our backgrounds and interest in Tudor, a watch designer actually conversing with the end user may be rarer than you would think.  

The Tudor “Commando” prototype, which was designed in the 1960s for the US Navy, featured an unconventional locking bezel system that ultimately proved too complex for mass production. The design was later revived as the P01 in 2019. (Photo Credit: @detemporeliber)

Tudors of Espionage

At W.O.E., we are vehemently brand-agnostic. Whether an issued dive watch in the jungles of Vietnam or a modern unit watch on a Secret Service Special Agent, we do not choose the brands we cover; the community does. That said, it is no secret that I am a big fan of Tudor, and this event was a clear indication that it values its over six-decade relationship with our community, as well as the collectors who honor it. 

Tudor’s relationship with the national security community isn’t marketing spin; it’s earned credibility built over decades of real use. Long before “tool watch” became a buzzword, Tudor Submariners were issued to and worn by military and maritime units, including Argentina, the US, Israel, France, Canada, South Africa, and even Jamaica. Examples representing all of these associations were present at the event.

A US Navy-issued Tudor Submariner.

That legacy carries forward today, through continued alignment with the ethos of the community: accessible, purpose-built tools meant to be used. Modern pieces like the Pelagos FXD were developed alongside SOF units,  and today Tudor is arguably the leader in unit watches, producing customized versions of its core models for military, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies.  

Hans Wilsdorf, Rolex’s founder, founded Tudor a century ago as a more affordable alternative, and that DNA is still present. In a space where many brands (including Rolex) have moved upmarket and away from their roots, Tudor has doubled down on its identity, making it a natural fit for a community that values function and heritage over hype. 

A French Commando Hubert-issued Tudor Submariner reference 7928 with square crown guards (left), and a Commando Hubert operator and his Tudor Sub in 1977. From the collection of @gleg83.

What is this? Is this marketing?  

A Wharton marketing professor may say the Tudor collector event was a missed opportunity. The suits would probably suggest Tudor’s 100-year anniversary be commemorated with a massive party with a hologram of Hans Wilsdorf explaining the history of Tudor and Sydney Sweeney flying into the room on a zip-line to deliver the new Monarch to the Tudor CEO. Surely that would generate more buzz and measurable metrics over social media?

That said, I would argue that Tudor allocating its marketing budget to flying in some of the world’s most passionate supporters is the type of quiet confidence that has made the brand successful. One collector remarked that what separates Tudor from others is that it actually listens and engages with the “watch community” on a level that other brands avoid.  

W.O.E.’s South African-issued 7016 (left) reunited with another South African Tudor. At one point, these two were likely stored in the same dive locker… We may never know.

While Tudor’s “Born to Dare” campaign follows the traditional playbook with brand ambassadors David Beckham and Jay Chou, as well as partnerships with New Zealand’s All Blacks and Alinghi Red Bull Racing, this event demonstrates that you can enter these commercial (somewhat contrived) relationships, but also stay true to your roots and leverage authenticity. 

A Tudor Submariner reference 7923, one of the most collectable references, from the brand’s archives. The incredible vintage tool watches posed a stark contrast to the glitz and glamour of Watches and Wonders.

Rolex & Tudor - The Shield Protects the Crown

According to official messaging, Tudor is a separate entity from its larger “brother” Rolex. While Rolex operates on a level of secrecy that would rival any intelligence organization, I get the impression that, in some ways, Tudor operates closer to a division rather than a true separate entity. Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour made a brief appearance at the collectors’ event, alongside the Tudor CEO. The event itself occurred inside the larger Rolex compound, where Tudor is situated.

A collection from the Tudor archives. (Photo Credit: @detemporeliber)

I assess that this relationship allows Tudor to operate with some freedom and top cover that many brands would envy. Yes, Tudor needs to make money to survive, but it can also make bets like the Tudor collectors event or the documentary Splashdown - The Little-Known Story Of Navy Frogmen & The Space Program. Like Rolex, Tudor likely does not think in only fiscal quarters, but decades. It has a legacy that it must honor and build on, and this event was a small acknowledgement of that responsibility.

The legendary “Burgundy” Submariner prototype and US Navy-issued Submariner on an Olongopo bracelet from the Tudor archives. (Photo Credit: @detemporeliber)

Final Thoughts

Despite everything we tell ourselves about watches, the reality is simple: today, mechanical watches are obsolete. They have been for decades. Quartz and connected devices long ago surpassed mechanical watches in both accuracy and utility. Nobody, intelligence officer or special operator, needs a mechanical watch in 2026. And yet, that is precisely the point.

What I saw in Geneva had nothing to do with timekeeping. It was about heritage and continuity, a through line that connects a SEAL in the jungles of Vietnam, a French combat swimmer in the 1980s, and an intelligence officer wearing a Tudor unit watch today. In our community, heritage matters and Tudor watches are not relevant because of what they do, but because of where they have been and what they represent.

A collection of Marine Nationale-issued Tudor submariners and a copy of the Registre containing documentation about the watches, from the collection of @i_merlin13.

In a week built around luxury and hype, Tudor chose to invest in that continuity. Not by manufacturing a narrative, but by bringing together the people who have spent decades preserving it. No press release can replicate that. No campaign can fake it.

The industry will continue to chase attention. Bigger launches, louder partnerships, more noise. That playbook works; it always has. But sitting in that room, surrounded by watches that had actually lived the stories brands now try to tell, it was clear that something else matters more.

Not everything needs to be new. Some things just need to be remembered.

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