Tudor at 100: the pre-owned watches to buy before W&W 2026
Tudor turns 100 in 2026. With Watches & Wonders 30 days away, here's what collectors should be looking at on the pre-owned market right now.
Tudor turns 100 this year. That's a century of making watches that look and feel like they should cost twice as much as they do. And with Watches & Wonders Geneva barely 30 days out, the centennial celebrations are about to get real.
The question every collector should be asking right now isn't "what will Tudor announce?" It's "what should I buy before they announce it?"
A hundred years of the other Wilsdorf brand
Hans Wilsdorf founded Tudor in 1926 with a simple goal: build watches with Rolex DNA at a price more people could actually afford. For decades, Tudor lived in its parent company's shadow. The movements were borrowed. The marketing was an afterthought. The brand was Rolex's quiet younger sibling.
That changed around 2012 when Tudor launched the Heritage Black Bay and started acting like it had something to prove. In-house Kenissi manufacture movements followed. So did the kind of collector obsession that money can't buy. Tudor went from "the affordable Rolex alternative" to a brand people choose on its own merits.
A century later, the lineup speaks for itself: Black Bay in every configuration imaginable, the Pelagos for serious diving, and a GMT that punches well above its weight class. Tudor doesn't need Rolex's name anymore. The centennial is a chance to prove it.
The Tudor Black Bay S&G in our collection, blending steel and gold in a package that would cost three times as much with a crown instead of a shield on the dial.
What W&W 2026 might bring
Nobody outside Tudor's Geneva HQ knows exactly what's coming. But the evidence is stacking up.
The biggest signal came in 2023, at the Only Watch charity auction. Tudor showed the Prince Chronograph One, a full gold chronograph powered by a brand-new integrated manufacture movement. Not a modified Breitling caliber. Not a modular add-on. An entirely new, in-house chronograph movement built by Kenissi from scratch.
As Monochrome Watches pointed out in their March 2026 predictions piece, brands don't develop integrated chronograph movements for one-off charity watches. These things take years and millions to engineer. The Only Watch piece was a preview.
The timing lines up perfectly. 2026 is also the 50th anniversary of Tudor's original "Big Block" Oysterdate chronograph from 1976. Two milestones, one year. Industry sources from SJX to WatchCollectingLifestyle all point to the same conclusion: a new Big Block chronograph with that manufacture movement is coming, and it's going to be the centennial's headline release.
Beyond the Big Block, expect heritage reissues and maybe a special-edition Black Bay 54 or Pelagos Ultra update. Tudor has a full year of 100th anniversary to fill.
Why this matters for pre-owned buyers
Here's the part nobody else writes about. Every major publication will cover what Tudor announces. Very few will tell you what to do about it.
When brands release anniversary editions, pre-owned demand for related references goes up. The mechanism is straightforward: collectors who miss retail allocation buy adjacent models. Media coverage raises overall brand awareness. And anniversary editions validate the heritage of older references.
We saw this with Omega's Speedmaster 50th anniversary in 2019, when pre-owned Speedmaster prices rose 10-15% across the board. The anniversary didn't just celebrate one watch; it reminded everyone why the whole family was worth owning.
Tudor's centennial could have a similar effect, especially on chronograph references (if the Big Block drops) and vintage models. The window is roughly 30 days. After W&W, if the releases are strong, pre-owned prices adjust fast.
Our 1996 Tudor Submariner Prince Oyster ref. 75090. Vintage Tudor Submariners have been climbing steadily, and a centennial with heritage reissues would only accelerate that.
Three watches from our collection worth a look
We carry authenticated pre-owned Tudor right now. Here's what's relevant to the centennial play:
Tudor Submariner Prince Oyster ref. 75090 (1996) — The heritage play. Vintage Tudor Submariners have been quietly appreciating for years as collectors recognize them as the original tool watches they are. If Tudor leans into its history at W&W (and everything suggests they will), pieces like this get a second look from buyers who missed the first wave. See the full listing.
Tudor Black Bay S&G M79733N-0004 — Two-tone steel and gold, manufacture MT5612 movement, 70 hours of power reserve. The S&G is Tudor's statement that it can do luxury without losing its tool-watch identity. At current pre-owned prices, it's one of the most compelling two-tone sport watches on the market. See the full listing.
Tudor Black Bay Pro 39mm M79470-0001 — The GMT-capable Black Bay that wears smaller and more refined than the standard 41mm. In-house MT5652 caliber with a fixed 24-hour bezel for true GMT functionality. If you want a modern Tudor that flies under the radar, this is it. See the full listing.
The Black Bay Pro 39mm. Fixed 24-hour bezel, in-house movement, and a 39mm case that actually works on smaller wrists.
Two more to watch on the market
Black Bay 58 — The model that relaunched modern Tudor collecting. 39mm, clean dial, manufacture movement. Pre-owned examples sit between $3,200 and $3,800 depending on dial color and condition. If the centennial brings a special 58 variant (which is plausible), the standard models could see a bump.
Black Bay Chrono — If Tudor does launch a new Big Block chronograph, every existing Tudor chronograph reference benefits from the attention. The current Black Bay Chrono runs $4,500-$5,500 pre-owned and recently got a Jubilee bracelet option that's attracting new buyers.
Why Tudor is the smart money in 2026
Rolex raised prices 7-14% in the US at the start of the year. A new Submariner retails for over $10,000. The secondary market hasn't softened enough to offset it.
Tudor makes watches with manufacture movements, 70-hour power reserves, and the kind of finishing that embarrasses brands at twice the price. Pre-owned Tudor lives in the $2,500-$5,000 range. For a lot of collectors, that's where the real value sits.
The centennial isn't going to change Tudor's fundamental position. It's going to remind people of it. And for buyers paying attention right now, the 30 days before W&W is the window.
Browse our full collection or get in touch if you're looking for a specific Tudor reference. We source authenticated pre-owned pieces and can help you find what you're after.
Related reading: Watches & Wonders 2026 preview | Best GMT watches in 2026