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Tudor, Rolex's sister brand, has given one of its most storied model lines a thorough makeover. The result is a stylish collection of classically elegant dress watches for men. We took a closer look at the new Tudor Glamour Double Date.
A Glamorous Jewelry Watch for Men – Now with an In-House Caliber
Even in its original version, Tudor's Glamour Double Date stood for a decidedly elegant design combined with meticulous craftsmanship and reliable mechanical watchmaking. All of this still holds true for the 2018 reissue of this well-known and popular collection, but on the technical side there is one particular highlight worth mentioning: unlike before, the Tudor Glamour Double Date is now powered by a high-performance in-house manufacture caliber developed by the brand itself.
This significant upgrade to the Double Date's inner workings reflects a strategic course set in 2015.
That year, for the first time in a brand history now spanning more than 90 years, the manufacturer used in-house calibers of its own.
High Standards from the Very Beginning
Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex and numerous other watch brands, registered the trademark "The Tudor" as early as 1926 and, twenty years later, established an independent company for it. While Rolex's other sister brands are long gone, Tudor has successfully weathered turbulent times, including the great quartz crisis of the 1970s and early 1980s. Along the way, the brand sharpened its own profile and increasingly broke free from its role as the more affordable "entry-level Rolex."
It helped that, by Wilsdorf's design, its watches were meant to be more affordable than Rolex models while offering the same reliability and quality. In that sense, the introduction of in-house calibers was simply the crowning achievement of a company history that had always been defined by the highest standards in mechanical watchmaking and that, besides the Tudor Glamour, had produced several other cult models, most notably the two dive watch lines Black Bay and Pelagos.
While the design of the latter was shaped primarily by ruggedness and sportiness, the Tudor Glamour was positioned as an elegant dress watch from the outset. That has not changed with the reissue of the collection.
Design and Technical Details of the New Double Date
On the outside, Tudor's new Glamour Double Date looks relatively understated, especially in stainless steel. Given the technology inside, however, this is pure understatement: the in-house caliber MT5641 that drives it, fitted with an antimagnetic silicon hairspring, meets the most exacting standards of precision and finishing. It is an evolved version of the base caliber MT5601, with which the manufacturer earned its entry into the exclusive circle of watch manufactures in 2015 and which has since been expanded time and again with additional functions.
Its accuracy is guaranteed by chronometer certification from the official Swiss chronometer testing institute (COSC). For the new Tudor Glamour, the base caliber was supplemented with a small seconds and a big date. The small seconds sits at 6 o'clock, while the big date is positioned below 12 o'clock. The name Double Date refers to the fact that the date is displayed in two adjacent windows, each showing one digit. The automatic movement offers a generous power reserve of up to 70 hours without any new energy supplied by the watch's motion.
Available in Various Color and Material Combinations
The case measures 42 millimeters in diameter and, in the base version, is made of stainless steel. It is water-resistant to a pressure of 10 bar, or 100 meters, so the watch can stay on your wrist while swimming or showering without suffering any damage. Although this kind of resilience has been a tradition at Rolex, as well as at its "smaller" sister brand, since the 1920s, it is by no means a given for dress watches. In fact, owners of an elegant men's watch often have to settle for considerably lower water resistance.
Alternatively, there is also a two-tone version combining stainless steel with yellow gold. The dress watch's bracelets and straps are made either of stainless steel or stainless steel with yellow gold, or of matte brown alligator leather. Its double bezel is slightly lowered, giving the case a more sculpted look and a softly rounded appearance.
Understated Elegance Defines the Dial of the Glamour Double Date
The dial of the Tudor Glamour Double Date exudes simple, timeless elegance and comes in four colors: silver, black, champagne, and opaline. The first two are paired with a stainless steel case, while the last two are reserved for the two-tone models. Each dial is divided into a central circle with vertical stripes and an outer ring with a smooth, sunburst-finished surface. A discreet minute track runs along the outer edge.
The simple, slightly diamond-shaped hour markers are gilded on the two-tone models. On the stainless steel watches, they are blue on the silver dial and rhodium-plated on the black dial. For better legibility at night, the hour and minute hands are coated with luminescent material.
The Double Date as a Jewelry Watch for Men
If you would rather wear the Double Date not as a simple dress or business watch but as an opulent jewelry watch for men, you are sure to find a suitable model in the new collection as well. With the exception of the stainless steel version with a silver dial and blue markers, all other color and material combinations are also available, for a corresponding surcharge, with diamonds as hour markers at positions 1 through 11.
In place of 12 o'clock, however, every version displays Tudor's logo, which traditionally also appears on the screw-down winding crown.
Depending on how the light hits them, the diamonds sparkle with varying intensity, lending this refined men's watch a particularly glamorous touch. While a bit more restraint would be appropriate at the office in most cases, the modern gentleman can certainly wear such a refined jewelry watch as a decorative accessory with formal evening wear or an elegant party outfit to underscore his personal style.
