Tudor watches have always been considered a poorer second brother of the watch giant Rolex. In fact, when it comes to the history and inner workings of Tudor, this brand actually does have a great deal in common with Rolex. For example, Tudor feature the identical Rolex modified movements that have made Rolex – and Tudor watches – generally known for their reliability through the years.
The founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf, is also the founder of Tudor. In 1905 Wilsdorf set up his own company in England and began producing high quality watches. It was in 1908 that he began the Rolex brand. He ran the business in England for about fifteen years and then moved to Geneva in 1920. Hans Wilsdorf first opened Tudor watches in 1946. The brand name Tudor was chosen because Wilsdorf wanted to pay tribute to the Tudor period of England. The most important difference between Rolex and Tudor was already inherent in the 1940's when the first Tudor Oyster reached the market: Inside the screwed-in Oyster case, there was not a Rolex manufactured movement, but a movement supplied by Ebauches SA, ETA. The Rolex Company still places value today on the fact that the modified automatic calibers by ETA are "especially made for Tudor".