Post by timelessluxwatches on Dec 4, 2015 16:53:24 GMT -6
Tudor Ranger Review
The Tudor Ranger is one of the brand's most cherished models and represents, in my view anyway, something of a turning point of the company. The Ranger, by which I mean the original 1967 model that this one is based on, was one of the first times the company, a very close relative of Rolex, set off on its own. It was the brand's equivalent to the Rolex Explorer, but deviated not only in name but style. Today, nearly 50 years later, we take a look at the new version of that watch.
The Tudor Ranger, in my opinion anyway, is one of the most interesting watches in Tudor's lineup. It's a watch with a bit of a story behind it, something that represents more to the company than you might think at first glance. When most pick it up, they see a great looking vintage sports watch. But what I'd like you to see when you try it on is more than that. I want you to see the Ranger as the first watch to make Tudor a "brand" in the conventional sense, as opposed to merely a subsidiary of Rolex.
By the time the first Ranger had been released in 1967, most Tudors didn't even receive a unique name. The Tudor diver, for instance, was simply the Submariner. The company really only had one major exception, the 1957 Advisor alarm watch, but that of course had to have a unique name because there was no Rolex equivalent to draw from. When it was time for Tudor to produce a version of the popular Rolex Explorer, it was presumed that it would be the Tudor Explorer, a near identical watch with a different movement. That memo apparently never made it to Tudor because what they actually made was this, the Ranger. The Ranger is roughly similar to the Explorer but no one would confuse the two. They look like watches that were designed by two different companies.
It's not only interesting due to the role it has played for Tudor, however. It's also part of an interesting, and still developing, pairing of Tudor watches. When the new Pelagos, equipped with an in-house movement, was released recently, it offered a stark contrast to the Black Bay. The Black Bay, adorned with the vintage Tudor Rose on the dial, symbolized the brand's history. The Pelagos was more contemporary, bore the more modern Tudor Shield, and also had a high-tech movement. Thus, the dichotomy was clear: the Black Bay was the traditional Tudor, the Pelagos was from the new school. A similar relationship exists between the Ranger and North Flag. The North Flag, as you'll recall from my review, was mostly inspired by the Ranger II, at least aesthetically. I theorize, then, that the Ranger/North Flag pairing is the direct analog of the Black Bay/Pelagos. It'll be interesting to see if Tudor continues on this path and released more "new school" models like the North Flag and Pelagos in the future.
The dial certainly fits the tool watch motif. The Rolex Explorer heritage is evident, but I wouldn't even call it an homage to it. As a classic tool watch, legibility is placed extremely high on the list of priorities. Thus, the dial is extremely clean and uncluttered. Yet I don't get quite the all-business feel that I do from the Explorer. The dial has just a bit of playfulness to it, with the hour hand's shape and red seconds.
The Ranger carries the Tudor Rose, the original symbol of the company, as opposed to the Shield, the more modern logo for the brand (although it should be noted that very early Tudors sometimes featured the rose on the shield, symbolizing the combination of beauty and strength). The Tudor Rose is a very interesting choice for the company. The "heraldic flower" of England, the rose is the product of the merger between two warring families, the House of Lancaster, sometimes symbolized by a red rose, and the House of York, symbolized by a white rose. Although it is frequently written that Wilsdorf wanted to honor the Tudor period of England, I've yet to see it written why that specific period. I am a bit curious as to why the symbol was selected, presumably by Hans Wilsdorf (the founder of Rolex) himself. Wilsdorf was an interesting man in interesting times, and although German born, he had moved to England in the early 20th century to begin Rolex before finally moving the company to its present day home of Switzerland. Perhaps the Tudor Rose idea entered his mind during his time in England. Alternatively, perhaps the Rose symbolized two houses, Tudor and Rolex, under a single banner, although the brands have never directly competed with one another.
The hands are extremely similar to the ones the watch came with in the late 1960s. Tudor terms the hour hand "pear-shaped," but given British RAF connotations of things being "pear-shaped," combined with the fact that it doesn't look at all like a pear to me, I'm not inclined to call them that. Nomenclature aside, I do really like the hands. They're quite simple, and although it's not necessarily obvious in these photos, thanks to the reflection of my black camera, they're highly polished. Their main function, however, is to carry a large amount of luminous paint. The off-white lume contrasts very well against the matte black dial. I also like the red seconds hand, giving the watch just a dash of color. The hands, more than any other element, give the watch the slightest touch of playfulness, avoiding the deadly seriousness of some other tool watches.
The hour markers and numerals are very similar to the Explorer, although the Explorer now uses applied numerals. The 12:00 marker on the Tudor is indeed 12:00, unlike the Explorer. Tudor has wisely avoided a date on this new model, although vintage incarnations were sometimes available with a date. I think keeping it this simple, like the Black Bay, was wise. People who want a busier dial still have the North Flag as an option.
The numerals and markers are actually a little more interesting than they at first appear. Looking up close, we can see two layers, a base or substrate and then an additional, narrower layer on top of that.
In the dark, we can actually see that the narrower strip is luminous while the base underneath is not. This gives the numerals a sharper, narrower look at night.
If you read my reviews frequently you'll have sometimes heard me say of non-diving watches that the "lume is good, but no replacement for a diver" or some such. The Tudor Ranger is not one of these watches. The lume here is absolutely good enough to be featured on a diver. The numerals and markers are above average, but the hands are extraordinarily powerful. They glow deep into the night and are among the best in its class.
One of the subtler elements of the Ranger is the fact that its matte black dial is rather significantly domed, as is its sapphire crystal. It's not noticeable looking at the watch from normal angles, but you can appreciate it as you turn it, like here.
I mentioned that I wasn't especially fond of the Rotor Self-Winding text on other Tudors, as it's a bit redundant, but I don't mind it here. The watch needs something down there to balance the Tudor writing up top. I'd say that, unlike the new Pelagos for instance, the Ranger strikes a nearly ideal balance of writing and space on the dial.
The simple, but very finely finished, case marks one of the most significant departures from the original model as it's much larger at 41mm.
Tudor describes the case as entirely satin finished, which is not precisely accurate, but we'll get to that next. The satin look is perfect for a tool watch like this and it matches the optional bracelet (which I recommend, as it comes with a second strap anyway).
There is an exception to the all-satin finish, and it's a very subtle polished ring at the base of the bezel. It's a narrow band, but it's a nice little flourish. It's not exactly analogous, but it kind of makes me think of the ceramic bezel ring of the North Flag.
At a hair over 12mm thick, the Ranger is not a thin watch per se, but it is thinner than many of its contemporaries in this class.
The lugs are drilled, which is always helpful, particularly in a watch that always comes with two straps (or a bracelet plus a strap like this one). This also gives a good look at the crown tube, which I love from the Black Bay. I actually prefer the non-anodized version here, however.
The crown is one of my favorite things about Tudor. Few brands, if any, pay quite as much attention to this component. On this model it has a deep engraving of the Tudor Rose.
The crown secures the watch to 150 meters, an extremely impressive result for this genre of watches. Virtually all watches in this segment are good for 100 meters, the most notable exception, of course, being the more expensive Omega Aqua Terra.
The case back is typical to Tudor, and more generally, to Rolex, but I really like how these look. Simple, with a very sharp brushed finish, it reflects the utilitarian design of the watch. Personally, I always prefer to see the movement, but this is one of the higher quality case backs available. Please forgive the red stripe, the sticker is still on the case back and I try to keep watches as untouched as I possibly can during these reviews.
I wrote a little about the Tudor Calibre 2824 in my recent Black Bay review but there have been several people wanting to learn more about it. Unfortunately, without taking the back off of the watch or stealing someone else's photos, I don't have any quality images to show you. I decided on enhancing and modifying one of Tudor's official images for our purposes. What you see here is a Tudor Calibre 2824, a heavily modified version of the ubiquitous ETA 2824 you find in the majority of Swiss watches today. Let's analyze the differences Tudor has made, at least the ones that I know of. Without seeing a tear down and analysis of the movement, I'm limited to the changes I can see in the few available images I have.
The first thing we see is what appears to be an entirely new balance cock. In the original ETA version of this component, there is a deep engraving to hold the fine adjustment mechanism. Because Tudor did away with that system, they don't need the same balance cock anymore and this piece, with a nice perlage, replaces it. This gives the movement a bit of a free sprung look.
This tiny component is the most radical change Tudor has made to the movement. Here we see the stud, but more importantly, the Triovis fine adjustment mechanism, replacing the ETA style fine adjustment which uses an eccentric screw. The Triovis system is far more compact and is the favorite of companies like Nomos, Girard-Perregaux and Jaeger LeCoultre. On a mechanical level, it functions in pretty much the same way as the system it replaces, by very finely moving the regulator index, although the way the watchmaker regulates the movement is a little different.
Finally, we look at the last change, at least, the last change that I can see. Here the Incabloc shock absorber has been replaced with a Kif one. That's not unusual given the Rolex relationship, which has used Kif parts for a long time now (although being phased out in favor of their in-house design). Long story short, the Tudor Calibre 2824 does have some meaningful modifications. It's not an in-house movement, but neither is it just an off the shelf movement either. You are getting a subtle value-add (which Tudor doesn't even bother to advertise) with many Tudors. It seems like they're putting a pretty substantial amount of time into each Tudor 2824. Looking at the changes, I consider it very probable that these movements are adjusted in-house as well, as it would be almost requisite after changing these components.
Check out our video of the Tudor Ranger here.
The Tudor Ranger is a great choice for someone who wants to wear a vintage design but in a modern size and with modern quality. Like every Tudor I've looked at closely, its execution is exceptional, at or near the best in this price point.
Fans of tool watches will find much to like here. Those, like myself, who aren't necessarily that into tool watches won't be put off either, because it doesn't take itself completely serious, allowing some artistic flourishes in the hands for instance. Fans of Rolex and Tudor can also connect to a crucial point in both brand's history, as Tudor gradually began to become more independent. That independence was finally realized this year, in 2015, with the inclusion of fully in-house Tudor watches, breaking down the ultimate barrier between Tudor and Rolex.
It's also a nice alternative to the more expensive North Flag, not only due to its price, but also to its subtler execution. The North Flag's dial is substantially busier, due to not one but two additional complications, and the bright yellow accents are much more eye catching than the red seconds hand here. While my personal favorite is the North Flag, I suspect the Ranger will continue to find a broader following. The Ranger, as well as the Black Bay, are probably the most important watches Tudor makes, and Tudor collectors should at least consider getting one of these two models because they, better than any others, embody the ethos of the brand.
