Longines is one of the oldest names in the world of watches. Tudor, on the other hand, is mostly known as Rolex’s little sister. But in today’s watch market, these two brands are fierce competitors. Who will be the winner in an one-on-one comparison? Let’s find out!
History
The history of Longines dates back to 1832. That’s when Auguste Agassiz founded a small watch atelier in the small Swiss town of St. Imier. In 1852, his nephew Ernest Francillon joined the company and founded the Longines brand. Through the decades, Longines has become known for pushing the boundaries of watchmaking. The brand created a string of the world’s firsts, including the first dual time zone watch, the first watch with a rotating bezel, and the first flyback chronograph.
On top of that, Longines also revolutionized timekeeping in sports, particularly racing, skiing, and equestrian sports. But what most watch fans will know Longines for is the brand’s pioneering spirit in aviation. This rich history makes the brand one of the industry’s most recognized and prestigious players.
Tudor’s history starts in 1926 with the registration of the brands name. The first watches followed in 1932. Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf wanted to create a brand offering timepieces with the same dependability and accuracy as Rolex watches but at a more affordable price. This is why Tudor used Rolex cases and bracelets paired with off-the-shelf movements. However, through partnerships with the French Navy and by pushing the boundaries of design in the 1970s, Tudor has also found a style of its own that makes it interesting to dive into the brand’s history. Modern-day Tudor finds a balance between connecting to Rolex and using its history to inspire its timepieces. It has made the brand one of the most popular ones currently out there.
Watch Collections And Models
Tudor’s collection is built around the Black Bay line. Ever since the brand’s successful reintroduction in 2012, the Black Bay has been key to its modern-day success by taking influences from the Tudor and Rolex archives. It all started with the Black Bay dive watches inspired by the Tudor Submariners from the past. After that, the Black Bay collection turned into a versatile line with dive watches, GMTs, and chronographs inspired by designs from the past.
Additionally, Tudor offers a contemporary line of dive watches with its Pelagos series. The Ranger is an adventurer’s watch inspired by the style of the Rolex Explorer, and with the Royal, the brand offers a luxury watch at a fraction of the price of its stylistic role model, the Rolex Day-Date. Lastly, Tudor offers more classic models for both men and ladies with the 1926 and Claire de Rose lines. While Tudor’s collection has grown tremendously, it is fairly easy to comprehend. That makes finding a Tudor of your choice pretty easy.
The same cannot be said of Longines. The brand has various watches that are part of the Classic or the Sport collection. Under the Classic collection, you will find ten different model lines, and the Sport collection comprises seven additional model lines. It sometimes makes it hard to grasp the tremendous number of watches the brand creates. Some of the brand’s most popular models can be found in the Spirit line, inspired by the brand’s aviation past. The HydroConquest is Longines’ popular modern dive watch series, and the DolceVita is a well-known series of elegant ladies’ watches. However, that only scratches the surface of the entire Longines collection. The upside is that there is a Longines for everyone.
Style & Design
There is a clear difference between the two brands regarding style and design. Longines is a more classical brand that offers stylish timepieces and a wider variety of designs. From traditional dress watches to classic pilot’s watches, from modern divers to elegant women’s watches, there truly is something for everyone in the Longines collection. Despite that wide variety, it is safe to say that the brand gets most of its design inspiration from its rich past.
Regarding Tudor, the designs in general are much more similar to each other and are clearly inspired by Rolex. The typical Rolex design signature for its tool watches, which also characterizes Tudor, finds its roots in the 1950s with classics like the GMT-Master, Submariner, and Explorer. This design code has become the blueprint for sports watches as we know them today. Tudor generally uses its own and the Rolex archives to create the designs. That’s why, like with Longines, most of the brand’s timepieces are retro-inspired. However, a key difference is that most watches are modeled specifically after pieces from the 1950s and 60s. Even modern product lines like the Pelagos use elements coming from classic designs to create a very recognizable style.
Quality & Technology
Longines has upped its specs and quality over the past few years to make the brand more premium. While the production quality has always been solid, the brand stepped up significantly and now offers some of the best watches on an budget. On top of that, the movements have also become increasingly better. Because the brand is part of the Swatch Group, Longines has access to the latest and best movement technology. The Swatch Group’s movement manufacturer ETA has created new movements exclusively for Longines to further enhance the brand’s premium positioning. A great testament to that is, that a significant part of the brand’s offerings now come with Chronometer-certified movements, guaranteeing great accuracy after rigorous testing.
Ever since Tudor came back in 2012 with the Black Bay, the brand has impressed fans and critics alike with the quality of its products. The overall production quality has always been considered the benchmark under 5.000 EUR. Where off-the-shelf ETA movements still powered the initial Black Bay models, the brand gradually switched to proprietary movements specifically developed for Tudor. The movement manufacturer Kenissi, who Tudor is also part owner of, created them. Since last year, Kenissi has produced Tudor movements in-house at Tudor’s production facility in Le Locle. This next step has also resulted in the ability to test movements up to Master Chronometer standards. As a result, most Tudor calibers were already Chronometer-certified, but now a slowly rising number will be Master Chronometer certified, which is another step up.
Pricing and value retention
When it comes to pricing, Longines is slightly more affordable than Tudor. Comparable Longines models offer the same functionalities and quality at a lower price. Modern Longines models tend to lose their value over time. Regarding Tudor, we have seen the brand’s popularity rise over the last five years – and with that we have also seen increased retail prices. When it comes to the pre-owned marked, we see a different development. In contrast to Rolex, you won’t have trouble finding any Tudor model at retailers apart from limited-production models. This has led to prices dropping significantly for all the modern pre-owned models. The only exceptions are some rare Tudor Submariner references that keep their value. The only exceptions are some rare Tudor Submariner references that keep their value. They are expensive to begin with, so getting your hands on one means you would have to invest more from the start.
Tudor vs. Longines: Who wins?
If you are looking for a best-in-class daily wearer or the ultimate functional tool watch, look no further than Tudor. The watches are known to be your best pick, around 5,000 EUR. But if you want something different from the standard in that category, Longines is a great option. The brand offers an incredible variety of styles and is generally more affordable than Tudor. With the brand’s recent upgrade in quality and movements, it’s become one of Tudor’s most important competitors and one of the most interesting brands to keep an eye on. Ultimately, there is no going wrong with these two affordable luxury watch brands.
