Despite being one of the more affordable Swiss luxury watch brands, a Tudor watch is still fairly pricey. But why are Tudor watches so expensive?
Tudor is a respected Swiss watch brand that makes all of its watches in Switzerland. The watches are made with great attention to detail, using only high-quality and exotic materials. This all bumps up the manufacturing costs, leading to a more expensive watch.
Despite being relatively pricey, a Tudor watch is actually one of the more affordable Swiss luxury brands. They offer fantastic quality watches, arguably at the best value for your money. This article will outline why Tudor watches are as expensive as they are and whether or not they’re actually worth it!
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Why Are Tudor Watches So Expensive?
The price of a Tudor watch ranges from $1,6900 to $17,000, averaging out at around $4,200. And while Tudor is one of the more affordable Swiss watch brands, an average price of $4,200 is still a lot of money.
When it comes to the retail price of a watch, there are always a few key factors that play a role. Of course, the brand’s name is always a significant driving factor, with over 50% of consumers willing to pay a premium for a branded product.
But aside from the brand’s name, the materials used, the manufacturing process, and the overall end-product can also weigh heavily on the retail price.
The Brand Name
In our current world, the brand’s name almost seems as important as the quality of the product. And luxury brands play into this by inflating the price to the point where it starts to become an exclusive product that gives off the feeling of luxury and prestige.
While Tudor isn’t pricing their watches as high as other high-end-name brands, the Tudor name is definitely responsible for a higher retail price.
Perhaps best known as ‘Rolex’s little brother’, the Tudor name definitely commands respect. The brand is regarded as a luxurious watch brand, and the retail price reflects that.
The Materials Used
The materials used to make a watch also play a significant role. You can imagine that making a watch out of gold will be a lot more expensive than making a watch out of plastic. And on top of that, materials like gold also have an intrinsic value.
Tudor isn’t shy of using only the best quality materials. Materials like titanium, bronze, gold, and even diamonds can be found in Tudor watches. By using these materials, the cost to make a Tudor watch will be higher.
But not every Tudor watch is made with gold or other exotic materials. They also have a wide selection of watches made with the industry-leading 316L stainless steel alloy.
The 316L stainless steel alloy is the most commonly used alloy by luxury brands. Interestingly enough, there is one outlier, Rolex. And despite Tudor being owned by Rolex, Tudor makes use of the 316L alloy while Rolex uses the 904L alloy.
For the watch face, a sapphire crystal is used. This is the piece of ‘glass’ that covers the dial, and a sapphire crystal is once again the best possible option. It’s so scratch-resistant that it can only be scratched by diamonds.
The Manufacturing Process
Tudor watches can sport the title ‘Swiss made’, a luxurious title that carries a lot of prestige. For a watch to be considered Swiss made, it needs to adhere to a set of regularly checked guidelines:
- The movement must be Swiss.
- The watch must be assembled and inspected in Switzerland.
- At least 60% of the manufacturing costs and process are made and take place in Switzerland.
Before 2015, Tudor used modified ETA movements for their watches. But with the release of the North Flag in 2015, they started to offer their own 100% Swiss-made in-house movements.
Making an in-house movement requires insane amounts of R&D, hours, and money, so that alone already bumps up the retail price. Adding to that is the fact that Tudor watches are all hand-made by experts in Switzerland, a country with really high wages.
All of these factors combined lead to high manufacturing costs, which is reflected in the retail price.
The Reliability And Durability
Tudor watches are extremely reliable and durable. After all, they’re basically more affordable versions of Rolex, a company loved for their high-quality watches.
The 316L stainless steel used by Tudor is a slightly denser and more scratch-resistant stainless steel alloy that ensures your watch doesn’t scratch so easily. The same goes for the sapphire crystal, which is undoubtedly the best option for the watch face.
Aside from the exterior, the interior of the watch is also solid. All Tudor watches use a mechanical movement and are extremely accurate. There’s always a slim margin for inaccuracy with mechanical watches, but Tudor watches stay within the accepted range.
Is Tudor Considered A Luxury Watch Brand?
Tudor is an entry-level luxury watch brand because they produce an in-house movement, use exotic materials, and produce watches of incredible quality. The price at which Tudor watches are sold also indicates that these are luxury items.
It’s always a bit of a grey area when it comes to what watch brands are luxury brands and which are not. Generally speaking, there are a few guidelines in place that a brand needs to meet:
- The movement must be mode in-house.
- The brand must use high-quality and exotic materials.
- The watch must be manually manufactured.
- The watch must come at a premium price.
The only questionable part is the premium price. With an average price of $4,200, a Tudor watch is, by all means, expensive, but the cost of a high-end Tudor watch sits at around the same level as the cost of an entry-level watch from many other luxury watch brands.
A premium price is important to many because it sets a barrier to entry. When you buy a luxury watch, or a luxury item of any sort, it’s supposed to give that feeling of luxury. That feeling comes when an item is limited. Whether it’s due to the price or the low production volume, it makes the item more unique.
Aside from the price, Tudor ticks all these boxes. Ever since 2015, they have been producing their own in-house movement, and Swiss watchmaking experts manually assemble the entire watch. Their watches also feature high-quality and exotic materials.
Are Tudor Watches Worth The Money?
Tudor produces watches that are on par with Rolex watches in terms of quality. Tudor offers these high-quality watches at much more affordable prices, making them worth the money.
Since Rolex owns Tudor, their watches are often referred to as the ‘poor man’s Rolex’. But that statement really doesn’t hold up all that well anymore. In terms of quality, the watches from both of these brands are almost identical.
The only part that is slightly true is that more people will be able to afford a Tudor watch compared to a Rolex watch. But calling it a ‘poor man’s watch’ is taking it too far.
Tudor offers exceptional watches at Swiss-level luxury and quality. Along with a brand like Tissot, they offer some of the best value for your money. They differentiate themselves by making these watches more affordable while still keeping the entry-level prices relatively high.
In the end, whether a watch is worth it mostly comes down to your opinion. Do you think a watch is worth approximately $4,200? Are you willing to pay that?
Because no matter how cheap or expensive a watch is, the most important thing is that it is worth it to you. A watch is not worth going into financial trouble over. We wrote an extensive article on how much you should spend on a watch, which you can find here.
With that said, though, Tudor is one of those brands that offers amazing value at a reasonable price!
