The spirit of adventure is strong in Tudor’s latest utilitarian timepiece.
When Tudor’s founder Hans Wilsdorf registered the name ‘Ranger’ back in 1929 – a mere three years after he established the brand – he didn’t yet have in mind a watch collection that would bear the name. Instead, what Wilsdorf wanted, was simply to own the rights to a name that could eloquently express the spirit of adventure.
And it proved to be an astute decision. Regardless of where one is from, the word ‘Ranger’ conjures images of explorers and expeditions, as well as stirs up desire for discovery and wanderlust. Also, the word was an apt embodiment of Wilsdorf’s vision of Tudor’s watches as well-constructed, dependable, and affordable timepieces. As chance would have it, the name ‘Ranger’ was eventually adopted in a Tudor collection, distinguished by watches that manifested these virtues.
This year, Tudor introduces the latest iteration of the Ranger to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the British North Greenland Expedition. A utilitarian and contemporary tool watch inspired by the pioneers of the said expedition, the new Ranger also salutes the legacy of another groundbreaking timepiece – the Tudor Oyster Prince, the brand’s first-ever first automatic and waterproof watch.
On 8 July 1952, before the expedition team embarked on its two-year mission to study ice sheets in Greenland, they were equipped with the Oyster Prince. The expedition team was asked to record performance data for the watches in an unprecedented field test. Suffice to say, the Oyster Prince passed with flying colours.
For its latest version, the new Ranger evokes its forebear’s qualities of toughness and reliability. Aesthetically austere, functionally focused, and powerfully constructed, the new Ranger is a hardy watch that is made for all-occasion versatility.
Design-wise, the watch sports all the distinctive features that have characterised the Ranger collection since the 1960s. These include large ‘3’, ‘6’, ‘9’ and ‘12’ Arabic hour markers, ‘Ranger’-style arrow-shaped hour hand and pointed minute hand, and seconds hand with a trapeze marker near the tip. At the same time, these features are elevated with modern touches to enhance the watch’s legibility, such as Grade ‘A’ Super-LumiNova that is painted on the hour markers and hands, and a burgundy-tipped second hand. Eagle-eyed Tudor lovers will be pleased to see the word ‘RANGER’ making a return to the dial at six o’clock after a period of absence.
Housed in a 39mm stainless steel case – larger than vintage Ranger models but appropriately sized by modern standards – the new Tudor Ranger emanates an air of elegance despite its no-frills functionality. The case is sheathed in brushed surfaces and enhanced with polished finishing on the edges to accentuate the watch’s neat symmetry and silhouette. Elsewhere, the dial’s domed sapphire crystal and the crown’s rose motif accord touches of vintage lineage.
On the inside, Tudor’s Manufacture Calibre MT5402 anchors the new Ranger’s tough disposition. Certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), the Calibre MT5402 is a veritable workhorse that is accurate to -/+ 2 seconds a day – a precision benchmark that goes beyond the COSC standard of -4/+6 seconds daily deviation. The movement also promises up to 70 hours of power reserve, rendering the Ranger ‘weekend-proof’. What it means is that you can leave the watch on your dresser on a Friday evening, put it on when Monday comes, and the Ranger will still be ticking strong.
Although the Ranger is a no-nonsense, time-only tool watch, one has the option of switching things up stylistically. The watch is available in a choice of stainless steel bracelet with Tudor’s proprietary ‘T-fit’ clasp, which allows for minor adjustments of up to 8mm; a black hybrid leather-and-rubber strap; and a jacquard-woven fabric strap in olive green with red and beige stripes for a retro, military-esque look.
Either way, the new Tudor Ranger will have your back whether in the boardroom or out in the wild. Which begs the next question: how excited are you for your next horological adventure?
