In 2026, Tudor turns 100. But if the brand’s own centenary messaging is anything to go by, we’re not looking at an anniversary framed simply as a look backward. Tudor ties the milestone directly to 17 February 1926, when ‘The Tudor’ name was officially registered by Hans Wilsdorf, though it also makes clear that this centenary is not just about looking back, but more about where the brand goes next. On its centenary site, Tudor expresses: “the story is still being written in 2026.”

This distinction matters, as plenty of anniversaries are simply treated as invitations back to their archive. Tudor’s history certainly gives it a right to do so, but the brand has spent the past few years making a slightly different case for itself. Even in collections grounded in familiar historical forms, such as the Black Bay, Tudor has shown an increasing interest in pushing those codes forward through new executions, technical benchmarks, and material treatments, as the Black Bay Ceramic makes especially clear. The same balance can be seen in the more technical identity of the Pelagos, the simplicity of the Ranger, and the renewed relevance of the 1926 family.

On 17 February 1926, ‘The Tudor’ was officially registered by Hans Wilsdorf.

This is proof that Hans Wilsdorf’s original formula for the brand still has force. The official account of its origins remains one of the most important part of its identity: a brand created to offer dependability associated with Rolex, but at a more modest price. That idea has certainly long grown into something more expansive but it is still built on utility, access, and purpose.

With that in mind, it feels worth asking how Tudor might choose to carry that 100-year story forward at Watches and Wonders 2026 and across the rest of the anniversary year.

The 1926 family as the most literal centenary platform

The 1926 line quietly occupies the dressier corner of Tudor’s catalog, and the regular collection remains relatively conservative in color and mood.

If one of the current lineups stand out as the most obvious anniversary platform, it is the 1926 collection. The reason is almost too straightforward to ignore: it is named after the brand’s founding year, and Tudor has recently begun giving it renewed attention. In 2025, we were also introduced to the 1926 Luna, the brand’s first watch with a moon phase.

At present, the 1926 line quietly occupies the dressier corner of Tudor’s catalog, and the regular collection remains relatively conservative in color and mood, sitting comfortably with white, black and opaline dials. The Luna expanded that slightly with black, blue and champagne sun-brushed dials. Though compared to their sportier siblings, it still feels like they have room to grow.

With the 1926, Tudor does not need to force an anniversary narrative as it is already embedded in its name. And with a comparatively restrained collection, it does leave space for a little more commemorative expression. A warmer champagne dial, a more nuanced silver dial, or a more expanded Luna concept feels plausible here.

A Black Bay 58 anniversary watch

The all-burgundy Black Bay 58 that launched in 2025 was not presented as a simple new colorway, but as one rooted to a 1990s submariner prototype that never seen production.

If the 1926 is the literal 100-year platform, the Black Bay 58 would likely be the one to carry this centenary into Tudor’s commercial center of gravity. However, a new color alone no longer feels like enough of a clue. The collection is already broad, spanning black, blue, burgundy, green, taupe and bronze-brown depending on material and configuration. There are fewer obvious gaps here.

What feels more revealing is Tudor’s recent method. The all-burgundy Black Bay 58 that launched in 2025 was not presented as a simple new colorway, but as one rooted to a 1990s submariner prototype that never seen production. This suggests an increasing interest from the brand to expand the line through historically loaded details translated into a contemporary design, over arbitrary cosmetic changes.

Rather than a “special edition” color, we could instead be looking at a watch tied to a specific archival idea, prototype lineage or a more considered execution, with the Black Bay 58 already too central and mature to rely on a simple dial color refresh.

Further METAS rollout as Tudor’s most credible technical statement

The 1926, Ranger, Black Bay Pro, Black Bay Chrono, Black Bay 54 and much of the Pelagos FXD line are not currently running METAS-certified movements.

One of the more plausible predictions for Tudor’s 2026 has less to do with a single watch and more with their broader offerings. A potential further expansion of Master Chronometer certification. The brand has already made METAS a meaningful part of its current identity and has done so in a way that feels deliberate rather than decorative. Models such as the Black Bay Ceramic, the Black Bay 41 “Monochrome,” the Black Bay 58 GMT, the new burgundy Black Bay 58, Black Bay 68, and Pelagos Ultra all make it clear that it sees this certification as an important technical benchmark.

Though at the same time, much of the range still sits outside that umbrella. The 1926, Ranger, Black Bay Pro, Black Bay Chrono, Black Bay 54 and much of the Pelagos FXD line are not currently running METAS-certified movements. That leaves Tudor with a great deal of room to turn its centenary into a statement not just about age, but about raising its standards. Rather than relying solely on sentiment, this could be one way to underline the technical maturity that it has building toward in recent years.

If Tudor’s recent direction is anything to go by, the centenary is likely to be used not just to reflect on where they began, but more to show how confidently it now occupies its own space within contemporary watchmaking. Respectful of 1926, certainly, but just as interested in demonstrating that it is still evolving.