On July 8th, 1952, 30 men set forth from the banks of the Thames river in London to embark on a two-year expedition to Greenland in hopes of furthering their scientific knowledge of the mysterious land. Known as the British North Greenland Expedition (BNGE), their mission included both a military and civilian crew equipped with 86 tons of equipment, of which included a very special consignment of watches from TUDOR.
Studying everything from meteorology and geology to seismology and ecology, the BNGE is known as one of the most daring and ambitious expeditions of the 20th century. In this barren, surreal landscape, temperatures could reach as low as -87 degrees Celsius—a symbol of the harsh conditions that crew members had to endure throughout their two-year residency. As such, the equipment used while exploring had to not only keep up with the rigors of the expedition but also be consistently reliable. During this time period, TUDOR advertisements promised that “these wristwatches will undergo every ordeal a watch is heir to,” reflecting the brand’s history in performance and watchmaking craftsmanship.
Fast-forward 70 years later, TUDOR marked the anniversary of the BNGE’s odyssey in 2022 by releasing a collection that drew inspiration from the original 34mm Oyster Prince models. They presented the Ranger model, a tool watch that celebrated the spirit of adventure and exploration. And while these timepieces carried on the legacy of the expedition watches worn on the BNGE, the history of the TUDOR Ranger actually dates much further back to 1928 when Hans Wilsdorf (the visionary founder of Rolex and TUDOR) registered the “Ranger” name three years after registering “THE TUDOR” trademark.
During those initial years, the Ranger name was not representative of a specific model but rather the addition of an adventurous essence to watches already within the TUDOR collection. This led to the establishment of the Ranger aesthetic in the 1960s (evidenced by the Arabic luminescent numerals at 3, 6, 9, and 12 on a black dial and arrow hour-hands) and additional future design integrations.
In 2022, the Ranger aesthetic was further evolved with a new collection of watches that incorporated state-of-the-art technical elements in conjunction with its historic emblematic design elements.
Most impressive is perhaps the Ranger’s Manufacture Calibre MT5402, certified as a chronometer by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). The Ranger goes even further than industry standards with a -2 and +4 second variation in relation to absolute time in a single movement (whereas COSC allows for an average variation of -4 and +6 seconds.) Other notable design features include a “weekend-proof” power reserve of 70 hours, waterproof design (up to 100m), 39mm steel case in satin finish, and three different strap configurations (hybrid rubber and leather strap with folding clasp and steel safety catch; green, red, and beige fabric strap with buckle; and a steel bracelet with a folding clasp featuring the TUDOR “T-fit” safety catch.)
Now, one year from its release in 2022, the TUDOR Ranger is not only an homage to the brand’s roots in performance and savoir-faire, but also a manifestation of watchmaking excellence that is timeless in its design, utility, and application for the modern adventurer.
