Rolex vs. Tudor. Rolex Submariner “Hulk” vs. Tudor Pelagos LHD. In previous eras of Rolex watch hierarchy, this wouldn’t have been a fair fight. 41 years and a significant price gap separated Hans Wilsdorf’s flagship Rolex brand from the entry-level Tudor watch collection. But since Montres Tudor S.A.’s 2009 international relaunch – and the 2012 bow of the landmark Heritage Black Bay dive watch – the unthinkable has become the logical; Tudor is a Rolex rival in the eyes of modern luxury watch buyers. Whether you’re collecting vintage watches or modern watches, Tudor watches have emerged as a worthwhile path for watch collectors who can’t stomach the hype, prices, and social baggage of Rolex. Today, we’re pitting the Tudor Pelagos LHD M25610TNL-0001 against the Rolex Submariner “Hulk” 116610LV in a family feud of luxury dive watches.

The Rolex Submariner is an industry reference point, the most iconic luxury watch model in Rolex’s catalog of galacticos, and the template for the modern dive watch. First marketed in 1953, the Rolex Submariner helped to establish the design layout and core features that continue to influence dive watch design in the year 2018. While the first Submariner of the current generation – the 116619LB “Smurf” – emerged at Baselworld 2008, the current stainless steel Submariner 116610 and its 116610LV green iteration broke cover at Baselworld 2010. Despite nine model years on the market, the Rolex Submariner “Hulk” never has commanded the dealer waitlists or pre-owned pricing premium that it boasts today.

Rolex graces the Submariner “Hulk” with a green Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert – Rolex’s only such bezel to date – and a sunburst green dial that was described as “green gold” upon its Basel debut. The 40mm steel case is characterized by more massive lugs and sheer sides than the older Submariner 16610, but the watch continues to wear well on smaller 14-16.5cm circumference wrists. A sapphire crystal with Rolex “Cyclops Eye” magnifying encloses white gold indices and hands blazon with Rolex’s distinctive blue “Chromalight” luminescent paint. The three-link Rolex Oyster bracelet features removable links fixed by screws and a clamshell lock atop its “Oyster clasp.” A 20mm Rolex “Glidelock” quick adjustment mechanism sits within the clasp and allows 2mm adjustments along ten detents.

Rolex equips each Submariner with a Triplock screw-down crown, a screwed-in “Oyster” caseback, and a 300-meter water resistance. The Rolex automatic caliber 3135 provides 48 hours of power reserve, hacking seconds, a quickset date, and a COSC chronometer certificate; Rolex times the fully cased watch to its “Superlative Chronometer” standard of +2/-2 seconds per day.

Tudor’s Pelagos LHD M25610TNL-0001 is a grade-2 titanium, $4,400 U.S., 42mm riposte to Rolex’s patrician hauteur. The Pelagos LHD – for “Left Hand Drive” – is a tribute to 1970s Tudor Submariners built with left-side crowns for the French Marine Nationale. Despite the unconventional layout, this Tudor is an ambidextrous watch. At 14.5mm thick, the Tudor is soundly thicker than the Rolex Sub, but superior 500-meter water resistance and standard helium escape valve make the Tudor a more capable diver. A vintage-inspired clasp with simulated rivets echos 1960s Rolex and Tudor dive watches, but the Tudor clasp eclipses all of those – and the Hulk. Tudor’s clasp offers incremental fixed adjustment, an elastic dynamic-expansion system for diving, and a traditional fold-out diving clasp. All told, the Tudor offers over 2 inches or 50mm of clasp extension.

The Tudor Pelagos features dial elements that evoke the vintage Tudor “Snowflake” Submariners of 1968-1975, and the lightly colored lume references the patina of older watches without becoming a cloying gimmick. Tudor’s dial is spared the Rolex Cyclops Eye, and the Pelagos’ roulette-style date is no less visible than Submariner’s. Tudor’s bezel has earned no nicknames to rival the Rolex Hulk, but its rugged ceramic insert, grippy knurling, and monstrous lume eclipse the functionality of the Rolex Submariner. Finally, Tudor’s in-house caliber MT5612 automatic offers 70 hours of power reserve, a COSC chronometer certificate, and a silicon hairspring to resist magnetism. On two of those three counts, the Rolex has no response.

Will the Rolex Submariner “Hulk” retain its five-point crown, or has the pretender Tudor Pelagos LHD usurped the old sovereign?

Shop Rolex Submariner: https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/rolex/rolex-submariner/
Shop Tudor: https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/tudor/