The Tudor 1926 Luna, the Brand’s First Moonphase Watch

When you think about Tudor, you probably have in mind the image of a cool Submariner-inspired dive watch, with a retro-styled case and dial, and a solid manufacture movement by Kenissi inside. What I’ve just described is basically the Black Bay collection, which has been the brand’s cornerstone for over a decade. With this in mind, Tudor’s latest release comes as a bit of a surprise… A classic watch, with a moon phase indicator (a first for the brand), part of a collection that’s never really under the spotlight (the 1926, which we’ve never covered on MONOCHROME) and with a Sellita-sourced movement inside. And let’s now have a look at the new Tudor 1926 Luna.

While the Black Bay and the Pelagos are the usual suspects in our magazine (and basically anywhere else on the web and social media), the 1926 collection by Tudor has never really made headlines. It’s a discreet range of classic watches that might not be the brand’s bestselling model in European and American markets, but yet makes sense in Asia, for instance. Except that now, with the new Luna version, the brand seems to bring it back into the spotlight.

What we’re looking at is a classic (very classic…) watch with a polished steel case measuring 39mm in diameter and 10.1mm in thickness. The shape and design are discreet and make for a timeless look, somewhere between casual and formal. The case is equipped with a sapphire crystal on top, a closed caseback and a screw-down crown with the  Tudor logo in relief. It’s also rated at 100m of water-resistance, comfortable for such a watch.

The main novelty comes from the dial colours and the display, as this Tudor 1926 Luna is the first of its genre for the brand. Available in black with gold-coloured accents, blue with silvered accents or champagne with blackened hardware, the dials have an elegant sunray-brushed surface and the classic applied markers/numerals of the 1926 collection, as well as non-lumed leaf-shaped hands. A date window, with a white or black disc depending on the model, sits at 3 o’clock and the moonphase indicator is classically positioned at 6 o’clock, with contrasting colours.

Another surprise comes from the movement inside the case. For close to 10 years now, we’ve been used to seeing manufacture movements made by Kenissi inside most of the Tudor models. This 1926 Luna, however, goes back to an outsourced movement produced by Sellita, based on the SW280-1 architecture (automatic, 26 jewels, 4Hz frequency and 41h power reserve). It is produced according to Tudor’s stringent standards and has been adjusted to chronometer standards (without the certification), to -4/+6 seconds/day. Despite having an outsourced engine, the watch has 10-year service intervals and comes with a 5-year guarantee.

Worn on a 7-link steel bracelet closed by a folding clasp, the Tudor 1926 Luna is now available from the brand’s boutiques and retailers, and priced at EUR 2,630. For more details, please visit www.tudorwatch.com.