Ranger

The first Ranger was born in the mid-1960s as reference 7995 "Oyster Prince Ranger": an exploration watch deliberately simplified compared with the divers in the catalogue, with a matt black dial, luminous Arabic numerals at 3, 6, 9 and 12 and arrow hands. Unlike the Rolex Explorer, to which it is conceptually close, it did not receive chronometer certification, a choice that kept costs down and confirmed Tudor's mission of offering a more accessible alternative. The concept was then taken up in reference 9050/0 towards the end of the 1960s, with a similar dial layout.

The Ranger's name and spirit are tied to the role Tudor watches had already played in extreme expeditions: a case in point is the British North Greenland Expedition (1952-54), a multi-year scientific mission across the Greenland ice cap, which had already tested the brand's watches' resistance to intense cold — "tool watch" credentials that predate the Ranger line proper. Production continued until the late 1980s, when it was discontinued as the Tudor catalogue shifted towards quartz and more elegant lines.

The Ranger returned in 2022 with reference 79950, launched explicitly for the 70th anniversary of that Greenland expedition: a 39 mm steel case, black or "tropical" beige dial recalling the ageing of vintage dials, the in-house MT5402 movement and a NATO-style fabric strap among the options. It is positioned as a rugged, accessible entry point, distinct from the diving vocation of the Black Bay and Pelagos.