Tudor at 100

Will the Big Block make its return?

When the doors open in Geneva next month for Watches and Wonders, one brand will arrive with more than a new watch or two to show off. Tudor is celebrating its 100th anniversary, marking a century since the name “Tudor” was registered in Geneva in 1926 by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf. His idea was simple: deliver Rolex-level durability and design, but at a more accessible price. One hundred years later, Tudor has become a brand that often feels freer, sportier, and occasionally more daring than its famous sibling.  Centennial celebrations usually bring nostalgia, and in Tudor’s case that means one watch collectors can’t stop whispering about: the Big Block chronograph.

First introduced in 1976, the Big Block was Tudor’s first automatic chronograph and, intriguingly, the first self-winding chronograph within the broader Rolex family. Its nickname came from its thick, muscular case — necessary to house the automatic Valjoux 7750 movement, which gave the watch a presence that collectors still love today. The design introduced a three-register layout with an hour counter, a serious tool-watch aesthetic, and the sort of industrial charm that defined late-20th-century chronographs.

Production ran from 1976 until the mid-1990s, with references like the 79160 and 79170 becoming staples of the era. These watches were unapologetically chunky, flat-sided, and purposeful, which is exactly the opposite of today’s obsession with wafer-thin elegance.

Which brings us to the tease. In 2023 Tudor quietly unveiled a watch called the Prince Chronograph One, a spectacular piece created for the Only Watch charity auction. It was essentially a modern reinterpretation of the Big Block in solid gold, but the real headline wasn’t the metal, it was the brand-new in-house chronograph movement developed by Tudor specifically for the piece.  Collectors immediately read between the lines. Brands don’t develop entirely new chronograph calibers for a single watch. That prototype looked suspiciously like a preview of something bigger.

Now, with Tudor’s centennial landing squarely in 2026, the timing feels perfect. The brand has already modernized much of its archive through the Black Bay family. But the Big Block remains one of the few historic Tudor icons that hasn’t received the full modern revival treatment.

Imagine the formula: a slightly slimmer reinterpretation of the original slab-sided case, panda or reverse-panda dial, column-wheel manufacture chronograph movement, and perhaps a subtle nod to the vintage tachymeter bezels collectors obsess over.

Last seen in the 1990's

Would it steal attention from the Rolex Daytona? That’s never been Tudor’s role, instead the brand has always thrived by doing something arguably more interesting by taking historic tool-watch DNA and turning it into watches enthusiasts actually wear. And if Tudor wants to make a statement for its 100th birthday, bringing the Big Block back to life might be the boldest move it could make.