The Tudor 1926 is the entry point to the Tudor collection, a mechanical dress watch with time and date functions built around an embossed “waffle” dial that references textured dials from the brand’s mid-century catalogue. The line is named after 1926, the year Hans Wilsdorf registered the Tudor name.
The collection was introduced at Baselworld 2018 across four case sizes, 28mm, 36mm, 39mm and 41mm, offered on steel bracelets or leather straps and in steel or steel-and-rose-gold. It was positioned as the most accessible mechanical range in the current Tudor catalogue.
This reference, 91550-0005, is the 39mm steel model on a steel bracelet with the opaline dial and blue furniture. It sits in the regular-production part of the range, not as a limited edition, and remains a current catalogue model.
Dial and Face Design
The dial is opaline with a domed profile and an embossed decoration at the centre that sits in contrast with a smooth outer minute track. The hour markers and hands are blue.
Even-numbered positions carry applied Arabic numerals in blue, while the remaining hour positions use faceted arrow-shaped applied markers, also blue. The hands are sword-shaped and blue, with a central seconds hand.
A date window sits at 3 o’clock. Printed dial text reads TUDOR and GENEVE below 12 o’clock, ROTOR SELF-WINDING above 6 o’clock, and SWISS MADE at the base of the dial.
Case and Bezel
The case is polished stainless steel, round, measuring 39mm in diameter with a published case thickness of 9.2mm. The profile is slim, in keeping with the collection’s dress orientation.
The crystal is sapphire, domed for a vintage-style appearance. The winding crown is steel, screw-down, and carries the Tudor logo in relief. The caseback is solid steel. Water resistance is rated to 100 metres (330 ft).
The bezel is smooth steel with a polished finish and is fixed. It carries no timing or measurement scale and is decorative, framing the dial rather than performing a function.
Bracelet and Clasp
The bracelet is steel in a seven-row construction, with satin-brushed external links and polished centre links. It tapers toward a folding clasp with a safety catch.
The clasp is a folding design without an on-the-fly micro-adjustment system, and the bracelet is sized by removing full links rather than half links or a micro-adjust position.
This reference carries the steel bracelet. The same 39mm steel model is offered with a brown leather strap lined with rubber under a separate suffix.
Movement and Functionality
The watch runs the Tudor Calibre T601, a self-winding mechanical movement. T601 is Tudor’s designation for an outsourced date caliber based on the ETA 2824-2 or its Sellita SW200-1 equivalent.
It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), carries 25 or 26 jewels depending on the base movement fitted, and holds a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. The rotor is bidirectional on a ball-bearing mount.
Functions are hours, minutes, central seconds, and date. The date is set through the crown, and the crown screws down against the case to seal the movement. This reference is not chronometer certified.
Materials of the Watch
The case, bezel, crown, and bracelet are stainless steel. The steel is polished across the case and bezel, with the bracelet combining satin-brushed outer links and polished centre links.
The crystal is sapphire. The dial furniture, the applied numerals, arrow markers, and sword hands, is finished in blue. The clasp is steel.
The overall material make-up is a single-metal steel construction with a sapphire crystal, standard for the steel models in the range.
Box and Papers
A full set for a 2025 example of this reference includes:
- Modern Tudor black presentation box with watch pillow
- Outer cardboard sleeve
- Tudor guarantee card, stamped and dated by the retailer
- Setup and instruction documentation
- Product swing tag
Box Variations
Older version
- Modern Tudor black presentation box, in use from 2017, the box this reference has shipped in since the collection launched in 2018
- Outer cardboard sleeve and watch pillow
Newer version
- The modern black box remains the current generation, so a later-sold example carries the same box as an original 2018 example
- A watch returned after service may arrive in a plain service box in place of the retail presentation box
This reference has a single retail box generation across its run: the modern Tudor black box has been in use from 2017 to the present, and a 2025 example carries the same box a launch-era example did. On a full-set listing, a service box in place of the retail black box is a documentation gap rather than a full set.
Original Warranty
A 2025 example is covered by Tudor’s five-year international guarantee, the format in use from 2020. It requires no registration and no periodic maintenance checks, and it transfers with the watch on resale. Coverage is documented by a physical guarantee card stamped and dated by the authorised retailer at point of sale.
Warranty Variations
Older version
- Examples sold before 2020 shipped under Tudor’s earlier guarantee terms, a shorter base period with an extension available on registration
- Earlier cards were completed and dated by the retailer at sale
Newer version
- Examples sold from 2020 onward carry the five-year international guarantee with no registration requirement
- The card is stamped and dated by the retailer and travels with the watch to subsequent owners
A 2025 example carries the 2020-onward five-year international guarantee, which runs into 2030 from the sale date recorded on the card. A stamped, dated card is the primary authenticity document for a full set; a blank or undated card removes the remaining coverage a buyer would otherwise inherit.
Production and Discontinuation Status
- Currently in production: Yes
- Year introduced: 2018
- Year discontinued: Not applicable
- Approximate production run: In continuous production since 2018
On-Wrist Feel
At 39mm with a published thickness of 9.2mm, the case sits as a mid-size dress watch that suits a broad range of wrists. The slim profile and domed crystal keep it low, and the case slides under a cuff.
The 21mm lug width and seven-row bracelet give the watch a dressier presentation than a tool watch. Sizing depends on full-link removal, so wrists that fall between two link counts can be harder to dial in, since the bracelet has no micro-adjust position.
The watch is suited to formal and everyday smart wear, and to a buyer wanting a mechanical dress watch in a versatile mid-size diameter.
Variations
This reference is a single configuration: a 39mm polished steel case, smooth steel bezel, opaline domed dial with blue applied numerals, blue arrow markers and blue sword hands, date at 3 o’clock, on a seven-row steel bracelet, powered by the Calibre T601.
Neighboring references
The 39mm steel 1926 exists in several sibling configurations that share the 91550 model number and are routinely confused with this one:
- 91550-0001: silver dial, steel bracelet
- 91550-0002: black dial, steel bracelet
- 91550-0003: diamond-set dial, steel bracelet
- 91550-0011: white dial with gold hour markers and gold hands, steel bracelet
- 91550-0010: opaline and blue dial on brown leather strap
The closest visual confusion is with 91550-0011: it is a white dial, but its markers and hands are gold, whereas this reference (91550-0005) has an opaline dial with blue markers and blue hands. These are separate references and their configurations do not carry across.
