The history of the Tudor Snowflake

Text: Britta Rossander

Tudor was for a long time something of a secret, but the collectors and the initiated have always known what these watches stand for and what they can take. In this article Eqotime's Britta Rossander tells the story behind the iconic snowflake hands. 

Tudor has the right "retro chic style" and in 2013 won a prize for best Revival with the model Heritage Black Bay. A diver's watch that is a well-made upgrade of the iconic 1954 model which then had a case of 37 mm that was water resistant to 100 metres. The burgundy bezel that came in the 1970s and the dial that had the famous snowflakes on the hands are today the model's absolute best hallmarks. 

The name Snowflake was used for Tudor's diver's watches made from 1969 until 1975. It was the collectors who came up with the name. Now Tudor themselves use the designation Snowflake for their re-edition of these cult watches.

The reason Tudor developed these watches for consumers was to be a good alternative and to capture the growing market for sports watches that came during the late 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s.

A little history

Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex (1905), also registered the trademark Montres Tudor SA in 1926. The launch of the watches themselves was delayed and it was not until 1946 that the watches from Rolex's sibling brand made their entrance on the market. 

The name has its basis in the fact that Wilsdorf admired and was inspired by the English Tudor dynasty with a rose in its coat of arms. Their rose has its origin in the "War of the Roses" which was fought during various periods over the right to England's throne. It was the houses of Lancaster (which had a white rose as its symbol) and York (which had a red rose as its symbol) that warred until they were finally united under The House of Tudor. Then they also merged their symbols into the red and white rose. 

Wilsdorf, who had named his new trademark Tudor, had the dials adorned with his version of a stylised form of the famous rose. The Tudor Rose in the logotype was later removed in favour of the shield that has since been the emblem of Tudor watches. The famous rose is still used as an engraving in the movements and on the crowns of the most advanced models.

The reason Wilsdorf founded a second trademark was that he wanted to give customers the opportunity to buy watches of good quality at affordable prices without undermining Rolex's strong position. All the experience and technology gathered through the work with Rolex would be at Tudor's disposal, but with movements made by ETA which were all modified by Tudor/Rolex to correspond to their quality level. Today Tudor  make their movements in-house themselves.

The French navy realised the watches' advantages and were early Tudor customers through purchases of Tudor Submariners at the end of the 1960s. It is moreover the same model that was used by the American navy for their UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) and Navy Seals. The Canadian, Italian and South African navies also became customers of Tudor.

The snowflake of the hands

The second generation of diver's watches from Tudor came in 1968. The dial had then been given square hour markers, hands with a square detail and a marking for 12 o'clock with a large angular point, all in luminous material.The special hour indicators are Tudor's first attempt to create their own identity separate from their sibling brand, and the larger hands came about after a specific request from the French navy for more light on the watch's dial. 

That it was the French navy's description in the procurement that helped shape the Snowflake series is no secret. Marine Nationale also lent its name to the Snowflake Submariner model 9401/0 which is also called "Marine Nationale". Between 1974 and 1985 the Tudor Snowflake was their official service watch and the casebacks were engraved with "MN" and the year of manufacture. Tudor Snowflake Submariners became an important tool for the Marine Nationale during their missions.

When the first Tudor Snowflake Submariner watches were introduced to consumers they were offered in two versions – with or without date display. These diver's watches were considered elegant enough even for everyday use and price-wise they were placed budget-friendly compared to big brother's watches. 

Tudor stopped producing these diver's watches in 1999, but in 2012 it was thus time for the Heritage series, which became a success.

The modern Black Bay and Pelagos models were equipped with the famous snowflake-shaped hands. Regardless of model, size, material or colour, the presence of the iconic hands with snowflakes is common to all Black Bay watches.

Black Bay, inspired by the racing fashion of the 1970s, is a showstopper with a patinated leather strap and natural-coloured stitching, a case in steel and yellow gold with a chronograph function. Pelagos is the brand's modern diver's watch, with a case of 42 mm and which withstands water to 500 metres.

Since this year the snowflake hands are also found in their latest model Black Bay Pro, a watch we took a closer look at earlier this year.