The folks at Tudor just dropped a bit of a surprise. The brand is officially wading into the murky waters of moon phase watches with the all-new Tudor 1926 Luna. Offered in three variants, the new 1926 Luna enters an extremely crowded field of entry-level Swiss moon phase watches that include almost every brand you can imagine. Does the Tudor 1926 Luna, the brand’s first ever moon phase, stack up? Let’s see.
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The new Tudor 1926 Luna builds off the 1926 collection, which was introduced in 2018 and sits not only as Tudor’s dress collection, but also as its most affordable collection, with prices starting at $2,050 for a 36mm model on strap. Immediately, then, we know that this is going to be competitively priced and super clean — and it is. The 39mm polished stainless steel case clocks in at 10.1mm, has just about perfect proportions, and is certainly reasonably priced for an automatic moon phase. The watch has a sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown and 100m water resistance, and comes on the standard 1926 bracelet, a 7-link affair with a short folding clasp (sans micro-adjust). The bracelet also adds a dash of brushed steel to the mix on the outer links, which is both practical and attractive.
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You’ve got three dial options with the 1926 Luna: blue with silver, gold with black, and black with gold. Across all three, Tudor has done a great job of tying all the elements together. The sunray dials are domed, and all are appointed with alternating arrow and numeral marks, and the feuille hands keep things very classy. The moon phase at 6 coordinates as well, with both the partial cover and the moon disc matched to its respective dial. Plus, on both the gold and black dials, the date wheel has a black base with gold numbering, which is a very nice touch.
Like the entire 1926 line, the Tudor 1926 Luna uses a Sellita movement for its base. This may seem disappointing, but it’s the only way you’re going to get the Tudor badge these days without breaking $3,000 (the Tudor Ranger is priced at $3,225). Tudor has put a lot into its push to have in-house movements in its more popular models. Perhaps that’s part of the reason Tudor is known for the Black Bay, not the Royal or the 1926. At any rate, the 1926 Luna sports a chronometer-grade (adjusted to -4/+6 seconds per day but not certified) Swiss automatic T607-9, which is a re-badged Sellita SW280-1, providing 41 hours of power at 28,800 vph. It’s no slouch, and it ably delivers the necessary complication.
Priced at an impressive $2,800 USD, the Tudor 1926 Luna watches get you brand recognition and a watch that can easily function as a dressy everyday piece.
Source: A Blog to Watch