The Logbook for the Trail Running World
The Logbook for the Trail Running World
By Mathias Eichler
Electric Cable Car is part of Trail Tracks Network.
Just a month until the new Skyrunner USA National Series kicks off. Four incredible races invite you to touch the sky: Whiteface Skyrace, Beast of Big Creek, Skeetawk Skyline Scramble, Kismet Cliff Run.
It’s not often that worlds collide so perfectly, but in this instance it was just too perfect an opportunity to pass up. My oldest kid, now in college, has been a huge watch nerd enthusiast for several years now. Of course, as a kid being into luxury watches means watching from afar rather than just going out and buying their dream collection. Now, a traditional watch brand is entering my domain of trail running and I foresee many, many conversations in our house on this subject and on what this all means for trail running and fine watch-making. Oh, and I gotta pick my favorite new Tudor, I suppose. But before I do that, I will let my kid, Ribbon Eichler, say a few words on this announcement.
Tudor hits the trail, how alliterative. I’ll be honest this feels like a long time coming, at least as a watch enthusiast; and I would be curious about the results of a survey on how many trail runners consider themselves watch enthusiasts. The interesting reality is much of the watch world relies on a consumption model rather than an action model. The only types of creativity or productivity in this industry are for the designers, artists, and professionals. For example, as a lowly writer/musician/psychologist the traditional watch doesn’t offer anything for me besides and accessory for my wrist. Compare that to a race car driver or a deep sea diver who have historically used wrist watches to keep themselves safe and informed about the world while they are performing their respective stunts.
Finally, the trail runners are getting their piece of the pie – specifically Courtney Dauwalter, Miao Yao, Rémi Bonnet, and Baptiste Chassagne; trail runners from the USA, China, Switzerland, and France respectively. All four of these trail runners have earned much deserved acclaim in various international endurance races in the mountains, forests, roads, and deserts.
It is also very pleasing that two of the four runners taking part in Tudor’s leap into the trail running world are women, who are still an underrepresented portion of the community. Next I would like to see queer, and indigenous folx as well as more people of color; but let’s not let perfection be the enemy of the good right?
Let’s do a brief history lesson. Tudor is the sister brand of the much more iconic, and slightly older Rolex. In 1905, businessman Hans Wilsdorf founded “Wilsdorf and Davis,” it wouldn’t be until 1908 the Rolex branding would start to appear, and 1915 when the company rebranded as “Rolex Watch Co.”
Throughout the brands history they would design watches for trenches, and diving. Specifically with the introduction of the “Oyster” which was a hermetically sealed, hence water and dust resistant, watch case. Rolex would also popularize the dive watch, and made an unimpressive chronograph that would only blow up after being worn by Steve McQueen.
In 1926 Hans Wilsdorf would register “Montres Tudor SA” in Geneva Switzerland, with the goal to sell more affordable watches to more professionals in fields such as deep sea diving. Nowadays, Tudor is known for making “affordable” recreations of vintage Rolex watches and have even started sponsoring sports teams. Tudor is a substantial sponsor of the Formula 1 team “Visa Cashapp Racing Bull,” although you wouldn’t be able to tell based off of the team name; Tudor Pro Cycling has also recently created a new headquarters in Sursee, Switzerland.
As of this press release Tudor has not created a specific watch for their athletes but that is par for the course for a brand new athletic collaboration. The watches chosen to begin this relationship are from the much beloved “Ranger” collection, a simple and solid field watch with only three hands, a stainless steel case, gender accessible size of 39 millimeters, and an in house automatic movement.
This collaboration feels right, Tudor prefers to brand themselves as the individual athletes brand, rather than Rolex who prefers to stick with the red carpet celebrities, or sports timekeeping. It remains to be seen where this collaboration will go, but I think it could turn into something really special.
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