Tudor promts us to wander off the grid

To quote two of the world’s more famous explorers: “‘Where are we going?” asked Pooh. ‘Nowhere,’ said Piglet. So they all started going.”

If you see yourself as a carefree explorer, living every moment as though it’s your last, then the new Tudor Ranger M79950 is the perfect inspiration to wander off the grid and discover the many delights of “nowhere”. While I should probably be talking about the new downsized Tudor Pelagos 39 or any of the other lovely industry releases this year, I keep returning to the Ranger for its absolute sincerity of purpose. This is arguably the quintessential tool watch, so eloquently expressed in its purest form.

Much like a child’s drawing of a house reduced to rudimentary geometric shapes, the Ranger captures the universal image of a clock or watch. Over at Rolex, the Explorer is lovely and refined, but its new 36mm case is possibly a little on the small side to be everyone’s expedition partner. At 39mm, and with a revised profile, the Ranger plays its role with clarity, fitting comfortably on even the skinniest of wrists. And at a fraction of the price.

For this contemporary edition, I may have refined the dial by replacing the iconic painted Arabic numerals and markers with crisper applied versions like those on the Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze, but I’d be entirely missing the point and no doubt be taken out by an anorak. I do, however, love the Ranger as is and, speaking as a modest collector of no-nonsense, unpretentious classic machines, the vintage-hued Super-LumiNova only adds to its retro appeal. This looker with its 39mm satin-brushed 316L steel case is inspired by the Ref. 7995 from the 1960s and celebrates the 70th anniversary this year of the British North Greenland expeditions.

This scientific mission to study the ice sheets of Greenland was the “destructive trials” testing ground for the first automatic and waterproof Tudor Oyster Prince watches that would inform the Ranger design with its focus on all-condition robustness and legibility. This was expressed through the incredible quality of the 34mm Oyster steel case design supplied by Rolex, the bold painted numerals, and the unique hour and minute hands. I’ve cherished an incredibly reliable mid-1960s “rose” logoed piece with a smoky-grey dial for nearly 20 years. If I ever had to replace my Prince, it would be with the Ranger.

Incidentally, the same rose design is engraved on the crown of every new Tudor watch to remind us of its origins. Various references of the Ranger have included a date window with a cyclops lens, and automatic or manual winding movements. The Ranger II, with its exaggerated flan-dish fluted bezel and integrated bracelet, launched in 1973. The Ranger collection was retired from the catalogue in 1988, but revived in 2014 through a 41mm model that took inspiration from the Tudor Oyster Prince Ref. 7995, which is echoed in the new Ref. M79950. With the North Flag and this 41mm Ranger being discontinued in 2019 and 2020 respectively, and the launch of the Rolex Explorer last year, we suspected that Tudor had something planned.

Brought up to date for contemporary living, the COSC-certified in-house MT5402 automatic movement has 70 hours of power reserve. The case is waterproof to 100m and available on NATO-style Jacquard or hybrid leather-rubber straps, as well as a steel bracelet featuring Tudor’s life-changing T-Fit rapid adjustment system. Solidly built, practical, precise, and accessibly priced, this is the instrument for your next expedition. It’s Ranger or go home!