About TUDOR Ranger Watches
Introduced in 2014, the TUDOR Heritage Ranger is a modern iteration of the famed vintage TUDOR Ranger from the 1960s. Regardless of the production era, all TUDOR Ranger timepieces are sturdy steel sports watches engineered for tough adventures and extreme conditions. While as of 2020, the Ranger is no longer part of TUDOR’s current catalog, preowned Ranger watches are available for sale in the secondary market.
TUDOR Ranger History
The history of the TUDOR Ranger watch began in the 1960s. With their 34mm steel waterproof cases, black dials, and large and luminous hour markers, these TUDOR Ranger watches were the affordable alternative to the Rolex Explorer. Since TUDOR was a subsidiary of Rolex, TUDOR Ranger watches benefited from Rolex-made components like cases, winding crowns and bracelets.
From the 1960s until the 1980s, TUDOR made a variety of Ranger watch models where some had time-only dials while others included a date window. Furthermore, most Ranger references are automatic, but some editions have manual-winding movements. It’s important to point out that the Ranger was not initially a standalone collection — the watches shared the same reference numbers as other TUDOR Oyster watches and Oyster Prince watches of the era. It was the dial design and handset shape that distinguished the Ranger. However, by the 1980s, TUDOR finally established the Ranger as a separate collection. TUDOR halted production of the Ranger in 1988.
In 2014, TUDOR revived its vintage exploration-ready watch in the form of the Heritage Ranger. While the newest edition borrows many design cues from a 1960s vintage Ranger, TUDOR revamped the watch with modern materials and contemporary proportions. TUDOR quietly discontinued the Heritage Ranger in 2020.
TUDOR Ranger Timeline
- 1960s: TUDOR introduces the Ranger watch.
- 1969: TUDOR includes the Ranger in the brand’s catalog.
- 1960s-1970s: TUDOR fits some Oyster watches (79xx and 90xx) with Ranger dials.
- 1980s: TUDOR officially creates the Ranger collection (90xxx).
- 1988: TUDOR discontinues the Ranger watch.
- 2014: TUDOR releases the Heritage Ranger watch.
- 2020: TUDOR discontinues the Heritage Ranger watch.
TUDOR Ranger Watch Design and Features
As a vintage-inspired model, it comes as no surprise that the Heritage Ranger shares many details with its predecessors — specifically the Ranger 7995 from the 1960s. Features such as the rose logo, domed crystal, tapered lugs, painted creamy-colored luminous hour markers and a shovel-shaped hour hand are all throwbacks to older Rangers from a bygone era. Yet, as a contemporary watch reference designed for today’s watch buyer, the Heritage Ranger also includes plenty of modern touches.
TUDOR Heritage Ranger 79910 features (2014-2020):
- 41mm satin-finished stainless case, 12.4mm thick
- Slim polished steel bezel
- Matte black dial with painted Super-LumiNova hour markers
- Time-only dial with Arabic numerals at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock
- Luminous handset with a shovel-style hour hand and a rectangular-tipped second hand
- Sapphire crystal
- Screw-down steel caseback and screw-down winding crown
- 150 meters water resistance
- ETA 2824 automatic movement with a 38-hour power reserve
TUDOR offered the Heritage Ranger with a choice of three different straps: a stainless steel three-link bracelet, a calf leather strap and a military-style “bund” strap. Furthermore, every watch also came with an additional camo fabric NATO-style strap.
Vintage TUDOR Ranger Watches
There are several vintage Ranger models in TUDOR’s archives, which can be segmented into two main series. The first series of Ranger watches share the same reference numbers as other models. The second series has reference numbers dedicated to Ranger watches.
There are manual winding and automatic winding vintage Ranger watches. A quick way to differentiate between the two is if the dial includes the word “Prince,” it runs on an automatic movement. Plus there are time-only Ranger models (also known as three-handers) and Ranger models with date windows, which are called Oysterdate.
First Series:
- TUDOR Oyster Ranger (e.g., 7984, 7991): manual winding, no date
- TUDOR Oyster Prince Ranger (e.g., 7965, 7995): automatic, no date
- TUDOR Prince Oysterdate Ranger (e.g., 7966, 7996, 9050): automatic, date
Second Series:
- TUDOR Oyster Ranger 90020: manual winding, no date
- TUDOR Oyster Ranger 90200, 90220: automatic winding, no date
Vintage TUDOR Ranger watches have 34mm steel cases, smooth steel bezels and black dials. Since Rolex supplied the cases for TUDOR, vintage Ranger watches will have casebacks engraved with “Original Oyster Case by Rolex Geneva.” First-series Ranger watches also had the Rolex crown on their clasps.
No-date Ranger versions have the now-iconic 3-6-9-12 numeral configuration, while the Oysterdate variants replace the “3” with a date window. Earlier references have the older TUDOR rose logo, whereas later references have the TUDOR shield logo.
TUDOR Ranger Price and Collectibility
When it was in production, the Heritage Ranger was one of TUDOR’s most affordable sports watches. The last published price of the TUDOR Heritage Ranger was:
- TUDOR Heritage Ranger 79910 with bracelet: $2,950
- TUDOR Heritage Ranger 79910 with leather strap: $2825
Now that they’ve been discontinued, buyers can source preowned Heritage Ranger watches only from the secondary market. In 2021, preowned TUDOR Heritage Ranger watch prices range from $2,000 to $3,000. Since the news got out that the Heritage Ranger is discontinued, prices for used models have noticeably increased. When they were in production, preowned Ranger watches customarily sold for under $2,000, whereas now they are generally valued above $2,000.
TUDOR Ranger watches from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s are popular among vintage watch collectors thanks to a combination of retro design, Rolex-made components and relatively affordable pricing. For instance, vintage Ranger watches cost a fraction of similarly styled vintage Rolex Explorer watches.
The price points for these older Ranger models vary dramatically, depending on the reference and condition. In 2021, the prices of vintage Ranger watches vary from $1,500 to $10,000. Some notable models that collectors seek include Rangers with “roulette” date wheels, characterized by alternating black and red numbers, and “Rose Rangers” that include TUDOR’s older logo style.