Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Tudor · 1926
Tudor 1926 40 mm Meteorite Quartz
Reference 88049OR.73
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Tudor
- Collection
- 1926
- Model
- Tudor 1926 40 mm Meteorite Quartz
- Reference number
- 88049OR.73
- Year / era
- 1976 · 1970s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- Automatic, Swiss lever escapement
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 100 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 46E — Automatic, Swiss lever escapement
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1976 – 1981
- Limited-edition quantity
- 100 pieces
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Tudor 1926 40 mm Meteorite Quartz sits within Tudor's 1926 line, introduced in 1976. It carries the house codes established since 1926 — quartz tpt case, meteorite dial and automatic, swiss lever escapement — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Tudor
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1926
- Founder
- Hans Wilsdorf
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Black Bay, Pelagos, Ranger, Royal, Glamour, 1926
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement
- Famous movements
- Spring Drive · High-beat automatic · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Tudor Black Bay 41 mm Ice Grade (1984) · Tudor Black Bay 39 mm Meteorite 18k (1951) · Tudor Black Bay 43 mm Meteorite 18k (1954) · Tudor Pelagos 39 mm Blue 18k (1997)
Brand history
Tudor has spent more than 100 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Black Bay, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Hans Wilsdorf established Tudor in 1926, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Tudor calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1926
Hans Wilsdorf founds Tudor in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Tudor to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Tudor enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Tudor continues to produce Black Bay, Pelagos, Ranger and other icons in limited numbers.