BRANDS: Kenissi, Norqain, Tudor
Tudor MT56 Family Overview
Tudor traditionally used movements from major manufacturers, chiefly ETA in modern times, as a differentiator from parent company Rolex. Beginning in 2015, the company began producing a line of “Manufacture Tudor” movements for certain models, beginning with Cal. MT5621. These are based on Rolex technology, and include that company’s silicon hairspring technology, full balance bridge and free-sprung Microstella balance wheel.
In 2016, Tudor founded a new movement producer in Geneva known as Kenissi managed by Eric Yvon Pirson (head of Tudor), Jean-Paul Girardin (formerly of Breitling), and Philippe Jacques Dalloz. Two years later, the company constructed a new factory in Le Locle on land owned by Rolex. Chanel invested in Kenissi in 2019, taking a 20% stake in the company. As of 2020, Kenissi produces movements for Tudor, Chanel, Breitling, and Norqain.
| 31.8 mm | 33.8 mm | |
|---|---|---|
| No Date | MT5602 | MT5601 |
| Date | MT5612 Breitling B20 | |
| Power Reserve, Date | MT5621 | |
| Big Date | MT5641 | |
| GMT Hand | MT5652 Norqain NN20/2 |
Note that Tudor also produces a smaller movement, Cal. MT5402. Although it shares many characteristics with this family of movements, it is different in many details and is considered unrelated.
Comparing Tudor Cal. MT54 and MT56
Tudor launched an in-house movement family in 2015, the MT56 family. These share modern construction details and components with contemporary Rolex movements and have proved very popular. The company created a joint venture manufacture called Kenissi in 2018, and now supplies movements to Tudor, Breitling, Chanel, and Norqain. Also in 2018, Tudor launched a smaller movement, Cal. MT5402, for the compact 39 mm Black Bay line. This movement is a different design and is unrelated to the earlier family, though it shares many architectural similarities. Due to these similarities, these movements are often confused.
A comparison of the 26.0 mm MT5402 and 31.8 mm MT5612, to scale. Note the many visible differences in design and construction, as well as the dramatic size difference.
