Celebrity ambassadors are a big part of brand communications nowadays, and for many watchmakers, there is no surer way of securing media and consumer attention than signing the right personality. Since its renaissance circa 2010, Tudor has conspicuously stayed away from large-scale ambassador activities, preferring instead to develop well-defined audiences for each of its products: neo-vintage for its wide-ranging Heritage family, high-performance deep-sea diving for its Pelagos, extreme adventuring for its North Flag, motorcycle racing for its Fastrider and so on.

Whilst more sedate Tudor timepieces exist, such as the Advisor, or the Style, it is the action-oriented, youth-focused products that have thus far been highlighted at Tudor. It’s no wonder that, as the brand moves into a new phase of development and growth (as I discussed in my feature story on Tudor in last summer’s issue of Revolution Asia), it has chosen to partner with sporting icons to transmit its values — David Beckham, the All Blacks rugby team and Beauden Barrett.

Today, David Beckham is most active as a philanthropist, entrepreneur and a cornerstone of modern style, but it is his legacy as former England captain, Premiership superstar and international footballing legend that persists in the world’s awareness of him.

Distinct from many other high-profile celebrity football players, David Beckham has gone on to parlay his success on the pitch into different areas of his life, juggling multiple roles as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, businessman and devoted father. Like his wife, Victoria Beckham (formerly of the Spice Girls), David Beckham is known for his incredible work ethic and commitment to his craft — attributes that are perfectly aligned with Tudor’s approach to watchmaking.

It’s safe to say also that David Beckham was a trailblazer in the world of football, being the first major star to rise to his level of worldwide celebrity and adulation, breaking past the boundaries of athletic achievement to make his mark in various other fields. As much as admirers followed his sporting career, they also took fashion cues from Beckham, who is widely considered a leading influence in reintroducing elegance and style to popular ideals of masculinity. As such, Beckham has chosen to wear the recently launched Heritage Black Bay S&G and the Heritage Black Bay Chrono.

Tudor’s new “Born To Dare” campaign emphasises the importance of pushing the limits of performance and finding new standards of excellence. In the world of international rugby union, the hegemony of New Zealand’s All Blacks is unchallenged, and their combination of passion, heritage and high performance forms an ideal match with the principles of Tudor watches.

Tudor’s rugby partnership is a multi-level endeavour; not only are they newly appointed as the official timing partners of the All Blacks (who naturally wear the Heritage Black Bay Dark), star player Beauden Barrett takes the role of brand ambassador in his individual capacity. Furthermore, Tudor has signed on as official sponsor of the DHL New Zealand Lions Series 2017, an international rugby event that takes place every four years and brings a combined international team of British and Irish rugby players on tour in one of the famed rugby-playing nations of the Southern Hemisphere — New Zealand, Australia or South Africa. In 2017, the British and Irish Lions will be pitted against New Zealand’s best in a series of 10 gruelling Test matches held in seven cities over a period of five weeks.

These exciting new collaborations are set to catapult Tudor into the next stage of their brand development, and if our observations are anything to go by, it would appear that one can only look forward to ever more incredible news from Tudor.