Tudor’s movements are developed and produced through Kenissi, the movement operation Tudor established in 2016; Tudor says its watches are then assembled and fully tested at its own Le Locle manufacture. Kenissi also supplies movements and technical expertise to other watch brands. Tudor’s Le Locle site is near a Rolex facility, but that proximity does not establish that Rolex makes Tudor watches or that the companies share production operations.
How Tudor, Kenissi and Le Locle fit together
The clearest way to understand Tudor’s manufacturing system is to separate movement development and production from final watch assembly and testing. Tudor’s official history says it created Kenissi to oversee the development and production of Tudor movements and to make technical expertise available to third-party brands. Kenissi describes its customizable, self-winding movements as derived from Tudor Manufacture Calibre families and developed and produced in Switzerland. Kenissi’s history provides the company’s account of that role.
Tudor says every Tudor watch is assembled and fully tested at its watch manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland. The brand describes that site as physically and visually connected to the neighboring Kenissi manufacture. This establishes a division between movement production and final watch assembly and testing, but the available official descriptions do not itemize every component operation or supplier for every model. Tudor’s manufacture page is the source for its assembly and testing description.
| Part of the system | What the sources establish |
|---|---|
| Tudor | Built mechanical-movement capacity, presented its first Manufacture Calibre in 2015, and established Kenissi in 2016 to manage movement development and production. |
| Kenissi | Develops and produces movements associated with Tudor Manufacture Calibre families and offers movement expertise and supply to outside brands. |
| Tudor’s Le Locle manufacture | Assembles and fully tests Tudor watches, according to Tudor. |
How the manufacturing system developed
Tudor’s industrial capacity grew in stages rather than appearing with a single factory opening. The dates below come from Kenissi’s official history and Tudor’s account of its Le Locle manufacture.
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- Tudor Black Bay Fifty Eight Automatic Chronometer Blue Dial Men's Watch M79030b-0001
| Year or date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Tudor launched a project to build industrial capacity for mechanical movements. |
| 2015 | Tudor presented its first Manufacture Calibre at Baselworld, in variants used in two different watches. |
| 2016 | Tudor established Kenissi to oversee movement development and production and provide technical expertise to outside brands. |
| 2018 | Kenissi says it formed an industrial alliance with Chanel, supplying a calibre for the new J12. |
| 2021 | Tudor’s Le Locle manufacture was completed after three years of construction. |
| March 2023 | Tudor says the Le Locle manufacture was officially inaugurated. |
| June 15, 2023 | The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry published an account of Kenissi’s partners, movement families and leadership at that time. |
Tudor describes the Le Locle manufacture as spanning four levels and 5,500 square metres (Tudor, page accessed in 2026). Those figures describe the facility, not the output or the share of a Tudor watch made there.
Which other brands have worked with Kenissi?
Kenissi’s own history names Breitling as its first industrial partner and describes the 2018 Chanel alliance as a movement-supply relationship for the J12. A June 15, 2023 report by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry listed Tudor and Chanel among Kenissi’s shareholders and named Breitling, Norqain, Fortis, Bell & Ross, TAG Heuer and Ultramarine as clients. This is a dated account, not confirmation that every relationship or client remains current. The federation did not give shareholder percentages.
Rank #2
- Date Feature at 3 O'Clock with Even Numbered Days Displayed in Red and Odd Numbered Days in Black
- Tudor Caliber MT5612-LHD (COSC), Self-winding Automatic Chronometer Movement
- Titanium Screw Down Crown, Helium Escape Valve at 3 O'Clock and 70 Hour Power Reserve
- Titanium Bracelet with Steel Folding Clasp and Safety Catch and Bracelet Extension System
- Titanium Unidirectional Rotatable Bezel with Ceramic Matte Black Disc and 60 Minute Scale with Beige Luminescent Coating
Norqain separately announced a long-term partnership with Kenissi on February 5, 2020, and identified the NN20/1 and NN20/2 calibres. Norqain stated a 70-hour power reserve for those two calibres in that announcement; it is a specification for that dated example, not a general specification for Kenissi movements. Norqain’s press release contains the announcement.
Movement sourcing alone does not establish that watches using related or shared calibres have identical finishing, regulation, cases, quality control or overall performance. A meaningful comparison needs to identify the exact watch and calibre, cite the applicable specifications and certification, and date the evidence for the supplier relationship.
Rank #3
- 41mm steel case with polished and satin finish
- Bidirectional rotatable bezel in steel with 24-hour graduated anodised aluminium disc
- Self-winding mechanical movement with 70 hour power reserve
Does Rolex make Tudor watches?
The cited official sources do not establish that Rolex manufactures Tudor watches or that Tudor and Rolex share production operations. Tudor says it selected the Le Locle location near a Rolex facility inaugurated in 1970, and says Tudor watches are assembled and fully tested at Tudor’s own Le Locle manufacture. Rolex’s description of its Swiss manufacturing system explains Rolex’s own approach; it does not document shared Tudor production. Location, corporate association or common history should not be treated as proof of a particular supplier relationship.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this tells a watch buyer—and what it does not
Kenissi’s connection to Tudor helps explain the industrial system behind the brand: Tudor developed movement capacity, established a dedicated operation for movement development and production, and maintains a separate stated role for final assembly and testing at Le Locle. It does not, by itself, establish that every Tudor movement is made entirely in-house or identify the full bill of materials for each model. Tudor also says it “fully masters the manufacturing of strategic components,” but its cited page does not enumerate every component or supplier.
Rank #4
- Tudor Black Bay 54 Automatic Chronometer Black Dial Men's Watch M79000N-0001
- For a specific watch, check the reference and its stated calibre rather than assuming every Tudor model uses the same movement or sourcing arrangement.
- Treat claims about certifications, power reserve and other specifications as model-specific, and verify the source and date.
- Do not infer identical finishing or performance from a movement relationship alone.
- Do not treat the federation’s 2023 client list as a guaranteed current roster.
The available official material supports a picture of Tudor and Kenissi as closely connected parts of an evolving Swiss manufacturing network, with Kenissi also serving outside brands. It does not support the simpler claim that Rolex makes Tudor watches.
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