Press Release: Tudor Announces The Blacks And Beauden Barrett As New Brand And #BORNTODARE Campaign Ambassadors.

Tudor announces The Blacks and Beauden Barrett as new brand and #BORNTODARE Campaign Ambassadors, as well as the sponsorship of the 2017 New Zealand Lions Series.

TUDOR announces a stunning, new multi-layered partnership joining forces with the number one team in world rugby, the All Blacks, leading player Beauden Barrett and with the upcoming 2017 DHL New Zealand Lions Series.

TUDOR is Born to Dare
In 2017, TUDOR launched a new campaign with the “Born To Dare” signature. It reflects both the history of the brand and what it stands for today. Daring individuals have long chosen TUDOR while achieving the extraordinary on land, ice, in the air and underwater. It also refers to the vision of Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of TUDOR, who manufactured TUDOR watches to withstand the most extreme conditions, watches made for the most daring lifestyle indeed. It finally tells of the singular approach TUDOR is known for today, having pioneered now major trends within the watchmaking industry.

The TUDOR “Born To Dare” spirit is expressed in a campaign manifesto (below and extended version in annex) and supported globally by ambassadors whose life achievements directly result from a fearless approach to life. The All Blacks, Beauden Barrett and the Lions Series embody the daring values that made TUDOR what it is today and because of that TUDOR is proud to welcome them to its family.

“We are devoted to the classic. But reject the status quo.
We keep the best of the past, the best watchmaking practices, the best designs.
And push the boundaries of what’s new.
Born for a purpose. Field-tested to the extreme.
For those who are up for anything.
For those who face their fears.
For those who reinvent themselves every day a TUDOR is born to dare.”

The All Blacks and Beauden Barrett wear the Black Bay Dark, a vintage-inspired all-black steel diver’s watch which perfectly matches their team colours. As robust as the wearers and tested to the extreme, according to TUDOR’s watchmaking philosophy, the Black Bay Dark pays homage to the more than 60 years TUDOR has spent perfecting the ideal professional’s watch.

The All Blacks: those who are up for anything

A rugby game at the highest level where the All Blacks play is no walk in the park. That’s why it is called a Test match, because it tests you in every way: it tests your physicality, skill level, endurance and mental ability to perform under pressure. The All Blacks show they are ready and up for anything when they perform the haka, the world-famous, awe inspiring Maori dance before every Test match. The All Blacks perform the haka as a statement of who they are as New Zealanders and who they represent.

Devoted to the classic
With a history extending back more than a century, the All Blacks are not only the most successful international rugby team of all time but also one of the most successful and legendary teams in world sport, with a winning Test record of more than 77 percent. Despite being a relatively small country of 4.5 million residents, New Zealand has an enormous pool of talent with rugby coursing through the veins of 150,000 players, and many more supporters country-wide. With world-class training practices from the earliest age, a daring vision of the sport and enduring values of humility and team spirit, the All Black team towers above the individual star. As a group, they push the game to new heights and to each new generation of players is passed the guardianship of the legend.

Keeping the best of the past

The All Blacks are named after the color of their team kit, with the All Blacks jersey one of the most famous pieces of sports apparel in the world. An icon of national pride, the black jersey with the silver fern emblem was formally adopted by the New Zealand national rugby team in 1893. An everlasting symbol of the All Blacks’ heritage and culture, the players don’t see themselves as owners of the jersey, but guardians, and they adhere to the mantra of leaving it in a better position than you found it”.

Beauden Barrett: Reinventing himself
Beauden Barrett was in sublime form in 2016. Barrett plays in the key No 10 jersey in the first five-eighth (or flyhalf) position. He astounded opposition teams and tight defences with his ability to scythe through gaps and accelerate away to score or set up scoring plays. He was top scorer in the Super Rugby competition early in the season with his Hurricanes team and carried his outstanding form into the All Blacks season starting in 11 Test matches, he scored 152 points and was rightly named World Rugby Player of the Year. But it was not always like that. At the beginning of his All Blacks career, he was used as an impact player, brought in later in the game from the bench to make a difference. In the space of one season he reinvented himself and is now top of the world..

Born for a purpose
Beauden Barrett was raised in a family of rugby players. He started his professional career in 2010 at just 19 years old. Only two years into his professional career, he was selected for the All Blacks. He became their starting Number 10 four years later. In 2015 he was a key player in helping the All Blacks win the Rugby World Cup. Beauden Barrett's personal style is daring and decisive. With sheer speed, he launches himself into the smallest cracks in the opposition defensive line and surprises his adversaries and finds new openings. His relatively lean athletic stature is no hindrance to his bravery in the physical aspects of rugby at the highest level. His tactical nous belies his age. And yet he exemplifies humility, the very essence of the All Blacks.

The DHL New Zealand Lions Series 2017
As an extension of its commitment with the All Blacks, TUDOR is proud to be Official Sponsor of the DHL New Zealand Lions Series 2017, an international rugby Series like no other.
Every four years, the best rugby players in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, combine to become the British and Irish Lions team and tour one of the Southern Hemisphere rugby nations. In 2017, they will be challenging the most successful national team in the history of professional rugby, the All Blacks. In a series of 10 matches in seven cities over five weeks, the Lions will take on a provincial Barbarians side, New Zealand's five Super Rugby teams, the Māori All Blacks and finally the legendary All Blacks.

On June the 24th, the British and Irish Lions will meet the All Blacks in the first of their three Tests at Eden Park, Auckland's legendary rugby stadium, and face their mighty haka. They will be 18,000 km from home, supported by their 20,000-strong army of supporters, but will not only be facing the All Blacks but also the 4.5 million residents in the rugby-worshiping nation of New Zealand.