Nic Von Rupp at Tudor Nazare Big Wave Challenge
At the 2025 TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge, that officially started from November 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025 at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal, Nic Von Rupp just surfed the biggest wave of his career. The TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge is a World Surf League (WSL) event that takes place in the winter season in the small fishing town of Nazaré, which has become a big wave surfing destination. The event is a one-day, tow-in big wave surfing competition. The event takes place when conditions at Praia do Norte are ideal, including waves at least 25 feet high, favorable wind, and tides. Last week waves reached their absolute peak—some clocking in at 30 meters at the Hermínia swell in particular. The larger competition wasn’t held because of the inconsistency of the waves, but the most fearless surfers used the opportunity to continue their training and take on the challenge of surfing gargantuan waves. The first surfer out on the water? None other than TUDOR ambassador Nic Von Rupp and his team, Mountains of the Sea.
Many waited for the ocean to settle and for the extreme conditions to die down, but not Nic. He was the first to hit the waves when the swell peaked. It was dangerous, certainly, but Nic’s team of four spotters were on the water equipped with jet-skis making sure everything was under control. Another two spotters were on the cliffs were making sure Nic was safe.
“This was only possible because of an amazing team—it’s all about the team,” Nic says, adding that “the connection I felt with the ocean that day was so strong; the news said that no one was going to be out on the water that day, but this was only possible because of NVR_BiggestWave_2025 the team.” Mountains of the Sea ended up being one of the very few teams on the water that day that dared to face those conditions.
Two multi-parametric buoys provide real-time data transmission to the Instituto Hidrográfico of Portugal, and that day they measured the biggest waves ever. The data is still being processed; two swells that Nic surfed could very well be among the biggest ever surfed at Nazaré—or even in the world. The sheer size of the swell made this a pivotal moment for Nic Von Rupp. Years and years of facing massive swells and mental preparation led to this very moment when he had the opportunity to ride the biggest wave of his life.
TUDOR AND NIC VON RUPP
Von Rupp, a Swiss national, has been a part of the TUDOR family since 2022, when he joined forces with the Swiss watchmaker just ahead of the TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge. He quickly cemented the partnership by clinching Best Team Performance at the competition, winning a TUDOR Pelagos for his exploits that day. He has never taken it off since and a number of accolades have followed, like earning 10 points, the highest score possible, at The Perfect Chapter, an invite-only contest bringing together some of the best barrel surfers in the world, and winning the entire competition, not to mention numerous wins throughout his career at the XXL Big Wave Awards. In 2023, TUDOR teamed up with von Rupp to produce a segment that explores what drives him in his relentless pursuit of the extraordinary. His outlook is perfectly encapsulated in his own words: “In this game, there is no triumph without challenge. You must risk it all and work hard with every sunrise.” It’s exactly this unwavering commitment to the sport that’s earned von Rupp his daring reputation and landed him as the subject of the second season of HBO’s documentary series 100 Foot Wave, where he takes us inside the world of conquering Nazaré’s massive waves. And when von Rupp isn’t riding the big waves, he’s honing his craft on smaller ones. He travelled to Alaïa Bay, a surf park in the heart of the Swiss Alps to teach hopefuls how to properly ride a wave during Watches and Wonders, the world’s largest watch show, with his trusty signature TUDOR Pelagos strapped to his wrist, of course.
The TUDOR signature is Born to Dare. 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 lifestyles. The TUDOR Born To Dare spirit is supported globally by high-profile ambassadors and partnerships – including David Beckham, Jay Chou, the All Blacks, the TUDOR Pro Cycling Team, the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team and of course Nic von Rupp.
ABOUT TUDOR – TUDOR is an award-winning Swiss-made watch brand, offering mechanical watches with refined aesthetics, proven reliability and unique value for money. The origins of the TUDOR brand date back to 1926, when ‘The Tudor’ was first registered on behalf of the founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf. He created the Montres TUDOR SA Company in 1946 to offer watches with the quality and dependability of a Rolex, at a more accessible price point. As a result, over the course of history, TUDOR watches have become the choice of daring individuals. Today, the TUDOR collection includes flagship lines such as Black Bay, Pelagos, Glamour and 1926. Since 2015, TUDOR has offered exclusive mechanical Manufacture Calibres with varied functions.
