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TUDOR
The Other
Rolex Br and
By Julien Schaerer

M any collectors are

unfamiliar with or
know little about the up
and coming Tudor
brand. The name Tu-
dor was first regis-
tered in Geneva by
Isaac Blumenthal on
December 13, 1906
under registration num- Ref. 7928
ber 21383. It was then
transferred to Philippe
Julien Schaerer
Huther de Colombiere
Director in 1926, and finally
Watch Expert sold to Hans Wilsdorf
in 1936. No one has
precise records, but the first traces of the Rolex-
produced Tudors appear in the mid-forties, after
the Second World War. Despite the generally
prevailing public opinion, there is actually very lit-
tle difference between the design and conception
of Tudor and Rolex. Apart from Tudor watch
movements generally having fewer jewels, their
conception and construction were virtually iden-
tical to those of Rolex. Rolex felt strongly that in
producing a second line of watches, the public
perception of Tudor had to be equivalent to that of
Rolex. As such, they even extended the Rolex war-
ranty to all Tudors at the time. All early Tudors,
until the mid-1990's, featured Rolex crowns and
cases. Rolex bracelets were used until 1971 when
the first Tudor signed bracelets appeared on
womens watches.
The differences in caliber used in Rolex and Tudor
watches will be addressed in a future article; here
we will focus on some of the more collectible
models.

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Tudor Prince Submariner

Ref 7922 and 7924: the non crown-guard

Submariners. As with Rolex Submariners, this
model (Ref. 7922), water resistant to 330ft., came
with a small crown and thicker case. Ref. 7924
had a larger case and crown to support the
increased water pressure (to 660ft) . Both these
models first appeared in 1958 and were fitted with
the famous caliber 390, a 17 jewel movement
based on the Valjoux 722. It is interesting to note
that the Tudor Submariners have always been self-
winding, unlike the earlier Rolex Submariners.
Ref 7928: At approximately the same time, the
second series of Submariners was launched with
crown-guards, Reference 7928 (SFr 360). This
Submariner, water-resistant to 660 ft, was the
equivalent of the Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513, so
close that it even used its bezel. This watch still
used the same caliber, 390, and was produced
until 1966.
Ref 7016 and 7021: in the 1969-1970 Tudor cata-
logues two new references appeared. Ref. 7016
was considered the successor of 7928 but some
significant changes were noticeable. Firstly, a new
caliber was introduced, caliber 2461. This 11 1/2'
ligne movement now had 25 jewels and was ETA-
based. Secondly, the dials changed (available in
either black or blue) and for the first time bore the
square military-type indexes. The second model,
reference 7021, was identical to the first, with the
exception of the date with cyclops lens. The move-
ment, caliber 2484, was also ETA-based, with 17
jewels.
Ref 9411: 1973 saw the launch of the last
Ref. 7924 Submariner reference, 9411. It replaced Reference
7021 and was identical to it, with the exception of
the movement, which was replaced by caliber
2784, with 25 jewels.
There are a few other Tudor Submariner refe-
rences, however it is the earlier ones which are of
most interest to collectors.
It is also important to note that Tudor was a major
supplier of specialized divers watches for many
armed forces, most notably the French Marine
Nationale (M.N.) and the US Navy. These watches
were supplied as early as the 1960s, with
Reference 7928, and continued through the mid
eighties.

Ref. 7016 Ref. 9411

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Ref. 7169

Tudor Chr onogr aphs

The Tudor chronographs are probably the most

collectible Tudors on todays market. They can be
divided into three distinct generations.
Chronographs appeared in the Tudor catalogues
for the first time in 1971, but strangely the first
generation was never illustrated.
Ref. 9420
First Generation: Ref. 7031 and Ref. 7032. These
chronographs were only produced for two years, in
1970 and 1971. They both featured the manually-
wound caliber 7734 and the only difference
between them is that reference 7031 has a black
plastic bezel and 7032 a fixed metal tachometer
bezel. Their most distinctive features are the char-
acteristically shaped indexes and the colorful
orange markers of the dial.
Second Generation: When Tudor first introduced
a revolving blue metal bezel (Ref. 7169) in 1971,
the chronographs still featured the characteristic
markers on all three references (Ref. 7149 and
Ref. 7159). The evolution from the first to second
generation was marked by a new chronograph
caliber, 234. It is also important to note that while
in their official catalogues this is the only type of
dial offered, in advertisements, the new dials can
be seen. These featured a new type of luminous
straight marker, as well as new dial colors, inclu-
ding a blue surround and blue sub-counters.
Third generation: Tudor chronographs became
self-winding. They were introduced in 1976 with
new references, indicating a different bezel from
all previous generations. All three references are
fitted with the famous caliber 7750 and now fea-
ture two chronograph counters, a subsidiary dial Ref. 9421
for constant seconds and the date at 3 oclock.
The 9420 now features a plastic tachometer bezel,
the 9421 a revolving black (or blue) bezel and the
9430 a fixed metal tachometer bezel. The first of
these chronographs only bear the inscription
Chrono-Time while the later models bear the
words Oysterdate Automatic Chrono-Time
around the counter at 6 oclock. These chrono-
graphs were to evolve over the years (the dials
were offered in various colors and configurations)
with different reference numbers up to 94300. All
had the same characteristics, and in the late
1980s Tudor stopped producing the so-called exot- Ref. 94300
ic dials.

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Tudor Advisor

This was another interesting development from

Tudor/Rolex, a wristwatch with alarm. The Advisor
appeared in 1957 and was offered as three differ-
ent references until it was discontinued in 1977.
Ref 7926: in a traditional mid-sized Rolex case
with a riveted Rolex bracelet. Equipped with
manual winding 17 jewel caliber 1475, it was
offered with at least three different dial confi-
gurations, with either faceted or diamond indexes,
or Arabic numerals. Dials were available in either
silver or black.
Ref. 7426 Ref 1537: the dressier version of the Advisor with
a thinner case and lugs. Both Ref. 7926 and 1537
were available until 1968.
Ref 10050: the last and final version of the
Advisor, available from 1969 to 1977. It was in
stainless steel only (SFr 270), and was fitted with a
new movement, caliber 3475.

Ref. 7926

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Tudor Da y-Date

Also one of the most attractive Tudor watches due to

its oversized steel case and its resemblance to the
Rolex Day-Date. A particularly desirable version is the
one with an oversized rotating bezel. The Day-Date
came in three distinct models, each with its own dis-
tinct bezel. The watch was also available with a
variety of dials, in black, gray, silver, or blue. The
model evolved throughout the years. Here we will
focus on the earlier models which appeared in Tudor
catalogues from 1970 to 1979, at which point the
reference was changed to 9450 (9451 and 9461).
These references, 7017, 7019/3, and 7020, were
equipped with a non quick-set 13 3/4 line
movement, caliber 1895.
Ref 7017: the classic day-date with a
fixed bezel, available only in steel with
Ref. 9450 either a leather strap or a metal bracelet
(SFr 398 and 430).
Ref 7019/3: with fluted bezel, avail-
able in stainless steel and yellow
gold or stainless steel and white
gold (ref. 7019/4) (SFr 498 and
520 respectively).
Ref 7020: the most collectible of
all three models, with a rotating
steel bezel. Truly distinctive, it
has no equivalent in the
Rolex range (SFr 440 with
leather strap).

Ref. 7017

As Rolex prices constantly increase, the Tudor range

offers good entry level watches that may be collected
at reasonable prices, and which, in addition, utilize
many Rolex parts. And remember, when buying a
vintage Tudor, look for models that reflect their age
Ref. 7020 and are as original as possible. Spare parts are scarce,
so keep this in mind when buying a Tudor that
requires repair.

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