Tudor Submariner

Following the success of the Oyster Prince, Tudor launched the Oyster Submariner in 1954, taking design cues from the Rolex Submariner but housing an ETA movement in the Oyster case. Aside from the movements and the brand name on the dial, Tudor Submariners remained virtually indistinguishable from their Rolex counterparts. That is, until the late 1960s, when the Tudor Submariner Reference 7016 debuted with the design features that would set Tudor Submariners apart from their Rolex cousins. 

For the first time, the dial of the Reference 7016 was offered in blue rather than just in the usual black. Instead of the Tudor rose that had adorned Tudor watches since the 1940s, the Tudor logo was now a shield. Also, the indices and hands attained a distinctive, triangular shape which earned this model the nickname "Snowflake." 

Yet Tudor, despite the Snowflake hands, still took design cues from the Rolex Submariner. When Rolex added a date window to the Submariner Reference 1680 in 1966, the Tudor Submariner also featured a date wheel in alternating red and white, dubbed "roulette" by collectors. Along with the Reference 7016, the reference with the date wheel, Reference 7021, ran until the mid-1970s when it was replaced by Reference 94010 and 94110, respectively. 

The Reference 79000 series of Submariner was introduced in the mid 1980s and ran until the Submariner line was discontinued at the end of the millennium. The dial of the Submariner underwent subtle transformations—the indices at 3, 6, and 9 were made into triangles, and the hour and minute hands were now the same Mercedes hands found on Rolex Submariners. Perhaps the most delightful small detail in these Submariners is on the sweeping center seconds hand, which is surmounted by a single lume plot, inspiring collectors to refer to them as “Lollipop Subs.” Inside beats the robust ETA Calibre 2824-2.

As time wore on, collectors and enthusiasts began to appreciate the designs that were exclusive to Tudor's Submariner line. Though relatively modest in price when it was released, the Snowflake Submariner has become a grail for many, causing values to climb within spitting distance of Rolex subs of similar vintages. What many forget is that Tudor produced fewer Submariners than Rolex, making sharp Tudor subs rarer than the equivalent 5513 or 1680.

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Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

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We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.