Tudor Oyster Royal 'Honeycomb Albino Explorer'

Tudor’s legacy as maker of high-quality tool watches was cemented long before the brand re-entered the American market in late 2013. 

A perfect example of the brand’s watchmaking pedigree is this super cool - and mega rare - Tudor Oyster Royal from the 1950s.

Tudor’s waterproof Oyster-cased watches - like Rolex's - were introduced in 1946. This example, a Reference 7934, dates to the early 1950s and features a 34 stainless case and a manual-winding movement. Also present are a domed acrylic crystal, ‘holey’ lugs  and a Rolex signed screwdown crown. Most excitingly, this lovely piece features an incredibly rare luminous textured white honeycomb  ‘albino’ dial with applied gold ‘dart’ indices and Arabic numerals at the quadrant positions, much like the Rolex Explorer.

In the early years of the watchmaking industry, before mass-machining took effect, every component of a watch was constructed by hand, or milled on a hand-powered machine. Although this watch was a product of early machine production, textured dials such as this one are still extremely complex to construct. Paired with a gold dauphine handset and a blued-steel center seconds hand, this special piece hits the right notes hard in the dial department and is sure to set many hearts aflutter!

We’ve outfitted this piece with our Analog:Shift Byrd Blue Leather Strap which pulls out the blue from the second's hand, complementing the warm patination present throughout the piece.

If your preference in timepieces can be described using words such as vintage, rare, textured, albino, Explorer-dial, and patina - you've just found the next addition to your collection!

Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf created Tudor in 1926 for the everyman — for miners, construction workers and all sorts of tradesmen. For your everyday person Rolex was sometimes — and is now more so than ever — out of reach. It was meant for the explorer and the businessman, whereas Tudor was to be a different creature entirely.

In creating Tudor, Wilsdorf wanted to offer “a watch that our agents could sell at a more modest price than our Rolex watches, and yet one that would attain the standards of dependability for which Rolex is famous.”

Tudors were in many ways Rolexes in all but name, with the same waterproof Oyster cases and similar styling. However, in order to keep costs down, the brand used off-the-shelf Swiss movements rather than their own in-house calibres. What resulted were watches that were more affordable than Rolexes to the consumer, but still uniformly tough and reliable.

Today Tudor has certainly defeated any impression of being the redheaded stepchild of the Rolex family, and their current timepiece collection — as well as their vintage counterparts — are getting the recognition and respect they most rightfully deserve. From the colorful “Home Plate” chronograph to the complicated Advisor, these models often picked up where Rolex left off, daring to be more bold and playful in their design. And now that the brand has introduced in-house movements while still managing to keep pricing modest, the company is better poised than ever to win the hearts and minds of millions of new watch enthusiasts.

Our Pledge

Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

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.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

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