Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner 7016/0 Luxury Watch Review

http://www.watchuwant.com/tudor-watches#.VXs7g1qRMlI If Rolex is the Gold Standard of the watch industry, then Tudor is as Good as Gold. Consider this Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner 7016/0 as a case study in timeless style- and value. But this Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner stands apart for its time capsule dial and unique “transitional” status. With a serial number in the 620,000 range, this is one of the earliest examples of an intact “Rose Dial” Tudor 7016. More than a rare survivor, this early-production “transitional” Tudor Submariner 7016 is the missing link between the prior Tudor Submariner 7928 and the well-known (but more common) Tudor “Snowflake.” Built with a Rolex Oyster case, crown, and equipped with a classic set of Rolex “Mercedes” hands, the 7016/0 packs the best of the Submariner around a dial with a blue-collar honesty that's uniquely Tudor Not so much the little brother as the co-equal cousin of Rolex, the Tudor brand enjoys tremendous standing among collectors of new and vintage sports watches. The earliest 1968 (first year) Tudor Submariner 7016 units bore a stronger resemblance to their Rolex relatives than the later “Snowflake” Tudors. With its exquisite tritium-patina round indexes, “lollipop” seconds hand, and Mercedes (vs. later “Snowflake”) hour hand, this Tudor 7016 looks every inch a Rolex. Equally important is the rare Tudor “Rose” insignia at 12 o’clock and the four lines of print at six o’clock. Both elements are characteristic of the 1960-1968 Tudor Submariner 7928; these features are extremely rare on the reference 7016. Moreover, this 7016 features the earlier “pointy guard” crown guards characteristic of the earliest Tudor Submariner 7016 units. Customers included the French Marine Nationale, U.S. Navy SEALs, and U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Teams. In certain cases, the watches were purchased as official service-issue items for combat personnel; in other instances, elite servicemen purchased the Tudor Submariners through subsidized stores on military installations. In all cases, the war fighters got their money's worth. Due to the magnitude of the strain placed on many original Tudor Submariners, comparatively few survive in excellent shape. In particular, many original tritium dials died as a result of water damage on watches that were worn in action and abused without mercy. Moreover, Tudor dials from 1968-1970 are known for rapid degradation, and very few survive intact from this period. See this Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner 7016/0 in high-resolution images at www.watchuwant.com Video and content by Tim Mosso.