Tudor - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO Hong Kong Monday, May 30, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Tudor
    Year: Circa 1971
    Reference No: 7031/0
    Case No: 759'273
    Model Name: Oysterdate Chronograph
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Mechanical, 7734, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, 165 mm. maximum length, end link stamped 380
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Tudor folding deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 39.5 mm. diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
    Accessories: With Tudor undated Garantie.
    Literature: For another example of a reference 7031/1, please see Tudor Anthology by Alberto Isnardi, page 126 and 127.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Sports Rolex
    An Important Private Collection of tool watches

    Consigned by an important collector, the following 16 watches pay tribute to the Sports Rolex. In the early 1950’s Rolex released to the market a variety of watches with specific design elements to aid workers or professionals in their day to day lives. During this period these sports Rolex were more commonly known as a tool watch. Never before had a brand taken such a revolutionary approach to watchmaking and the result was groundbreaking.

    In 1953 Rolex introduced the first tool watch, the Explorer, which was fitted with a stronger more robust case for use in exploration. The Explorer accompanied an expedition to the top of Mount Everest on May 29th of that same year catapulting the appeal and awareness of the Rolex tool watch. A year later the Submariner was marketed to divers and fitted with a larger case to withstand high pressure. In 1955 the GMT Master was released in collaboration with Pan Am Airlines allowing its owner to quickly determine the time in two time zones. These models quickly became iconic representations of Rolex and are collected by people from all over the world. Each model grows in popularity and value every season due to the increase in knowledge and the difficulty to find examples in good condition complete with original accessories.

    The following collection is comprised of some extremely rare and sought after tool watches, some of which are still retaining their original accessories. The Sports Rolex is arguably one of the hottest and most collectable areas of the watch market today and seldom do such collections come to market.

    Phillips is honored to have been entrusted with the sale and to have the opportunity to present it to the market in Asia.

    The present watch represents the first of the Tudor chronograph introduced in the 1970s. It is recognized by its bakelite or acrylic inserts and its grey dial with black registers. Tudor also upgraded their coding system in 1967 using 5 digits instead of 4 and the last digit identifies the case metal, in this case, '0' indicates steel. The present watch is a wonderful example of the Tudor Oysterdate Chronograph with 40 mm. case and a 14 mm. thickness, screw down pushers with milled design and its so-called 'Monte Carlo-type' dial, a nickname given as the dial represents the casino chips. The dial is also referred as a 'home-plate' dial due to the dial design resembling a home plate in baseball.

  • Artist Biography

    Tudor

    Swiss • 1926

    Almost twenty years after Rolex was founded, Hans Wilsdorf established Tudor with the intention of making more affordable watches without compromising the quality for which Rolex was renowned. Tudor was named after the British Dynasty that ruled England from 1485 to 1603, and their symbol came from the "War of Roses." After interchanging Rose and Shield symbols for a number of years, the firm replaced the Rose with the Shield logo from the 1960s until today.

    Some of the most recognized vintage models made by Tudor include the Submariner, a waterproof model first introduced in 1954, the Oysterdate, the earliest versions of which were nicknamed the "Monte-Carlo," the Heritage, which included the date at 6 o'clock, as well as the Pelagos, which translates to "deep sea" in Greek.

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264

Ref. 7031/0
A fine and very rare stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with date, bracelet and original guarantee

Circa 1971
39.5 mm. diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
HK$120,000 - 180,000 

Sold for HK$200,000

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
thomasperazzi@phillips.com

Ziyong Ho
Specialist
+852 9386 2032
ziyongho@phillips.com

Jill Chen
Specialist
+852 2318 2033
jillchen@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO

Hong Kong Auction 31 May 2016