The Monte Carlo references 7031 and 7032 were the first chronographs ever made by Tudor, launched in 1970. The earliest models, produced for approximately two years only, were fitted with dials named by collectors as the “Home Plate” due to the shape of their luminous hour markers that resemble a home plate in baseball. Produced predominately with a gray dial with orange accents, these gorgeous chronographs are amongst the most sought after of all Tudor watches. The ultimate, is the hardly ever seen Black Dial Tudor Monte Carlo Home Plate, like the present lot. Rolex introduced Tudor to the market in 1945 with the intention of producing high quality watches at an affordable price. Throughout its history, with Tudor, Rolex experimented with different designs and concepts, later to be used in Rolex’s own watches. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the “Home Plate” has become an icon in the vintage Rolex collecting community. Its design from afar can easily be mistaken for a Rolex Daytona reference 6265 thanks to its steel bezel with printed tachymeter and screw-down pushers and crown, but is larger with a case diameter of 40mm compared to the Daytona’s 37mm size. So rare is the black dial variant of the Home Plate, only two examples of the model have ever appeared at auction over the past 7 years. The present watch is fresh to the auction market, offered in lovely condition with a remarkably well-preserved dial showing hardly any signs of age. Accompanied by its original inner and outer Tudor presentation boxes, this exceptionally rare Tudor chronograph is an extremely rare opportunity for the aficionado of ultimate sports watches.