8093
Tudor
Ref. 94010
Submariner Marine Nationale
A very rare stainless steel military diver’s wristwatch with center seconds, military engravings and presentation box, made for the French Marine Nationale
Full-Cataloguing
- Issued to the French Marine Nationale
- Rare “snowflake” dial no-date reference
- Later batch production, before dial replaced with triangular indexes
- In the 1970s, Tudor released the ref. 9401/0 and 9411/0 with time-only and date function respectively, replacing the ref. 7016/0. The references came in black or blue dials, and the present example is fitted with the signature Tudor square-shaped hour markers and “snowflake” hands. It is worth noting that the two references were the last to feature “snowflake” dial, with matching hour markers and hands.
- Cased in stainless steel, the ETA cal. 2776 is a reliable workhorse. It also features a hacking seconds function for more accurate timekeeping and adjustments. Commissioned by the French Marine Nationale, the caseback has a “M.N.” engraving designating its military affiliation. The inside caseback is stamped with “9411”, which is common to find as both references share the same Oyster case.
- The present example belongs to a later post-mid 70s production since Tudor removed the “/” from the reference number around 1976, re-designating the reference to 94010. The “M.N.80” engraving suggests that this timepiece was issued to the Marine Nationale in 1980. Until the end of production in the 1980s, later batches are seen with dials in triangular indexes, making the present watch a rare specimen.
- Offered without reserve, this watch is an emblematic timepiece of Tudor and a reliable utility watch with historical significance that does not surface on the market regularly.
Tudor
Swiss | 1926Almost 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.