Manufacturer: Tudor Year: Circa 1955 Reference No: 7950 Case No: 215'084 Model Name: Golden Tuxedo Material: 18K Yellow Gold Calibre: Automatic, cal 390, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Gilt pin buckle Dimensions: 34mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by original Tudor box
Catalogue Essay
At first glance, the black crosshair dial surrounded by its gold chapter ring may lead you to identify this watch as a Universal Genève Polerouter. But very quickly, the sharp eye will notice the romantic and famous Tudor rose that proudly sits on top of the dial. Introduced in 1952, Hans Wilsdorf decided to show his faith in the new watch by featuring the Tudor Oyster Prince with two major advantages so far only seen on Rolex: an Oyster case that made the watch waterproof and the original self-winding perpetual rotor mechanism. Three years later, the brand introduced a more dress-up model with the reference 7950 featuring a 34mm case, available in stainless steel or in gold.
The stainless steel version was nicknamed “Tuxedo” by collectors because of its alternation between black and steel. Offered in excellent condition, the present "Golden Tuxedo", however, is part of a much rarer series made in yellow gold with a black enamelled paint center dial surrounded by a gold insert with guilloché sunburst decoration. The present 7950 exudes the elegance and sophistication that of men from the 1950s and it is not surprising that the casting crew picked that reference to accompany Mad Men’s Roger Sterling.
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.
