The Tudor brand was the brainchild of Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf who wished for a separate watch company that retained the durability and dependability of Rolex, but at a “more modest price”. Though designated as autonomous companies, Rolex guaranteed the technical quality of the watches and as time went on, it became clear that the aesthetic design of Tudor watches would closely mirror that of Rolex.

Tudor produced the current reference 7021/0 alongside its non-date sibling the reference 7016/0 between 1969 and 1975. These watches featured square hour markers and a unique hand style that set them apart from their Rolex counterparts, and subsequent collectors have nicknamed both references “Snowflake” for the unusual geometric handset.

The reference 7021/0 was the first Tudor Submariner model to feature a date indication as well as the brand’s updated logo, a shield, which replaced the rose of the previous decades. Powered by the reliable ETA caliber 2484, the 7021/0 marked the beginning of the design codes that would come to define the Tudor brand into the contemporary era.

With a most probably unpolished case, beautifully faded bezel, well-preserved, original dial and hands with all luminous material intact, the current lot is an excellent opportunity to snap up a coveted, early Tudor diver’s watch.