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Tudor Aqua Explorer Dial Tropical Dial, ref. 1002, 1967 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Tudor Aqua Explorer Dial Tropical Dial, ref. 1002, 1967

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Tudor (maker)
Date
1967
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
Stainless steel
Dimensions
Diameter 34 mm (without crown)
Stock no.
gm1611
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Portfolio (gm1611)
Catalogue title (original)
Beautiful Vintage Tudor Aqua Explorer Dial ref 1002 Tropical Dial (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Portfolio (dealer), Vienna (stock number gm1611), this is a wristwatch by Tudor, made in Switzerland, dated 1967. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Stainless steel. Recorded dimensions: Diameter 34 mm (without crown). The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer specification — Vintage Portfolio

Movement: automatic with centre seconds; Dial: cream colored with golden indices; Case: stainless steel; Crown: Genuine Tudor (signed); Diameter: 34 mm (without crown); Strap: real leather (brown); Dial condition, as described by the dealer: The still factory original (non-refurbished) dial has slight patina.

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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