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Tudor Dragon Monarch Date Watch 38630 Unusual, c. 1990 — view 1 of 4
View 1 of 4 · Image: Baer & Bosch Auctioneers Inc / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Tudor Dragon Monarch Date Watch 38630 Unusual, c. 1990

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
TUDOR (maker)
Date
c. 1990
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
sapphire, stainless steel
Lot
Item 76473760
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 3229, Fine Vintage & Modern Timepieces, Baer & Bosch Auctioneers Inc (2019), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
Tudor Dragon Monarch Date Watch 38630 Unusual (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 76473760), this is a wristwatch by TUDOR, dated c. 1990. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: sapphire, stainless steel. The record is illustrated with 4 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

Lot description — Baer & Bosch Auctioneers Inc

Vintage stainless steel men`s Tudor Monarch wristwatch with date, ref #38630, circa 1990`s. Blue Tudor Geneve dial with a grey Dragon design, luminous baton hour markers. Coin edge bezel. Sapphire crystal. Rolex screw down crown. Swiss made, automatic self winding movement. Comes on a stainless steel Tudor Jubilee bracelet. Accompanied by a fitted Tudor watch box, Tudor warranty papers (no longer valid), red Tudor hang tang with matching reference and serial numbers, and a Tudor manual. Approximate diameter is 36mm. Has superficial scratches due to normal wear and age. Overall condition is good. Running at the time of inspection, however not checked for accuracy nor water resistance/proofness. An overhaul is always recommended for used watches. In 1905, Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, founded their company Wilsdorf & Davis Ltd. In 1908, they registered Rolex and became Rolex Watch Co Ltd in 1915. After moving their headquarters to Geneva, Switzerland, the company name was changed to Montres Rolex S.A. in 1920. Rolex introduced the first waterproof Rolex Oyster in 1926. The following year, Mercedes Gleitze swam for 10 hours across the English Channel wearing a Rolex Oyster. Rolex invented the first self-winding automatic movement with rotor in 1931. Rolex watches became popular in the fields of aviation, motor racing, sports, and expeditions. Some notable models are the Rolex Datejust, the Rolex Explorer, the Rolex Submariner, the Rolex GMT-Master, the Rolex Day-Date (aka “President”), the Rolex Milgauss, the Rolex Lady Datejust, the Rolex Deep Sea Special, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, the Rolex Sea-Dweller, the Rolex Explorer II, the Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000, the Rolex Pearlmaster (aka “Masterpiece”), the Rolex Yacht-Master, the Rolex Yacht-Master II, the Rolex Deepsea, the Rolex Sky-Dweller, the Rolex Air-King, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual, and the Rolex Cellini. Montres Tudor SA designed, manufactured, and marketed Tudor brand watches since March 6, 1946. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, created the Tudor Watch Company line to offer a more affordable watch with the same reliability and dependability of a Rolex. Tudor’s current line include the Tudor Black Bay, Tudor North Flag, Tudor Fastrider Black Shield, Tudor Pelagos, Tudor Glamour, Tudor Heritage Chrono, Tudor Heritage Ranger, Tudor 1926, and Tudor Classic.

Historical context

Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)

Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.

Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution

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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