Tudor Oyster Prince Date (Ref. 9020/0), 1977

Dealer description — Huntington Company

Tudor Oyster History - Tudor Oyster timepieces, introduced in 1946, were manual-wind watches housed in 34mm steel Oyster cases with a wide range of dial variations and were later introduced in other case sizes. In 1952, the "Oyster Prince" was introduced, indicating the presence of an automatic movement, which was Tudor's equivalent to Rolex's "Perpetual." These automatic movements were modified by Tudor but based on the Fleurier Calibre 390, making them bulletproof almost. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Tudor, aimed to create watches of the same quality and reliability as Rolex. He introduced the Oyster case and auto-wind movement, which he believed would make these watches stand up to his high expectations and promise. The Oyster case is iconic and one of the most beautiful and aesthetically pleasing designs of the 20th century. The Oyster was designed to hermetically seal the movement inside the case using screws and seals. The introduction of the three-piece case made replacing scuffed and cracked crystals easier and is still in use today. The screw-down crown and case back were still key features, but the bezel pressed over the crystal to seal the case. Specifications Model: Oyster Prince Movement: Automatic Year: 1977 Contents: Watch Only Case Material: Steel Case Size: The size is 34mm by 41mm, and it is 10mm thick, including the domed crystal. The lug width is 19mm. Rolex signed case with a smooth bezel. Dial: A silver sunburst dial with tritium lume on the hands and hour markers. Strap/Buckle: The original oyster bracelet has folded links. Buckle/Clasp: An early and original Rolex signed clasp. Condition Case: The case is very even. The lugs are sharp and untouched, which leads us to believe this is an unpolished piece. Bezel: The smooth steel bezel is unpolished. Crystal: The crystal is made of acrylic and is in very nice condition, with normal microscratches. Dial: The dial has small signs of wear. It has the original lume on the dial and hands. None of the lume is missing on the dial. Hands: The hands are original with Tritium lume. Noticeable cracking in the minute hand. Strap/Bracelet: The bracelet has minimal stretch and it fits up to a 7.2 inch wrist. It is unpolished with normal signs of wear. Buckle/Clasp: The original Rolex-signed clasp is unpolished, with typical signs of wear.