Tudor Submariner Date ref. 76100 'Lollipop', Blue Dial

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

The Submariner, namely those produced by Rolex, has long been considered the cream of the crop when it comes to watch collecting as a whole. Possibly the most iconic watch ever produced, the Submariner has long standing utilitarian roots that span decades, and everyone who’s anyone has been spotted wearing one. However, if you look deeper into the Submariner line, you may find a less known but just as incredible model manufactured by Tudor. These pieces are not only more unique and rare than the traditional Submariner, but offer much greater value. Designed as a replacement for the quintessential Tudor ‘Snowflake’ Submariners, the References 76100 and 79090 is in many collectors eyes, the last great vintage Tudor Submariner. These pieces all had matte dials with Tritium plots and matching Tritium-filled handsets, cases with lug-holes, acrylic crystals, and folded-link Oyster bracelets. In many ways, This is all stuff that we see in Rolex and Tudor models as early as the 1960s, but were produced well-into the 1990s! The example that we have here is an early piece dating to circa 1985 and remains in fantastic overall condition. The case has been very lightly polished at and earlier time, retaining some visible factory finishing and showing normal signs of wear throughout. Inside, it features a desirable blue dial, which retains a rich deep blue color and beautifully patinated Tritium indices. The handset matches beautifully and is of the 'lollipop' variant, rather than the much more common 'Mercedes' style hour hand. The bezel is also unpolished and has a stunning faded blue insert within. It comes fitted to its correct steel Oyster bracelet with a Tudor-signed fliplock clasp. Additionally, this piece is accompanied by it's inner and outer boxes, booklet, and punched papers dated 12/25/1986. These Tudor Subs of the mid 1980s into the mid 1990s not only present great value next to their Rolex cousins, but are very interesting in that they offer nearly all the feel of a Rolex Submariner Date dating back to the 1960s — with the charm of an acrylic crystal, a matte dial, and even a folded-link bracelet — for only a fraction of the entry cost. And Rolex sure never made a steel Submariner with a blue dial!