Tudor Submariner Date ref. 76100 'Transitional', Blue 'Dots & Daggers' 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 dates to circa 1984, the first years of production, and is offered in fantastic overall condition. The case remains in strong, very lightly polished condition, with clear factory finishing visible throughout and shows normal wear from age. The bezel also remains unpolished and houses a gently faded blue insert. Inside, it features a desirable blue dial, which retains a rich deep blue color and beautifully patinated Tritium indices. No doubt the highlight of this particular example, is that it carries over the 'Snowflake'-style handset from earlier references. For a single year only, the 'dots and daggers' dial was combined with the 'Snowflake' handset before transitioning to the 'lollipop' handset typically found on the already rare Ref. 76100, which of course was phased out soon after in favor of the 'Mercedes' handset soon after in the introduction of the Ref. 79090. It comes fitted to its correct steel Oyster bracelet with a Tudor-signed fliplock clasp. 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!