Tudor "Tiger" Chronograph (Ref. 79280) Silver Dial, 2003

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

While Tudor is often considered Rolex's little sibling, the brand has its own storied history of iconic chronographs, laddering back to the release of the Oysterdate in 1970. That legacy continued into the late nineties and early 2000s with the 79000 series, which directly succeeded and improved upon the previous "Big Block" designs. During this time period, Tudor was ushering in a new era as their own brand, with the separation from Rolex becoming more evident as the crown, case, and bracelet are all signed Tudor, and the dial no longer features the text "Oyster." Introduced in 1995, the Tudor Prince Date Chronograph is a true neo-vintage model, featuring a more contemporary design, with a sapphire crystal and reduced case thickness, though it is still considered one of the last "vintage" designs from Tudor. Prince Date Chronographs were produced in a variety of styles, some with black fixed bezels, others with rotating bezels, and others still with steel bezels that closely resemble the Rolex Zenith Daytonas of the same era—there are also many ref. 79000 chronographs that bear the "Tiger" text underneath the 12 o'clock register, which was done in collaboration with Tiger Woods. SPECS Stock # TCH79280 Brand Tudor Style Tiger Chronograph Model 79280 Serial H3XXXXX Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Silver "Tiger Millimeters 40 Bracelet Tudor 62950 Bracelet W/ 632 End Pieces CASE & BRACELET The excellent case retains crisp finishing throughout with light signs of honest use and no notable evidence of being previously polished present. The stainless steel UPH bezel is in excellent condition, showing only minimal signs of use, and retains all of its factory black enamel. The Tudor signed trip-lock crown and screw-down pushers are original to the watch. The factory engravings remain crisp and deep on the case back. The watch is supplied on its original Tudor 78400 oyster bracelet with 632 end pieces, and is in excellent condition showing light wear and little to no stretch. The bracelet retains 13 links and will fit up to a 7 1/2-inch wrist. DIAL & HANDS The original silver sunburst dial featuring the bold red "Tiger" printing is in near-flawless condition, showing no age or major damage, though there is a small, virtually invisible, hairline stretch in the 12 o'clock sub-dial. The luminova lume plots remain bright white in coloration with no degradation present under UV light inspection. The original metallic black luminova hands match the dial perfectly and exhibit no degradation under UV light inspection. ACCESSORIES The watch comes with its original inner and outer boxes, along with its original Tudor Guarantee paper. The watch is keeping time and functioning perfectly, previous service history is unknown.