Rolexness reviews

Probably the rarest rail dial sapphire crystal Explorer II version..

2011-03-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have been collecting and researching the 16550 Explorer II for quite a while.
About five or six years ago an interesting Explorer II surfaced.
I never really considered the 16570 model as a key must have collectable until I came across one with a rail dial with black markers.

To put it in perspective the 16550 silver marker rail dial was the standard key Explorer II to own during the early 2000.
Then the non rail silver marker 16550 was placed on the map. This 16550 dial variation was produced along side the rail dial, besides not having the two sentence alignment, the layout with no "hyphens" in the phrase was different.

I believe that this non rail sentence alignment variation is rarer because it appears to be produced in lower numbers then the silver marker rail dial 16550, and can be found up until "R" serial.

Finally, the less known and much rarer 16750 rail with black markers surfaced and became evident among collectors during the past few years. So far I have personally seen three of this 16750 dial variation possibly serial range from "R" to "N".

I have concluded that cream dial color comes in different shades on all 16550's with silver markers, and seems to hold true as well on early 16570 dials. So in my opinion from my research the Explorer II cream dial color is not exclusive to the rail 16550 variant. As seen in the pictures.

The picture below depicts three dial types regarding the Explorer II. The left dial is the more commonly found rail, the dial on the right is the illusive non rail with silver marker variant, and the bottom dial is the ultra rare rail alignment with black markers.

The illusive a 16570 E serial rail dial with black markers. In my opinion the smallest produced Explorer II dial from the 1980's-1990's. If one finds this dial variation, it is quite a coup.

Different cream shades on dials..Some darker and lighter.

In this picture we have a rail and non rail silver marker 16550's.

R serial with box and papers.

The rare first version 1655 orange straight hand Explorer II

2010-11-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

The rare first version 1655 orange straight hand Explorer II is an interesting watch. A few elements make the first 1655 version a difficult watch to find in correct configuration. Dial, bezel, early case back, and straight second hand make it quit a coup to find an intact early 1655

The first generation dial is unique to the 1970-72 year model.
The coronate or crown on the first version dial print has a different shape to it. One can notice a small opining at the bottom side and is more centered over the letter "L" , but still resembles the frog foot design.

The bezel numbers are with smaller thick fonts on the first 1655 version, and are situated more towards the crystal area rather then being closer to the center of the bezel.

The sweep second hand is also unique to the early 1655 versions. Upon a closer look, one will notice that these hands are not just a white painted Datejust sweep second hand. The 1655 second is square tipped non tapered design with a specific length to it.

The case backs featured on the early 1655 models have a punched and dated numbers on them.

The second version of the 1655 orange luminous dot hand Explorer II from the year 1973-74

A 1675 with the very rare and sought after all blue and all copper insert.

2010-06-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

The insert numbers are a real silver and not faded to a light gold color as most early inserts become. Compare the all blue 1675 GMT insert numbers to the all copper GMT insert.

The early all gold inserts had fat number fonts..Compare the number "8" for example on the all gold faded 1675 with the copper insert.
Now as far as the silver color, the early fonts in the picture are more of a light gold cream from fade. But copper is a real no fade silver and is an entirely a different insert when one looks closer. The serifs are different as well on the two inserts, as one can see for example in the number "4".
The all copper insert has the number fonts in silver not gold..BIG differance..same as the all blue bezel. These 1675 GMT inserts I believe were used in the late 1960's and 1970's on the two tone model 1675 gold bezel and SS cases. But maybe also found on just an all SS 1675 GMT.

The all blue GMT insert from my research was issued on military 1675's at first..

But with surplus the leftover all blue bezels were given to Rolex service centers and made available as an option to service customers in the 1970's till the stock ran out. I was also told by Rolex NYC that the service center watchmaker years ago when I submitted my 1675 for service, that an in-house parts book had the all blue Tudor Sub and Rolex GMT bezel pictured. One interesting note, was that Tudor had an all blue bezel on the 1970 Tudor Sub and Monte Carlo chrono model.

The look at unique Milgauss 1019

2010-03-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Milgauss 1019 Rolex is a very unique watch.
Used by professionals working in highly magnetic atmospheres such as in nuclear industries which yielded a strong magnetic fields. A need came about to have a watch movement be able to handle these extreme conditions. Rolex was up to the challenge and created a iron cage to house and shield the caliber from any magnetic harm. A simple synopses of this model revels to us that only two dials were ever issued for this reference. A silver and black dial was the only chosen options a buyer had on this model.

The early models had the 1/5 hash markers on the dial, while later dials were changed over to a 1/2 hash markers. This dial is the rail dial version..Very rare to find a 1019 rail dial.

1/2 hash markers

1/2 hash markers

A picture of a rail and non rail 1019 dail.

rail dials

The 1019 featured two types of minute and hour hands. The early 1019 hands featured a gloss polished hour and minute hand built out of an antimagnetic material. The later hands had an aluminum matte textured hour and minute hand. Oddly enough the 1019 straight second hand with a red arrow tip and apparently been used on the early and later 1019 model run.

Three odd items which intrigued me were, the fact that the reference 1019 used a small 5.3 mm rather then the bigger 6.mm crown. As well as the large tropic # 32 crystal. One of the largest plastic Rolex diameter crystal in the Rolex family. I believe this case design housed the movement top iron plate and resulted in a bigger crystal to cover the extra case size. The last odd fact about the 1019 transpired in the "M" letter being stamped on the caliber plate, only found on the 1019 caliber.

The 1019 rotor bridge had a specific 1580 stamp instead of the ubiquitous 1570 numbers.

One other notion regarding the 1019 dial variations, a rail 1019 dial does exist and is correct. See the comparison of a rail 1665 and 16550 to the 1019 rail dial in the picture below. Same font alignment and layout. No disputing this fact that the 1019 rail dial exists.

Some particulars about the double silver print variation 5508 dial.

2009-11-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

A brief background on the thin cased 5508 non crown guard seems to be in order. The 5508 Submariner replaced the similar in appearance 6536 and 6536-1 with 1030 caliber. But for a short time these thin cased models were produced at the same time. A ball park production figure for the 5508 Submariner would be from late 1957 to 62. The foremost advantage which the 5508 model shared over the 6536 examples was that it housed the updated 1530 caliber. For a collector or watchmaker this 1530 caliber made it easier to maintain then the harder to find 1030 caliber parts.

The topic for this segment, will be about a very early chocolate color dial change 5508 model.

From my research this double silver rounded bottom coronet 5508 dial was a particularly an early one. I am not unfamiliar to this type of dial. I also owned an early 6536 thicker cased 1030 caliber Submariner with this style of dial. Being an early thicker cased 6536 with this type of rounded crown and double silver print dial made me wonder if at that time I had an early variant. Unfortunately, I sold the 6536 almost nine years ago not understanding rarity of this dial.

Being a low and early production dial I have seen a few more similar dial coronet configuration in my travels, one on an early 6542 GMT and a couple other early 5508 Subs. The 6542 and 5508's bore early serial # as well. All these models so far had sub 38xxxx serial numbers. Logically from what I have observed, this early 5508 two silver line dial was placed in early Sport's models for a few short years.

The early two silver line dial model (361xxx) serial has the very popular and desirable color change dial feature as well. It has turned to a nice medium chocolate color.

I will be focusing on a particularly early serial 361xxx non crown guard Submariner model. This 5508 SWISS gilt gloss dial with double silver print dial rounded bottom coronate, is quite a rare variation in the 5508 dial line up. See picture below for the dial coronate variation.

One will notice the more rounded dial coronate bottom and longer crown arms. The gold print fonts such as letters "R" non serif and "O" are unique on this 5508 variation

This depiction below is a dial coronate from the more ubiquitous 5508 dial with a flatter crown bottom and a lower crown arm ends. The letters "R" with serif and "O" are with gold print as well.

In the photo below we see the depth rating and the word Submariner both in sliver print, instead of the gold and sliver combination.

This feature of having silver print on these fonts are not common to 5508 dials. Below in the photo we see the more common SWISS dialed 5508 with a silver depth rating and gold Submariner font.

The matte dialed 5513

2009-10-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

This post is a small summary regarding the 5513 round crown guard model for now, and not an in depth perspective of the 5513 model. I will omit the military, double named dials, and other special versions of the matte 5513 model. I will add more info on these adaptations as time passes.

The Rolex non date Submariner is arguable the one of the most iconic Rolex model in the world. But for most Submariner vintage collectors their first vintage purchase was a 5513 non date round guard Submariner model. The term round crown guard originates from the crown guard basically being round at the top area near the crown seat, rather then ending up in a point or peck as on the first version of 5513 cases.

The more affordable examples from the 5513 model line are the matte dialed round crown guard versions appearing towards the mid 1960's. This was a transition period from the gloss gold gilt dial era to the matte versions.

The first and more desirable matte dial version was the 200m/660ft version (1965-71), then followed by the more generic and ubiquitous 660ft/200m dial. As with many Rolex dials the 200m/660ft and 660ft/200m dials were being produced at same time for a few years. The final years of the 5513 production run housed a gloss dial with gold makers.

The calibers used for the 5513 were the 1530 and 1520. The slow beat (non submitted for chronometer testing) 1530 caliber ironically was shared with in the early 1960's with the 5512 Submariner, then around 1964-65 the a non hacking 1520 caliber transitioned onto the scene. From my research the non hacking 1520 caliber was made only a few short years before being replaced by the hacking 1520 caliber around 1967-8 or so. The hacking 1520 caliber would remain the caliber for the 5513 till the end of production well into the 1980's.

An early 200m/660ft dail matte version of the 5513

I do own a 660ft/200m dial in a military format

a view of the case back and 1520 caliber.

Here we have a Swiss gloss gilt dialed 5513 pointed guard from 1963 equipped with a 1530 caliber. More on the early 5513 in a few weeks.

The Submariner reference # 5512

2009-10-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

I just love the 5512, and wear everyone in my watch rotation. My favorites are the gold gilt gloss dialed editions.

Pointed or with the round crown guard, as long as it is a 5512 it gets my attention.
I love the look of the dial and the very accurate 1530, 1560, and 1570 calibers.
What I found to be very interesting to me was, that the 5512 was a truly small production model by Rolex.

I have always ascertained that the 5512 was a hard model to sell to customers. I say this because it looks almost exactly as the less expensive 5513 to the eyes of a new customer in that era. I bet it was hard to justify the extra cost from upgrading from a 5513 to the 5512 to the perspective client

The sales pitch must have been difficult to administer, two extra lines on the dial and a more precise caliber seems like a hard sell to me.

But apparently customers agreed with my assessment, and my belief was that the 5513 outsold the 5512 (unofficially) 5 to 1.

Be as it may, unpopular models are sought after by collectors. The 1019, 1655, and 1530 to name a few have a large following.

Some of my 5512 collection below.

The pointed guard gloss "SWISS" four line gold and white print 5512 is in my opinion the must desirable 5512's to collect.

What I observed was that a similar gloss gold gilt print dial was also in the line up. The gloss gold print Swiss-T< 25 with gold and white dial print.
Believe it or not from what I have reserched on this dial, it is less commonly found then thought. It may be as rare as it's Gloss Swiss brother. I say this because I have seen far less numbers Swiss- T<25 dials as with the Swiss Gloss dials. Just my obervation from my experances at watch shows, auctions, and from other Rolex vintage dealers and collectors.
These Gloss Swiss- T<25 dials where found in both the pointed and rounded crown guard 5512's. The range in production years from my research and ownership of these watches fall between from 1963 to 1966 with the 1560 caliber.

The 5512 'Bart Simpson' coronet dialed Sub was produced between the years 1965 to maybe 1967.
Some collectors say the start date to be 1964. But maybe to early, at lest for me.
Small production run for only two to three years or so.
They can be found in pointed and round guard cases and on 5512-3 dials so far.
I have not seen any Bart coronet GMT or 1016 dials yet.
I believe they are more collectable because of the limited run. These Bart dials also have a tendency to turn brown with the right or should I say bad environment of humidly case leakage.

Let us take a glance at the first pointed guard 5512 case.

Besides the first 5512 square crown guard, I believe the second desirable case to collect would be the first generation 5512 pointed crown guard variant. From my research not all early 5512 crown guards have the same shape. The early release 1959 or so 5512's had a more define side angled peak to the crown guard shape. I noticed even back in the day on my early 5512 which I purchased ten years ago that this crown guard was not a run of the mill pointed guard. But back then when vintage Rolex was not mainstream yet, I did not have the research tools and other examples from other collectors or from dealers to put this puzzle together.

When one compares the second generation 5512 pointed crown guard case to the first generation, one can see in my opinion a lack of defined sharper side peak side area. It also appears to me that the second generation crown guard sticks out a little farther in covering the side crown field area. While the first generation crown guard comes at a steeper angle and sticks out less.

The first generation pointed guard 5512 case with this unique crown guard shape seems to have been produced around the 5xxxxx range with possibly only III 59 case backs. As with very early 5512's, the reference and serial numbers were placed at the top of the middle case area unlike the latter bottom number case placement.

I have only seen a small amount of this 5512 crown guard variation over time by way of collectors and watch dealers. Unfortunately many of these early 5512's had bad case polishes and the definition was not as crisp as it once was.
Recently I noticed an expose about the early 5512 square and first generation crown guard in the 2009 Italian watch magazine named OM.

I conducted a comparison photo of my early 5512 to the 5512 picture displayed in the magazine article.

One conjecture that really caught my attention was that allegedly a few early square guard 5512 were filled down to a pointed configuration to make it easier for divers to set the crown. Could this explain the sharp angles of the first generation pointed guard?

Be as it may, I found the early 5512 case crown guard research interesting and on going, while the OM magazine is NOT a Rolex factory resource verification tool. This article did add some new perspective of why maybe we have different 5512 case shapes over the years. OM is a pleasure reading magazine so take what is written in perspective, as many articles are just conjecture of people think and not 100% correct.

It appears that the early 5512 case design was truly unique..
Istacked a 1963 5512 over my 1959 5512. Looks to me that the lug on the 1959 case (bottom one) is thicker then the 5512 1963 top case lug. Also notice the more prominent curve on the 1959 case lug. The 1963 has more of a slant to it.
See the photo blow..interesting perspective on case design evolution.

1675 double Swiss and EARLY GMT'S with pointed guards study..

2009-08-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

In my opinion one of the most significant Swiss GMT 1675's in the model's timeline is the double Swiss 1675.

Let us look at it this way, without an underline on the 2 x Swiss GMT and added Swiss-T<25 we can see Rolex clearly advertised the new lum material.
Now for me the underline makes it further from the being a reluming symbol then ever. As we have seen and proven on Patek's and early non sport's model.
So far I have seen about four double Swiss GMT with this dial variation ranging form 10xxxxx to 11xxxxx serial numbers. White Swiss print, silver Swiss-T< 25, and gold gilt print for the rest of the dial. Three different print colors. Wild!

What makes this dial so significant is the indisputable evidence of the actual years and timeline when the Swiss dials changed over to Swiss-T< 25. Thus by logic Rolex switched from radium to tritium. So in my opinion the underline dial was definitively not a symbol for the radium to tritium lum change over, but for the centering of the dial print.

The missing link GMT below without the underline and displaying the Swiss T<25 in silver and the Swiss print in white without an underline and the rest of the print in gold gilt. Now three different print colors, radial markers, a place to put the Swiss-T<25 nicely under the 6 o'clock marker, and a deliberate placement of the the white Swiss print so one can see it as on any other Swiss dial. Now to me that is a rare dial by any standards. So far, this print layout is not found on any other Rolex dial.
As with the unique Bonhams 3-6-9 the 2 x Swiss GMT, Rolex did advertise the new lum material but by not an underline symbol, more like a specifically clear undeniable symbol such as the Swiss-T<25. An universal signal to all.

One will find in this segment a general overview of the GMT pointed guard model. I did not bring forth extreme particulars in order to help the newer collector to better understand this specific GMT model. So I omitted close up scans and amply explaining the nuances of dials, case backs, calibers, and variations within this model line.

Besides the 6542 no crown guard GMT, the early 1675 pointed guard is next sought after of the GMT from a long line of GMT lineage.

The pointed guard nomenclature adverts to the crown area guard, which is part of the case. This area was added to protect the crown as on the Submariner models from impacts that would possibly compromise the crown's waterproof status. The 1675 GMT had two types of crown guard designs during it's production run. The fist generation being the pointed guard version, so called because of it's pointed peck design and the later being a square crown guard design. Both versions were produced a number of years at the same time.

A side view of a 1675 pointed guard case

The pointed guard came into production around 1959 and ended production around 1966. All pointed guard models which I have seen housed the GMT 1560 slower beat caliber.

The GMT 1560 slower beat caliber in the picture below.

The early case back..

The fast beat 1570 GMT caliber was housed by the newer square guard 1675.
The early 1675 pointed guard versions received a black gloss "Swiss" marked dial with outer chapter ring and gold gilt font dial with a small 24 hour hand.

By 1964 the gloss gold gilt dial and small 24 hour hand were still the standard, but with no outer chapter ring and now the Swiss-T<25 mark was added.

The 1675 pointed guard series received from the Rolex factory an expansion and non expansion oyster bracelet or in the mid 1960's a SS Jubilee bracelet.

The 1675 GMT black matte with white fonts and gold gilt dials were both available on the next generation 1675 square guard GMT..but the matte dial was not found on the 1675 pointed guard model.

Some interesting information regarding the 1680 red 660Ft= 200m dialed Submariner

2009-05-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

I believe more time and research has been given to the 200m=660Ft red dialed 1680 variant then has the later two other types of red dials.
In reality the Rolex produced 660Ft= 200m red dial versions are the more ubiquitous Submariners which most collectors own.

I have been collecting, selling, and observing the Red dialed 1680 Sub for many years now. Until recently, I realized that the closed "6" version of the 660 Ft =200 m seems to be produced in far less numbers the open "6" variant. My belief is, that the closed "6" red dial version was produced around the 37xxxxx and up serial number range. The open and closed "6" dials were obviously placed in the 1680 Submariners but far fewer closed "6" red dials were made. The classical understanding was that closed "6" red dial replaced the open "6" around that 37xxxx serial range. But my belief is that both open and closed "6" dials were made simultaneously until towards the end of the red dial production run.

In regards to the production time period of the open and closed "6" 660 Ft =200 m dials, the open "6" red dials from what I have observed dated back to 1969 or so. A far longer production run then the closed 660 Ft =200 m dialed had. But when the closed "6" red dial came onto the red dial timeline around the 37xxxxx serial the open "6" was also being produced.

In my travels I have observed more open "6" 660 Ft =200 m dials then the closed the"6" brother in watches. Logically given the smaller production window of the closed "6" 660 Ft =200 m dial and the introduction of the all white font 1680 dial towards the 40xxxxx serial number range, the closed "6" might be more rarer of a dial the we think.

Besides the configuration of the numbers on these two dials, the fonts also have some subtle difference. The red paint covering the white fonts texture and application are different as well. Compare the two images and see if one can pick out the little nuances between the two dials. Below

from the AAKVIPER collection an open "6" red dial example.

and a closed "6" red dial from my AAKVIPER collection

some more watches with red fonts on the dial from the AAKVIPER COLLECTION.

Hello again Rolex and Tudor collectors. Today the Bakelite GMT is in the spotlight..

2008-09-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

The reference model 6542 GMT Bakelite is my favorite variation from the GMT line. The famous Bakelite bezel was made from an acrylic type of material called Bakelite that had a terrible shortcoming in it's design. Rolex used this plastic or acrylic material because it was easy to mold into many forms by heating. Acrylic found it's way into industry utilization in the early 1930's in kitchen appliances and were engineers need a light material to replace clay or light metal.

A Bakelite product did crack with hard hits or when dropped severely.
In retrospect it was a bad idea to design a watch bezel for a sport's watch which took most of it's initial hits from hard activities. But it was easy to work with and this plastic was the only means to add radium to the numbers. I also suspect that it a cheaper product then metal.

From what I observed the design looks to be of a double inlay process. A base was made in a mold then the numbers were added by a die which pressed these numbers onto the base. Then the famous slightly radioactive radium material was applied to the numbers and a top acrylic coat was added and pressed together and baked by heat.

The result, was a fantastic glistening looking bezel in which the numbers glowed in the dark.
To this day many true Bakelite bezel's numbers still glow in the dark.
When one looks at a Bakelite bezel you get the appearance that the numbers are suspended in the bezel. That is because of the double inlay method that the manufacture used. It was a very ingenious method that Rolex used, but unfortunately this concept of the GMT bezel numbers glowing in the dark as do the dial markers and hands, never was manufactured again and was discontinued with the 6542 GMT model. Most Bakelite bezels were replaced with the more sturdy flat in appearance metallic version.

The problem that faced the Bakelite GMT bezel was that some how a radiation scare transpired regarding this Bakelite radium filled numbers GMT bezel. My guess that in the 1950's with the advent of the atomic bomb, the world population was on radiation fear alert. This fear compounded onto the bezel being retroactive and detrimental to the person wearing the GMT watch model. Rolex sent out reassurance letters to customers that these bezels where safe, and even offered to change to a new metal type of bezel.

To compound to the Bakelite bezel troubles, a pattern of cracking and paint fading started to occur on parts of the Bakelite bezel because of bezel tension stress from heat temperature differential and improper bezel removal at service. Many cracked Bakelite bezels started to appear after a service because of the side deflection and stress from the bezel removing tool used to pull the bezel from the crystal retaining ring. The tenacious grip from the inlayed thin wire on the inside track of the bezel to the crystal retaining would cause an imminent crack to parts of the bezel. Sometimes no matter what a watchmaker did the only way to remove a Bakelite bezel from the crystal retaining was to apply so much pressure on the bezel removal tool that a crack was bound to occur and unavoidable.

I believe that from the year 1955 to the late 1950's every 6542 GMT was outfitted with a true Bakelite bezel and a red and black roulette type date wheel. A short production run of four years and a quite recall by Rolex makes this Bakelite bezel even more rare to find in any condition. These early Bakelite GMT'S are truly an important piece of Rolex history. Sadly not many Bakelite bezels survived the test of time.
I am genuinely lucky to own a piece of Rolex GMT history.

2008-08-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

More Tudor Monte Carlo information ........

Click on picture to get a full view of the collection

Click on picture to get a full view of the collection

Click on picture to get a full view of the collection

Hello Rolex and Tudor fans ...My name is Arthur AKA (AAKVIPER) and I would like to..
introduce the exotic dialed Tudor Monte Carlo. Some call it a poor man's PN.
A little brief history first.

The Tudor Monte Carlo, not unlike it's corporate cousin the Rolex Daytona with a plastic crystal and 727 Valjoux movement became a very desirable watch to collect. In my opinion the iconic and popular watch the Daytona was and still is a Rolex best seller...so the Tudor Monte Carlo was created to fill in the lower entry level chronograph market. Both the plastic Daytona and Tudor Monte Carlo had cases constructed by Rolex and both were powered by a similar Valjoux caliber

The popularity of the two register Tudor is due to the strong lineage to the Rolex chronograph in general. The Daytona and Tudor have a similar Valjoux caliber..the Tudor is minus a register and a micro Stella balance set up. But the 234 and 727 calibers share 85% of common parts and movement size. In fact the early 23 Valjoux calibers powered Rolex two register Chronographs from the 1940-1950.
The second series reference # 7159, 7169, and 7149 was the two register 234 Valjoux powered Tudor chronograph (1974-1978).

Below is the model 7159 with box and 1970's Rolex/Tudor service and origianl papers

One of the hardest Monte Carlos to find in the 71xx series would be this blue based dailed 7169.

Close up scan of the 7169 dial.

The last Monte Carlo model configuration is the 7149 with the same type of bezel as on the Daytona 6263. The 7149 had a black as in the picture or a blue bezel with a blue background dial.

Below a complete set of the Monte Carlo home plate I own.

The first Monte Carlo series was a two register reference #7031-7032 with a 7734 caliber was produced only for four years(1970-1974).
The other nick name for this watch is the home plate dialed Monte Carlo. The makers resembles baseball diamond plates.

The Tudor Monte Carlo received this nick name because of the resemblance of the dial to a roulette wheel in the gambling halls in the famous casino town in the south of France.

By the early 1980's the Tudor chronograph no longer was powered by a Valjoux 234 caliber. The Tudor Chronograph now with a referance #94xxx had three registers and was powered by the 7750 caliber. Some early versions had the exotic Monte Carlo dial in matte black or gray background with the outer roulette wheel and orange outside number markers.

Two of my 7159 MC's on straps.

A family group scan of some of the Monte Carlos on bracelets.

Stay tuned for a deeper look at the the Monte Carlo.
Untill then, enjoy Arthur. ;)

The Monte Carlo two register chronograph..why is it different then most other Tudors?

2008-08-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

During the 1970's through early 1980's Tudor chronograph once deemed the best entry Rolex affiliated chronograph for the money has moved up nowadays into the highly collectable chronograph market.

The Tudor Submariner for a while also mimicked the Submariner case, bezel insert, bezel, crown and the successfully good looks of the Rolex Submariner reference model 5513, 5512 and 1680. But unlike the (MC) 234 and (Daytona) 737 Valjoux chronograph calibers the Tudor Submariner movement had no similarities with the 1520 or 1570 Rolex calibers. Of course these 15xx calibers were produced by Rolex in house while the movement firms of ETA and Valjoux supplied and powered the Tudor Submariner.
See the picture below and notice how the Tudor and Rolex Submariner are alike from the outside.
Remember the early Monte Carlo Tudor two register chronograph was powered by the 234 caliber, the same basic 23 caliber that early Rolex two register chronographs form the 1950's had and then later the three register 1960-1980 Valjoux 72-727. The 234 and 727 shared over 65% of the same Valjoux parts.

With this strong linage that the Tudor two register Monte Carlo had with it's bigger brother Daytona 6263-6265 in the 1970's, Daytona collectors were among the fist to start collecting the Tudor 70xx and 71xx models.

Finding any information regarding the Tudor chronograph from any year is a quite coup nowadays. I believe that Rolex in spite of common perception did advertise the Tudor line in a diligent manner.

It appears to me that The Tudor model 70xx and 71xx chronographs having been produced in much smaller numbers when compared to the production of the Daytona 6263 and 6265 that by this ratio, manuals, boxes, brochures and other Monte Carlo accessories are not very common.

Just in the past six years I have noticed that the exotic dialed Tudor Monte Carlo has started to peck serious interest among firstly the Chronograph collectors and now among Rolex collectors. Many vintage Rolex fans have come to know about these exotic dialed Monte Carlo dialed watches from Internet watch forums from across the world.

Now most Rolex vintage collectors are actively looking to add these Monte Carlo Tudor chronographs to one's collection.

With this new found interest for the Tudor chronograph, the Tudor three registered 7750 movement caliber with the case being produced by Rolex as it has in the past is being sought after by newer collectors. The three register Monte Carlo dial is the rarest version to find in the 92xx models. See example below of the harder to find black MC dial version in a 9421 model. I have seen more of the gray background MC dials in the 92xx models.

From the three register thick case Monte Carlo to the Tiger Woods chronograph, the new found popularity among collectors seems to be infectious, and with a lower cost of ownership then it's 1970's two register predecessor. Many Rolex collectors are discovering the joy of owning a three register Tudor chronograph with the good looks of a Daytona, but with a date feature.

More watch talk to come in my next installment, cheers Arthur

Still the best "bang for the buck".

This rare cream dial Tiger in the scan below was never in any catalogues or factory brochures..To add to the mystery, the Tudor service reference books never had a cream or off white dial described, only white was the only option. So no dial number was ever given to a cream Tiger dial.