Pre-Owned Spotlight: Scratching The Tudor Itch
Buying a pre-owned watch is an excellent way to access watches that are (long) discontinued or just to let someone else take the hit on the retail price. In this series, our editors show you some of the pre-owned or vintage finds they found interesting. In this Pre-Owned Spotlight, RJ shares several vintage and modern Tudor watches that are being offered.
There’s one Tudor that keeps calling my name, the Pelagos LHD. For a long time, before the brand’s re-launch in the United States and Europe ten years ago or so, I ignored the Tudor Submariners and other models, as they were using Rolex parts except for the movement. A bit exaggerated, of course, but a Tudor Submariner looked very similar to a Rolex Submariner at the time, and the latter ones weren’t carrying the same price tags as they have today. With the introduction of the Black Bay and the Pelagos models, Tudor defined its own style. That said, if you like the style of the vintage Submariner (Tudor or Rolex), there are quite some interesting Tudor offers on the pre-owned market, including one in this article.
Tudor Prince Date + Day 94500. Image courtesy of Brandizzi
Tudor Oyster Prince Date + Day 94500
There’s the Rolex Datejust and Day-Date (only in precious metal), but there was also the Day Date done by sister-company Tudor. This Oyster Prince Date + Day e reference 94500 dates to 1995, still a time when Tudor used certain Rolex parts for its watches. The Tudor day date models date back to the 1960s, and even today, they have their (Glamour Day Date) models in the collection. However, the 1990s Oyster Prince Date Day remains to be my favorite. An ETA-based movement (2834-1) powers the watch, housed in a 36mm Rolex Oyster case with a Rolex-signed crown. As you can see in the picture, the Prince Day Date also uses the Oyster bracelet.
Tudor Prince Date + Day 94500. Image courtesy of Brandizzi
This watch benefits from many Rolex elements and the Oyster bracelet is definitely one of them. It’s an incredibly comfortable one to wear. The ETA-based movement ensures you can have it serviced at just any watchmaker. This watch is on offer from Italian dealer Brandizzi for €3,000. You can find it here. A few months ago, when I was attending a press trip to Audemars Piguet, I met with some watch journalists from the Nordics, and one of them was wearing a similar Tudor. I wish I had known about these watches before the boom in watches in the 2010s, although today’s asking prices are still reasonable.
Tudor Submariner. Image courtesy of G.C – Bergamo
Tudor Submariner 75090
Another Tudor from the 1990s with some Rolex flavor. It’s the Tudor Submariner 75090 that dates to 1991. It is a very familiar design with a tritium dial and hands and a water resistance of 200 meters. The Oyster bracelet has these folded links, which looks kind of strange today for a 1991 watch. Rolex had not been using them for a long time already by then.
The interesting part is that this is a 36mm diver, whereas the Rolex Submariner 16610 and 14060 from that time were 40mm. So this Tudor was an excellent choice for those after a smaller watch, as Rolex didn’t (and doesn’t) offer them in 36mm. This watch is being offered (click here) from Bergamo, Italy, has a €5,300 price tag, and comes with a box and papers. You can also find them for around €3,500, without box and papers. There’s also a 40mm Tudor Submariner from this era (reference 79090), but they have a heftier price tag (click here for one). Those also came with nicer bracelets, though, as they weren’t folded.
Pelagos LHD, image courtesy of Watch Exchange Co.
Tudor Pelagos LHD
A modern Tudor should not be missing in this article. This is the one I have to purchase at some point, the Pelagos LHD. For some reason, I thought it would be a limited run, but it’s in the regular collection. It does have a unique number engraved in the case back, though. This Tudor reference M25610TNL-0001 is a left-handed titanium watch with a slight bit of faux-patina. It’s the caliber MT5612-LHD, with chronometer certification, that powers this particular Pelagos.
Pelagos LHD, image courtesy of Watch Exchange Co.
This 42mm diver watch comes with boxes, papers, and the original rubber strap. It dates back to 2017, according to the seller from the USA. The retail price of this watch is currently €4,470, but it is being offered for €3,945 here. As you can see, there’s not much of a depreciation with the Pelagos, just about 10% on a watch that is five years old.
Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner 7924
Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed these pre-owned highlights. To me, where the (neo)vintage models above are clearly from a different era in Tudor’s history, the Pelagos is — in my opinion — the modern face of the brand. The Black Bay models play a little with their and Rolex’s history, while the Pelagos is simply a Tudor design. When the Pelagos came out in 2012, I compared it with the modern equivalent of the Rolex Sea-Dweller (which was then discontinued for a brief moment). Like the Sea-Dweller, the Pelagos LHD has an automatic helium valve. Not very useful as a desk diver that most of us are, but how many of you who drive a Land Rover Defender or Jeep-like car go off-road?
What is your favorite (discontinued) Tudor model? Let us know in the comments below!
