Tudor
The Fourth Coming – The Prince Oysterdate
1970 – Series One ‘Home Plate’ Oysterdate
Available in two versions, the 7031 with black plastic bezel tachymeter and the 7032 with steel tachymeter bezel. There was also a prototype with 12-hour rotating bezel that never made it to production. These watches were made in the grey/black/orange colour scheme.
1972 – Series Two ‘Monte Carlo’ Oysterdate
This series was available in three variations, the 7149 with plastic tachymeter bezel, the 7159 with steel tachymeter bezel and the 7169 with the 12-hour rotating bezel. Retaining the same case as the Home Plates, the Monte Carlos had an upgraded movement and alongside the grey/black/orange color scheme and blue/grey/orange color option was added with matching blue bezels.
1976 – Series Three ‘Big Block’ Oysterdate
The Big Blocks were in the line-up for close to 20 years and included both exotic dials and more reserved, Daytona-esque, baton marker dials. The most significant aspect of the third series was that they were automatic watches – the first auto-chronos from the Rolex family; 12 years ahead of the Daytona! The self-winding caliber necessitated a very deep Osyter case, hence the nickname Big Block. All three bezel versions were available.
1995 – Series Four ‘Prince’ Oysterdate
In 1995 Tudor launched the new Prince chronograph. Up until this point the cases of the Tudor chronos had been quite deep and flat sided – a true ‘presence’ on the wrist. The fourth series witnessed a complete redesign of the case. Gone were the flat sides and sharp edges and instead a softer case was utilized that was very similar to its stable mate the Rolex Daytona. This new sleek aesthetic was further enhanced by the introduction of a sapphire crystal, which accentuated the lower profile of the watch on the wrist. The previous plastic bezels were problematic in that they were delicate and could crack quite easily. In the new series of watches the 79260 had an aluminum tachymeter insert in the bezel. There were three watches available, the reference number referring to the bezel type. They were:
- 79260 – Black aluminium fixed tachymeter bezel
- 79270 – Black aluminium rotating 12-hour bezel
- 79280 – Polished steel fixed tachymeter bezel
Something of a ‘sleeping giant’, these fourth series chronos are picking up as collectors are beginning to appreciate them for their modern aesthetic and super high build quality. They are also beginning to appear in the major auctions and so I would head over to our online store right now, to grab one whilst you still can!