ABOUT THIS WATCH

Long been considered the slightly less attractive and budget brand little sister to Rolex, Tudor has recently come into its own as being more unique, interesting, and satisfying than the older sibling it may have been jealous of all this time. However, what collectors have finally started to realize is that Tudor has probably always been the more interesting one, taking the design risks that Rolex is never willing to take. The most famous past examples of highly unique designs are found with the Tudor Snowflake Sub & the Monte Carlo line of chronographs. This 7016 Tudor Sub may not appear right away to be as unique in comparison to a Rolex Sub of the same generation, but upon closer look the minor differences that set it apart become much more obvious, especially in the way they patina after several decades.

Introduced in 1968, the Tudor 7016 is the successor to the 7928 (which was made for 8 years prior) and was updated with a more robust and reliable ETA 2483 (7928 used a Fleurier). This 7016 is the first one of its kind and considered a transitional model because it has all the same visual cues as the 7928 including the semi-pointed crown guard case and the older “rose” logo while being the new model. The next year, Tudor updated its logo with the current “shield” logo we still see today which makes this 7016 a little more rare than the others and adds to its overall allure as a vintage Submariner.

Which brings me back to why I consider this watch much more interesting than your standard Rolex Sub from the 60’s. Both Rolex and Tudor have always been considered tool watches, but Tudor even more so since it’s always been less expensive. Because of this we see many examples now either in subpar shape or with several key parts replaced like dials, hands and bezels. This particular one however is in fantastic condition with all original parts and outstanding patina and fade, having spent its entire life in the Mexican sun (was owned by only two different people in Mexico). Rolex Subs from the late 60’s, while awesome, are not quite as difficult to find by any means. This 7016 is a true diamond in the rough and has developed a very charming personality of its own. It was always and still is the more interesting one, even if we didn’t realize it until now.

In true Rolex/Tudor tool watch fashion, this watch is running as well as it was the day it was put together and will continue to be a reliable workhorse for the rest of its third owners life.