Tudor Prince Oysterdate

Why We Love It It is no secret that the popularity of the Tudor brand is reaching stratospheric levels as of late. After decades of neglect by collectors, Rolexes' sibling brand has caught on in an epic fashion, due in no small part to the tremendously desirable and popular line of modern Heritage Collection timepieces that has swept the industry over the past few years. Vintage Tudor timepieces have similarly "caught on" and many nearly-forgotten wristwatches have been pulled from sock drawers and brought back into the well-deserved limelight. While the greatest attention is being paid to the sports models such as the Snowflake Submariner and Monte Carlo Chronographs, there are also a number of superb casual and formal dress pieces being "found" and brought back to life. Featuring many of the same parts as their Rolex cousins but fitted with ETA movements, these models present a great value to collectors of any level and we're happy to see these models getting their due. For decades, the Prince Oysterdate was a cornerstone of the Tudor collection. Produced in myriad configurations over the years, we truly believe there is an Oyster Prince for every wrist. This particular example features a classic Oyster case design, silver sunburst dial, and magnified date window, all tone-on-tone for that super clean look. Just the right amount of patination to the luminous elements and some leather strap action, and its everything you'd want. All in all, it's hard to go wrong with Tudor- rock solid movements and iconic designs add up to a tremendous value proposition. The Story When Rolex launched the Tudor Oyster Prince in the 1950s, founder Hans Wilsdorf (who also founded Rolex) intended the watch to be worn by the everyman.  Before the watch’s release, Tudor subjected six Oyster Princes to a “Trial of Destruction” in which a construction worker wore them—one after the other—while operating a jackhammer. After passing each trial, the Prince was heralded with ad campaigns showing construction workers and miners hard at work with watches proudly strapped to their wrists. The watch also saw real-world experience in the harsh environs of the Arctic, with the British North Greenland Expedition, drawing the “extreme admiration” of the men who wore them. If that isn’t a ringing endorsement, we don’t know what is.