Tudor has been in the headlines quite a bit this year, especially with the brand’s new releases in Watches & Wonders. These new releases include an updated version of the Tudor Black Bay with a sunburst dial and MT Series movement for a more elegant look. But today’s story is about what I believe to be the legitimate ancestor of this line of watches, the Tudor Oyster.
With so much interesting news surrounding the 2023 release of Watches & Wonders in recent months, I thought paying attention to a vintage watch was worthwhile. For those who have only dabbled in new or current replica watches, the humble Tudor Oyster is a watch that can truly serve as your first foray into vintage watch pride.
The Tudor Oyster is a little gem. Featuring a Rolex Oyster case, a design named for its water resistance, the Tudor Oyster is essentially a version of Rolex’s iconic design but with third-party movements. Many of these are from movement manufacturers such as ETA. The Tudor Oyster is a more affordable and accessible version of its Rolex counterpart without sacrificing quality, truly establishing the modern Tudor philosophy (I’m looking at you, Tudor Black Bay Pro).
The most common Tudor Oyster is 34mm wide. However, Tudor also makes other sizes. Among them is a 38mm version (with a useful 20mm lug spacing). Collectors call these Tudor Oysters “Jumbos.” The case design will be familiar to anyone who has tried on a vintage or even a new (smaller) Rolex Oyster Perpetual. The case fits nicely on the wrist and the 34mm size makes these a truly unisex watch. My partner really enjoys wearing my Tudor Oyster Perpetual. 7962 with the hand-wound ETA movement. The silver dial of this Tudor watch works quite well with several different colored straps, which means this watch can easily be dressed up or down.
They sound like words taken from medieval poetry. However, these three words have a special meaning for collectors of TUDOR watches. That’s because the wide range of Tudor Oyster dial designs you can find is simply fascinating (go online and you’ll see what I mean). The Tudor Oyster had small and then large roses on the dial at one particular time in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Later, the rose was replaced by the famous shield symbol that many of us are now familiar with. The Tudor Oyster, with automatic movement, also developed a “smiley face” text to inform consumers of this fact. This text has the straight line “ROTOR” above and “SELF-WINDING” below in the shape of a crescent or smiley face. This text does not appear on all TUDOR Oyster automatics, but it adds a sense of playfulness when it is on the dial.
