TUDOR SUBMARINER MARINE NATIONALE - Lot 16

TUDOR SUBMARINER MARINE NATIONALE Men's wristwatch in steel, blue dial, painted indexes with luminescent material, "snowflake" hands. Blue aluminum bezel insert with ball. Steel caseback signed "Original Oyster Case By Rolex Geneva" and M.N. 80, inside signed Tudor, reference 9411. Case reference 94010 and numbered 964***. Self-winding mechanical movement, weight signed "Tudor 25 rubies Auto-Prince Swiss Made", base ETA 2776. Oyster bracelet in folded steel, reference 9315 code M8 (1988), end pieces 380B. Watch functional at time of appraisal, with no guarantee of future operation or condition of parts. Hour and minute hands repainted, micro-scratches on glass and case, some marks on lugs and case back, later bracelet clasp. According to our information, the watch number does not appear on the Marine Nationale registers, which does not necessarily detract from its originality. Watch serviced at Bucherer Geneva in July 1988. Circa 1980 Diameter 39 mm Tudor, like other prestigious brands that have produced so-called "professional" diving watches, such as its parent company Rolex or Blancpain, has had the privilege of equipping professional corps with its watches. Such was the case with the French Navy, which began to receive Tudor Submariner "Big Crown" models from the second half of the 1950s. As the 1960s drew to a close, the French Navy received Tudor 7928 references with crown protectors, and informed Tudor that the hands were too thin for optimal legibility. No matter, Tudor developed its mythical, large "Snowflake" hands on its 7016 and 7021 references in the late 1960s, and the color blue soon appeared on dials and bezel inserts. Following this, blue Tudor Submariners with Snowflake hands were delivered to the Navy in the second half of the 1970s, as demonstrated by this example of a Tudor Marine Nationale from 1980.