B
Benjamin Clymer
Guest
Feed from Hodinkee Blog.Borealis Watch Forum takes no responsibility for any of the content posted.
While Tudor Submariners have a long and fairly well documented history as the official timepiece of the French Marine Nationale, their connection the United States Navy is far less clear. We do know that they were used by a handful of units through the late 1950s and early 1960s, but seldom do you actually find one with issue numbers or caseback engravings. And that is what makes this particular example so special.
You're looking at very early reference 7928 Submariner. So early, in fact, this watch has pointed crown guards (you'll see an article an even earlier square crown guard model very soon), and the dial on this watch has turned an amazing tropical color. The fading is extremely even, which vintage collectors absolutely love. The bezel is a great shade of grey, too. But, the best part about this watch is what it says on the back:
It reads " PROP USS Nereus AS-17". That means this watch is property of the USS Nereus, which was a US Navy Submarine-tender battleship - you can read all about it here. Launched in 1945 by way of Pearl Harbor, the Nereus arrived in Japan by April the following year, after stripping 39 Japanese submarines of all usable weapons.
The Nereus had a long and storied career at sea, and did cross the Arctic circle on one occasion. It was retired in 1971, and just last year, sent to be broken down. This superb Tudor MilSub is an incredible relic of a very different time in global politics, and the US Navy. These watches are seldom so clearly tied to specifics boats, and this one with the remarkable engraving, coupled with early pointed crown guard case and tropical dial make this a very, very special watch.
Special thanks to Eric Ku of 10PastTen for loaning us this special watch to photograph. You may read about another US Navy issued Tudor here.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.
While Tudor Submariners have a long and fairly well documented history as the official timepiece of the French Marine Nationale, their connection the United States Navy is far less clear. We do know that they were used by a handful of units through the late 1950s and early 1960s, but seldom do you actually find one with issue numbers or caseback engravings. And that is what makes this particular example so special.
You're looking at very early reference 7928 Submariner. So early, in fact, this watch has pointed crown guards (you'll see an article an even earlier square crown guard model very soon), and the dial on this watch has turned an amazing tropical color. The fading is extremely even, which vintage collectors absolutely love. The bezel is a great shade of grey, too. But, the best part about this watch is what it says on the back:
It reads " PROP USS Nereus AS-17". That means this watch is property of the USS Nereus, which was a US Navy Submarine-tender battleship - you can read all about it here. Launched in 1945 by way of Pearl Harbor, the Nereus arrived in Japan by April the following year, after stripping 39 Japanese submarines of all usable weapons.
The Nereus had a long and storied career at sea, and did cross the Arctic circle on one occasion. It was retired in 1971, and just last year, sent to be broken down. This superb Tudor MilSub is an incredible relic of a very different time in global politics, and the US Navy. These watches are seldom so clearly tied to specifics boats, and this one with the remarkable engraving, coupled with early pointed crown guard case and tropical dial make this a very, very special watch.
Special thanks to Eric Ku of 10PastTen for loaning us this special watch to photograph. You may read about another US Navy issued Tudor here.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.