Tudor Submariner 'Snowflake'

Tudor has been hitting it out of the park these past few years with its modern line, and appreciation for its vintage models is at an all-time high.

Particularly desirable is the brand's Submariner collection, which was produced for decades alongside its sibling, the iconic Rolex Submariner. Tudor Subs feature the same cases, crowns, and build quality as their "Big Brother" Rolex models, but were fitted with off-the-shelf Swiss movements rather the in-house versions that gave Rolex their price tag.

As time wore on, collectors and enthusiasts began to appreciate the designs that were exclusive to Tudor's Submariner line. The most famous of these was the Tudor 'Snowflake' Submariner, a nickname taken from the unique shape of the hour hand and matching seconds hand. Though relatively modest in price when it was released, the 'Snowflake' Submariner has become a grail for many, causing values to climb within spitting distance of Rolex Subs of similar vintages. (In fact, these cool tool watches sometimes trade for more than their Rolex equivalents.)

This particular 'Snowflake' Sub is a Reference 94110 from the early 1980s. Housed in a 39mm stainless steel Oyster case with a signed, screw-down crown, a bidirectional rotating dive bezel with a blue count-up insert, an acrylic crystal with 'cyclops' magnifier, and a screw-down caseback, it features a blue dial with an outer minute track in white printing, large tritium-filled rectangular, square, and triangular indices, a 3 o'clock date window, and Tudor's famous luminous 'snowflake' handset. It also bears tremendously cool, evenly aged patina within the tritium plots.

Powered by an automatic Swiss-made ETA movement and paired to a Rolex Oyster bracelet with a signed flip-lock clasp, this wildly neat vintage Tudor Submariner diver is still capable of faithful everyday duty nearly half a century after it rolled off the factory floor. Who could possibly say no to such an awesome, purpose-built piece of kit? 

Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf created Tudor in 1926 for the everyman — for miners, construction workers and all sorts of tradesmen. For your everyday person Rolex was sometimes — and is now more so than ever — out of reach. It was meant for the explorer and the businessman, whereas Tudor was to be a different creature entirely.
In creating Tudor, Wilsdorf wanted to offer “a watch that our agents could sell at a more modest price than our Rolex watches, and yet one that would attain the standards of dependability for which Rolex is famous.”
Tudors were in many ways Rolexes in all but name, with the same waterproof Oyster cases and similar styling. However, in order to keep costs down, the brand used off-the-shelf Swiss movements rather than their own in-house calibres. What resulted were watches that were more affordable than Rolexes to the consumer, but still uniformly tough and reliable.
Today Tudor has certainly defeated any impression of being the redheaded stepchild of the Rolex family, and their current timepiece collection — as well as their vintage counterparts — are getting the recognition and respect they most rightfully deserve. From the colorful “Home Plate” chronograph to the complicated Advisor, these models often picked up where Rolex left off, daring to be more bold and playful in their design. And now that the brand has introduced in-house movements while still managing to keep pricing modest, the company is better poised than ever to win the hearts and minds of millions of new watch enthusiasts.

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Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

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