The 1957 Tudor Prince Oysterdate 34 'Waffle' Dial

When collectors think of Tudor watches, they often consider it an alternative for a Rolex, albeit a bit more accessible. But with the vast range of variations of watches they produced throughout their history, it can be difficult to consider them a replacement for anything. They really have their own niche collectable area in vintage watches that can be so fun to explore.

Similarly to Rolex, the Tudor Oyster watches first were produced in 1946. The Oyster-cased watches had manual-wind movements and have steel, 34mm cases. There were many different dial variations, in colour, texture and dial configuration. Tudor then launched their Oyster Prince models in 1952. The Oyster Prince launches coincided with the Rolex Perpetual launch which was referring to the fact that the movements used in their watches were automatic winding movements.

Tudor also released Oyster Prince models with a date complication, aptly named Prince Oysterdate’s, which is the watch we are looking at today. Specifically, we are looking at a Tudor Prince Oysterdate 34 from 1957. Breaking down the name, you will know that the watch features an Oyster case, automatic movement and feature a date complication. The watch was manufactured 5 years after the introduction of the automatic movements. It has a stainless steel case that is 34mm in diameter. 34mm cases are not for everyone - some feel they are on the smaller side and prefer 36mm or larger. It certainly can feel stealthy, and almost effortless wearing.

As soon as you look at the dial, your eye is immediately drawn to its texture. As mentioned before, Tudor launched many variations of their Oyster watches. Well, this watch comes with a white ‘waffle’ like dial. Looking at this watch under a loupe is absolutely incredible. You can see each raised surface and how it has aged. The dial has aged evenly and formed a light cream colour. The watch has steel hour markers that are applied. Even cooler, the non-quickset date has a roulette date wheel, so each day alternates between black and red text.

Fittingly, the watch is on a jubilee steel bracelet with a Rolex clasp - exactly what would make this watch dressy enough to wear for formal occasions, but discrete enough to wear everyday. The watch is running on the automatic caliber 390 and is keeping great time. It really is a spectacular watch to wear and tells a significant portion of the trajectory of Tudor during the 1950’s.

The watch is available on our store here.

Enjoy!