Tudor Oyster – A Complete Guide and History

Tudor Oyster Complete Guide

Most people will think about Rolex when they hear the word ”Oyster” in the context of watches. On the dial of all Rolex watches today, except for the Cellini, you can find the text ”Oyster Perpetual”. But what you may not know is that Tudor has its very own relationship with the word ”Oyster”.

As you probably know, Tudor and Rolex have a close relationship. In fact, Tudor was founded by the same man who founded Rolex – Hans Wilsdorf. The idea of Tudor was to offer the same build quality as a Rolex watch but at a lower price. The company would achieve this by using Rolex watch parts, but equipping them with off-the-shelf movements rather than in-house calibers.

Hans Wilsdorf said:

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“For some years now, I have been considering the idea of making a watch that our agents could sell at a more modest price than our Rolex watches, and yet one that would attain the standard of dependability for which Rolex is famous. I decided to form a separate company, with the object of making and marketing this new watch. It is called the Tudor watch company.”

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Bearing in mind that Tudor, for a long time of its production, used Rolex parts, Tudor watches looked very similar to Rolex’s watches. As such, it also incorporated Rolex’s design and technical watch innovations. One such innovation was the Oyster.

In 1926, Rolex created the world’s first waterproof wristwatch. And due to its waterproof technology, Rolex named it the Oyster. The Oyster watch was waterproof thanks to a screw-down case back, lined with rubber gaskets. Furthermore, Wilsdorf developed a winding crown that would screw down against the case, ensuring that the otherwise vulnerable crown was leak-proof. The crystal was also equipped with a seal to ensure full water resistance.

This allowed for a hermetically-sealed case that protects the movement and the inside of the watch.

From that time and onwards, the Oyster was not only the name of a Rolex model but Rolex’s terminology for a water-and dustproof wristwatch. Today, Rolex’s Oyster case technology is implemented into all of Rolex’s watches except for the Cellini.

So what does this have to do with Tudor? Well, eventually, Tudor naturally also started using the Oyster case for its own watches.

Tudor Oyster

Around 1947 saw the release of Tudor’s first wristwatch using the Oyster case technology with the ”Tudor Oyster”. This watch was the reference 4463, featuring a 34 mm waterproof Oyster case

Tudor Oyster Prince

1952 saw the release of the Tudor Oyster Prince, incorporating the Oyster case technology. You may say that this was Tudor’s first serious sports watch, as it was also marketed as a robust ad durable timepiece that could take a beating.

Upon releasing the Tudor Oyster Prince watch, Hans Wilsdorf said:

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”I HAVE DECIDED THAT THE TUDOR PRINCE DESERVES TO SHARE WITH ROLEX TWO ADVANTAGES I WOULD ALLOW NO OTHER WATCH TO USE – THE FAMOUS AND UNIQUE WATERPROOF OYSTER CASE AND THE ORIGINAL SELF-WINDING PERPETUAL ’ROTOR’ MECHANISM. ALL TUDOR OYSTER PRINCES WILL HAVE THESE TWO EXCEPTIONAL FEATURES, PREVIOUSLY EXCLUSIVE TO ROLEX. THIS INDICATES, I THINK, THE MEASURE OF OUR FAITH IN THE NEW WATCH. I AM PROUD TO GIVE MY PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT.”

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Following this, Tudor released – just like Rolex – a number of new watches incorporating the Oyster technology. Not to mention its most serious dive watch, the Submariner. Other models include the Tudor Oysterthin, Oyster-Prince Ranger, Prince Oysterdate Ranger, Prince Oysterdate, Oyster Prince Date-Day, Oysterdate Chrono, and more.