Rare Vintage (1980s) Fully Hallmarked 9ct Gold Swiss Rolex Tudor Manual Wrist Watch With Handcrafted Italian Leather Strap.
Dial Colour: As in photos attached
Material: 9ct Yellow Gold (Fully hallmarked)
Model Number: 57054
Movement: Manual, calibre 2750
Numeral Style: Baton
Width with crown 33.0 mm
Width without crown 31.8 mm
Watch Case Diameter: 31mm
Case Manufacture: W. H. Wilmot & Co (For Tudor)
Lug Width: 18 mm
Lug to lug length 38.5 mm
Case Thickness 10.3 mm
Weight (including strap): 31.8g
All sizes are approximate.
From the Birmingham hallmark inside the case back we can accurately date this watch to being assayed in Birmingham in 1984.
Kindly note: The watch was originally made to be water resistant so if you’re going to use it in wet environments I suggest you check the waterproofing. I have never used it in a damp environment so I can not guarantee that but the watch in superb untampered condition. No damage nor any visible scratches anywhere.
Marvellous genuine handcrafted watch. Fantastic quality and In lovely condition. Please browse all 12 sets of photographs attached for size, weight and condition as they are self explanatory. Recently serviced and in absolutely perfect working condition. Handcrafted watches this quality are seldom being made these days. In superb condition. If you are extremely particular you may wish to replace the original strap as its condition whilst excellent is commensurate with age. It’s a lovely robust leather strap.
The watch has been in my safe for many years. I took it out for the purpose of photography for this advert and have checked it over a long period and it works wonderfully. A lovely no nonsense mechanical wind up watch requiring no batteries. A joy to own.
If you need it in a nice box, please advise and I will do my very best to find one for you in my belongings. The red box in the photographs originally belonged to a Rotary watch.
Please note: A reputable jeweller could easily remove the inscription on the back and I can arrange that for you if required although it’ll reduce the gold content slightly. In my experience this is rarely recommended as the inscription confirms the history and the provenance.
In common with all vintage Rolex cases, this Tudor watch is very thick walled and extremely robust. This case is every bit as substantial as a Rolex stainless steel housing from the same period. Internally, the case is engine turned pearled pattern and signed “Made for Tudor”, together with the model reference number 00211 and the individual serial number for this watch, 57054.
Also present are a full set of British hallmarks, these informing us that this case was assayed as solid 9 karat gold in Birmingham, 1984 and the tiny letters “WHW Ltd”, these being the maker’s mark of WH Wilmot Limited, of the Albion Street Works, Birmingham, UK. In more than twenty years, I have only seen perhaps three or four Rolex cases made by Wilmot, and this curious aspect immediately makes this watch exceedingly interesting from a completist Rolex collector’s point of view. All the examples we have seen were from the early to mid-1980s, and their age goes a long way towards explaining their existence. Since the World War I era, Rolex had enjoyed a very successful relationship with the Dennison company acting as, almost universally, the case manufacturer for its watches sold in the UK, but this came to an end with the closure of Dennison in 1979.
Having lost a very important supplier, it seems natural that Rolex would have sought to continue its UK arrangement with a substitute manufacturer, and clearly located this in the same part of the country, Birmingham, then as now, being the centre of the British manufacturing jewellery industry. What is particularly fascinating is why WH Wilmot was chosen to supply contract cases, given that the firm wasn’t even previously involved with the manufacture of watch cases, but was well established as a respected producer of gold chains. In reality, like so many things vintage Rolex related, because the company today has a policy of refusing to answer any questions in relation to its past output, the specifics regarding the use of Wilmot for cases at this time, including the number of Wilmot made Rolex cases and the exact length of the relationship between the two firms, will remain a mystery for the foreseeable future.
The dial here is in excellent order and totally original and has never been restored in the past. The faceted batons are free from corrosion, as are the original matching gilt hands and Tudor emblem.
This watch is a calibre 2750, the basis of which Rolex purchased from the ETA company and then processed and finished to its own superlative standards. In technical terms, the 2750 is a manually wound unit, running at 21600 half beats per hour, with 17 ruby jewels and a power reserve of 48 hours, this being the length of time the movement will continue to run from a single wind before stopping. Here, the signature “Tudor, 17 Rubies, Swiss Made” is clearly stated on the bridge plate, with the calibre number 2750 found beneath the regulator. In every respect, this mechanism is original, and it contains no changed parts whatsoever. Having been serviced on a regular basis since new, it works perfectly today and runs extremely smoothly.
This is one of those classics for anyone considering the purchase of a new gold Rolex watch. It can be purchased today, worn on a regular basis for a decade and then sold on at a considerable profit. Over the years, all vintage Rolex watches have increased steadily in value without ever dipping in the slightest at any time, regardless of the general economic climate. Ownership of a classic Rolex is effectively free of charge in the long term and a very sound investment choice.
Brief history of W. H. Wilmot & Co:
The esteemed firm if W. H. Wilmot & Co was founded in 1860 in Spencer Street, Birmingham. It first specialised in handmade gold chains, especially Watch Albert chains. In 1893 It moved to its larger premises at 62-64 Albion Street where they have remained to this day!
1932 A disastrous fire resulted in the opening of a modern new factory which focused on the development of special tooling and machinery to ensure that their designs had the most sophisticated level of quality and craftsmanship possible.
W. H. Wilmot has manufactured for some of the major international watch houses. 1999 Following a request from one of its big customer Wilmot started producing watches complete with movements.
Brief history of Tudor watches:
Montres TUDOR SA is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury wristwatches based in Geneva, Switzerland. Registered in 1926 by Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, the brand remains a sister company to Rolex, both companies being owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation. Over time, Tudor became well-known for its tool watches, producing watches for professional divers and the military. Between the 1960s and 1980s, several navies issued Tudor Submariners to their divers, including the US Navy SEALs and the French Marine Nationale (French Navy).
The Tudor trademark was registered in 1926 by Swiss watchmaking company “Veuve de Philippe Hüther” on behalf of Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex watches. In 1936, Wilsdorf took it over himself and went on to found the company Montres TUDOR SA in 1946.
The aim of the Tudor brand was to offer a more affordable watch that would preserve the Rolex reputation for quality. Tudor watches were originally equipped with off-the-shelf movements while using Rolex quality cases and bracelets, allowing it to provide the reliability and dependability of a Rolex but at a lower price.
With the launch of the Tudor Oyster collection in the mid-forties, the waterproof Oyster case previously exclusive to Rolex was added to Tudor watches. In 1952, Tudor released its first self-winding model, the Prince. It used a Rolex self-winding mechanism. 26 Tudor Oyster Princes were included in the 1952 British scientific expedition to Greenland.
The adoption of the Oyster case and self-winding rotor facilitated Tudor's move into the production of tool watches. The French Navy (Marine Nationale) was involved in field research for a Tudor diving watch. From the 1960s to the mid 1980s, watches were supplied to the French Navy in bulk without bracelets so that all were worn with military-issued straps or those adapted by the wearers themselves. Tudor launched its first diving watch in 1954, the Oyster Prince Submariner, waterproof to 100 metres. This was increased to 200 metres in 1958. Over the years the Submariner line adopted various features such as the "big crown" and "snowflake hands" that have been reintroduced on Tudor's diving watches of today. In 1964, Tudor also began producing an Oyster Prince Submariner specifically for the US Navy. Meanwhile, 1957 saw the launch of the Tudor Advisor, which incorporated an alarm complication. The first models used and adapted the Oyster case to amplify sound. Later in 1969 this was changed to a more ‘traditional’ alarm case with an external case back to increase the volume of the alarm.
In 1970, Tudor released its first Chronograph, the Oysterdate, with a manually-wound Valjouxmechanical calibre 7734 and a cam mechanism chronograph function. The second series, introduced in 1971, was nicknamed the "Montecarlo" because the dial resembles a roulette wheel. The third series, the Oysterdate "Big Block", were the first Tudor chronographs to introduce a self-winding movement in 1976. The Tudor Monarch collection was launched in 1991, and the Tudor Hydronaut
In 2009, Tudor instigated a major brand relaunch with new product lines. First came the Tudor Grantour Chronograph and the Tudor Glamour collection of classic watches. This was followed in 2010 by the Heritage Chrono, inspired by the Tudor “Montecarlo” from the 1970s. The Heritage Chrono was the first of the Tudor Heritage line of watches designed to echo Tudor's best-known vintage models and also the first to come with an additional fabric strap.
2011 saw the release of the Tudor Heritage Advisor alarm watch, the Fastrider Chronograph, and the Clair de Rose collection for women. In 2012, the focus was on divers’ watches with the Heritage Black Bay, a reinterpretation of the early Tudor Submariner models, and the Pelagos diver's watch. The Pelagos has a 42 mm titanium case - the first titanium watch from the Rolex group. It is also waterproof to a depth of 500 metres. In 2013, the Heritage Black Bay won the “Revival” Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The Pelagos went on to win the “Sports Watch” prize in 2015. In 2014, Tudor expanded the Heritage collection with the Ranger, a military-style watch similar to a 1967 model. The year also saw the launch of the Tudor Style line of men's and women's dress watches. In 2015, Tudor launched the North Flag, named for a key moment in Tudor's history, the British North Greenland Expedition in 1952. The North Flag was the first Tudor model to be fitted with an in-house movement, calibre MT5621. During 2016 and 2017, “Manufacture” movements were introduced across all of Tudor's sport watches and the Black Bay line of diver's watches was broadened. In 2018, Tudor announced the Heritage Black Bay GMT at the Baselworld fair. It was the first Heritage Black Bay model to have the GMT function with the in-house, COSC certified MT5652 movement. The blue-red bezel design is also a homage to the Rolex GMT Master Pepsi model from their sibling brand Rolex. Also launched at Baselworld 2018 were the 1926 and Black Bay 58, two heritage-inspired lines named after the year that the Tudor name was trademarked and the year that the first 200 meter water resistant Tudor Submariner was released, respectively.
Movements used in Tudor classic watches are manufactured by the Swiss companies ETA or Valjoux. In 2015, Tudor launched its first in-house movement for its Pelagos and North Flag watches. In 2017, Tudor then entered into a cooperative agreement with Breitling, providing the MT5612 movement from the Tudor Pelagos for Breitling's Superocean Heritage watch, while in return Breitling produces the Tudor Calibre MT5813 movement for use in the new Tudor Heritage Chronograph, based on the Breitling B01.
Tudor also produces variants of their 2015 "Manufacture Calibre". The MT 5601 was developed specifically for the Black Bay Bronze model, and is slightly larger in diameter and displaying hours, minutes and seconds functions. The MT5602 was developed for the Black Bay and the Black Bay Dark models, and displays hours, minutes and seconds.
Caliber MT5402 is a smaller and thinner version of the 5602, developed for the Black Bay 58 line. As of its release in 2018 it is only available without date display carrying the same specs - of movement speed, material use, structure and power reserve - as the 5602. As of 2021 it also exists as MT5400, a slightly modified size version for the Black Bay 58 models with open case back to properly visually fit the sapphire case back size.
On May 25, 2021, Tudor announced their Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U alongside their new Black Bay Ceramic timepiece. The movement is almost entirely black, with a black tungsten rotor, a 70 hour power reserve, and a silicon hairspring. It is also the company's first METAS-certified master chromometer timepiece, able to function within a tolerance range of 0/+5 seconds per day.
Fabric straps were used by NATO forces from the mid-twentieth century as a functional and hardwearing alternative to leather and metal watch strap varieties that were available at the time. However, the two-piece strap now known as the NATO strap debuted in the British Ministry of Defence in 1973. Military watch bands had to be hardwearing and secure, and with the additions of spring bars and an added nylon strap, the NATO strap provided the best security. They were also used by many professional divers since leather straps do not suit the water and they could be adapted to fit over a diving suit more easily than metal bracelets. The NATO strap was initially only available in a 20mm wide ‘Admiralty Grey’ nylon variety, but as the style gained popularity the different British military regiments began producing straps in all manner of regimental colours. Over time military men began to customise their watch straps, taking on the colours of the regiments they were in, creating the colourful stripes that NATO straps are now often known for.
In the early 2000s, sports watches with fabric straps became popular. At the launch 2010 of the Heritage Chrono watch Tudor supplied both a metal bracelet and a fabric strap. A second NATO strap has been included with all of Tudor's Heritage models from that time. Tudor's fabric straps are woven by a passementeriemanufacturer near St.-Etienne, the centre of French silk weaving since the 15th century. The same firm also makes ribbons for Vatican medals as well as passementerie (decorative trimmings like lace and cord for clothing and furniture) for haute couture houses like Chanel.
The first Tudor watches produced in the 1920s and 1930s bore a Tudor signature on the dial, with the horizontal bar of the T lengthened above the other letters. On some rare pieces, the name Rolex also appears. Around 1936, the logo changed to the name in Gothic characters accompanied by a shield bearing the Tudor rose, emblem of the English Tudor dynasty. In 1947, one year after the official launch of Tudor Montres SA, the shield was removed and the rose appeared alone with the brand name. From 1969 only the shield was used. The shield logo remains on all Tudor watches while the rose is now used on the winding crowns.
In 1953, Tudor launched an advertising campaign based on robustness tests of the Oyster Prince and its endurance in difficult conditions. The adverts included a watch worn by a coal miner during 252 hours of hand excavation, a watch subjected to the vibrations of a pneumatic drill for 30 hours worn by a stone cutter for three months, a watch worn for a month while riveting metal girders in metal construction and a watch worn by a motorbike racer over a distance of 1,000 miles. As time went by, Tudor began narrowing its focus on watches with a more technical design inspired by professions regarded as dangerous. These watches had particular functional features, for example divers' models with date or chronograph function. The people selected for the Tudor Prince Submariner and Tudor Prince Date-Day advertising campaigns of the time were not well-known personalities but rather chosen for their profession. They included rescue divers, mining engineers and rally drivers, all photographed with their equipment.
A major brand relaunch took place in 2009, with a new product line, Tudor Grantour, and a new advertising campaign based on the claim "Designed for performance. Engineered for elegance." The marketing placed a new emphasis on style, in contrast with the 1980s communications based on strength and durability. In 2017, the "Born To Dare" campaign was launched, featuring David Beckham, Lady Gaga, Jay Chou, and a partnership with New Zealandrugby team the All Blacks and their player Beauden Barrett.
Tudor also acted as the official timekeeper at the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, held in San Francisco, United States, and the 2019 Rugby World Cup, held in Japan.
Tudor watches are marketed and sold in most countries around the world including the United States, Australia, Canada, India, Mexico, South Africa, some countries in Europe, South Asia, the Middle East and countries in South America, particularly Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela. Montres Tudor SA discontinued sales of Tudor-branded watches in the United States in the early 2000s, but Tudor resumed sales in the US in 2013 and in the UK in 2014.