Vintage 7928 Tudor Sub Tropical Full Gilt UNDERLINE Dial, Pointed CGs

[tomvox1]

Up for sale is this classic early Tudor Submariner ref. 7928 from the second quarter of 1963 with thick pointed crown guards case and full-gilt minute track dial with underline & original gilt hands. This rare survivor is in overall Good to Very Good vintage condition and has an Excellent original dial. While the pleasantly faded gilt text and red gold minute track of the dial indicate years of sun exposure, this has also left it with a pleasing albeit subtle "Tropical" brown cast in certain light, as can be seen in the pictures.

This great Tudor Sub has also just come back from a full service by my NYC master watchmaker on its coveted cal. 390 engine. This particular service was highly comprehensive and included a complete movement overhaul, new gaskets and cleaning, NOS Twinlock crown and tube, mainspring and rotor arbor & rotor clamp (forgive me if I get some of this terminology wrong). Also, to my great surprise, he installed what appears to be a new tall-sided Tropic 39 crystal instead of the normal 19--I think he misunderstood when I asked for "domed." LOL. Have to say, it’s kind of cool, although the original vintage domed Tropic 19 will be included in the sale as well.

The price for this rare Tudor Sub is now REDUCED to an amazing $5350 USD OBRO including fully insured worldwide shipping. Bank Wire only on this transaction. Payment must be made in US DOLLARS. Watch will ship upon full clearance of the funds, as well as any necessary bank vetting.





































CASE & BACK: Pointed crown guards case (same as the early 5512 Rolex Sub) is in overall Good to Very Good condition with over 45 years of wear, making it hard to tell if it has been polished. However, the Rolex chamfer is still evident, if softened, and the lugs and crown guards are symmetrical and thick, so maybe not. The formerly mirrored sides show as matte now, while the satin finish on the tops of the lugs has mostly been smoothed away. Model # and 399,k serial number are worn but legible between the respective lugs. Back is in Good condition with numerous scratches but clear "Oyster Case" nomenclature outside and is stamped "II.63" inside with the correct reference. The case lip and inner back both show some pitting/corrosion.

DIAL & HANDS: Original Tudor factory printed full-gilt dial with faded but still quite legible text and original but "exploded" or flattened luminous in Excellent condition. There is also some minor wear to the very edge of the dial outside the minute track between "3" & "6" and a slight circular hour hand rub mark that has removed some of the gilt from the word ROTOR, making it hard to see. The fading of the gilt print is almost certainly due to sun exposure and this has also left the matte finish with a pleasing and subtle dark tobacco tone. Additionally, this rare dial has the coveted Underline above the "6" bar, almost exclusively found in 1963 production and believed to have something to do with the changing of radioactive luminous standards. The original gilt hands include the distinctive lollipop sweep seconds and are likewise Excellent with some oxidation and cracking of the luminous, which I believe is also original although it has a bit of glow unlike the dial.

MOVEMENT: Classic Tudor cal. 390 has just been fully serviced and is running like a champ with all the hard-to-find replaced parts mentioned above, insuring years more of faithful service to its new owner.

BEZEL: Period correct coin edge bi-directional divers bezel but must be later replacement thin font inlay. The bezel has some wear but is Very Good and rotates as it should if a bit stiffly. The insert has some scratches and fading, as one would expect from such a well-utilized tool watch, and is Good. The pearl is a custom made replacement from my watchmaker that is pretty near to perfect looking, IMO.

CROWN: The newly installed NOS Rolex Twinlock crown screws down tightly, winds properly and pulls out to the time-setting position as it should.

CRYSTAL: As described above, it looks like my watchmaker took it upon himself to install a modern Tropic 39, which gives the Sub a cool Deep Sea Special sort of look. However, I am including the Good condition domed Tropic 19 that came off the watch originally and will see about getting a proper modern 19 to the new buyer...once my watchmaker returns from his vacation. ;)

BRACELET: This 7928 comes on a period correct Swiss 7206 Oyster with 80 ends but a newer 78360 clasp assembly. Perhaps this clasp was retrofitted by Rolex as denoted by the extra "T" on the clasp code where the bracelet reference should be--"T" for Tudor service clasp maybe? This bracelet will fit an approximately 7.5 inch wrist and is in Good to Very Good condition with moderate stretch and some scratches

As I have opened this Sub to take photos of the movement/inner back and screwed it back down with just my hand wrench, as well as choosing to keep it as original as possible at its restoration rather than "upgrading" it to pass a pressure test, I make NO guarantees for the water resistance of this watch.

This great Vintage Tudor Sub is offered with a 3-day inspection period from the date of receipt and may be returned for a full refund (less any shipping costs incurred by the buyer). This refund is unconditional and once I get the watch back in exactly the same condition as it was sent to you, your money will be refunded. Of course, once the 3 days are over the sale will be considered FINAL.

Thanks for looking,
T.
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