Tudor Ranger 4996 thoughts on dial?

[Ozboy]

Hi all. I hope it's okay to post a Tudor related topic in this forum. Mods, please delete or remove if a breach of the rules.

I have this Tudor Ranger c.1966 and the dial has, I believe at some point, had water damage. Lately I have been thinking of having the dial relumed - can I get your thoughts on this dial and my thoughts to restore it?

Many thanks and looking forward to reading your thoughts.

[996marty]

Nothing wrong with posting as it’s a nice watch. The problem might be if you want anything doing to your dial who you would trust to do it? You might have to look further than Australia although you could check Michael Woods in Colac who comes with a great reputation

[offrdmania]

Are you the original owner OP? Are you sure the serial number correlates to 1966? The shield dials didnt come out until late 1968, early 1969 so there may be an issue with originality if your statement is true.

[Ozboy]

Originally Posted by 996marty

Nothing wrong with posting as it’s a nice watch. The problem might be if you want anything doing to your dial who you would trust to do it? You might have to look further than Australia although you could check Michael Woods in Colac who comes with a great reputation

I was thinking of Lukas (Horoluma) in Germany. I will definitely check out Michael Woods though. Thank you!

[Ozboy]

Originally Posted by offrdmania

Are you the original owner OP? Are you sure the serial number correlates to 1966? The shield dials didnt come out until late 1968, early 1969 so there may be an issue with originality if your statement is true.

That's a really great point. The serial number is 5486xx and the non-Rolex authorised watchmaker's service receipt says 1966. Possibly an incorrect dial based on that serial number?? What do you think?

I am not the original owner.

I did find this in a lengthy article though:

"In Isnardi’s Tudor Anthology, the author dismisses all rose Rangers as fake. This is emphatically not the case, as dozens of verifiably correct and original rose Rangers have been found (and, as discussed above, Tudor itself has verified a rose Ranger as the inspiration for its modern Heritage Ranger). However, because the Ranger did not begin to appear in Tudor catalogues until 1969, by which time the brand had begun to transition from its rose logo to the shield logo, there has been confusion.

Like with other Tudor models, the move from the rose to the shield logo can be observed in examples dating to a few years before Tudor “officially” switched to the shield logo in 1969. For serial numbers in this time period (around the late 1960s), either a rose or shield logo might be correct. With the introduction of the shield logo, Tudor also moved away from the “medieval” styling of the Tudor name that’s seen accompanying the rose logo, favoring instead a simple, serif font.

The Reference 7966 seems to have had a particularly long production run, from about 1966 through 1969. But, unlike with previous examples we’ve seen, the appearance of this reference remains remarkably similar throughout its production, showing some evolution from the earlier references. Examples feature a shield logo and pencil minute hand, Tudor having fully transitioned away from the rose logo and flared minute hands we see in early examples." (Tudor Ranger: For Your Reference, Mighty morphin Ranger Published online, Sep 06, 2020)

Apologies all - Ref: 7996 should be in the title and not 4996

[Ozboy]

Originally Posted by 996marty

Nothing wrong with posting as it’s a nice watch. The problem might be if you want anything doing to your dial who you would trust to do it? You might have to look further than Australia although you could check Michael Woods in Colac who comes with a great reputation

Reached out to Michael. How could I not know about Michael? His work looks amazing. I have often used Adam Lewis of LewiswatchCo who does superlative restoration work but only on Omega and to have a name of a reputable someone for Tudor/Rolex broadens my collecting horizon. Thanks, mate.
John

[alwayshere]

might be service dial - the 1966 version I have also seen with flared hands so either this is a transitional period or its a service dial.

[996marty]

Originally Posted by Ozboy

Reached out to Michael. How could I not know about Michael? His work looks amazing. I have often used Adam Lewis of LewiswatchCo who does superlative restoration work but only on Omega and to have a name of a reputable someone for Tudor/Rolex broadens my collecting horizon. Thanks, mate.
John

As most Aussies say…….. no worries mate

[Ozboy]

Originally Posted by alwayshere

might be service dial - the 1966 version I have also seen with flared hands so either this is a transitional period or its a service dial.

Was there a year where the dial was changed from rose to shield or was it a transition from c.1966? I suspect all dials were shield by the end of 1967/68?

[alwayshere]

there appears to be a white border around the date window which is a bit odd? the printing looks pretty good compared to mine

[Ozboy]

Originally Posted by alwayshere

there appears to be a white border around the date window which is a bit odd? the printing looks pretty good compared to mine

I think that might be either reflecting light or some edge wear around the seal of the cyclops. Under a loupe there is no white border. Did you see that there is no leg on the R in Tudor - I should call it the Pirate Dial

[alwayshere]

You’re right. Must be lighting.