Rolex

Ross Povey
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Tudor Sub MN.....I finally found one!!!!

I recently managed to acquire a watch which, for me, has been a truly exciting addition to my small collection. For a couple of years I have been looking for a Marine Nationale issued Tudor Submariner; I finally found it!!

A Tudor Submariner reference 94010, issued to SM Beveziers in 1981. 





Unlike the British issue MiliSubs that were issued to individuals, the MN Subs were issued to boats and submarines. Mine was issued to Sous Marine Beveziers, a French Agosta class patrol submarine that launched in 1977. It carried a crew of 58, including 7 officers.





One of the trickier aspects of finding desirable examples of these watches is the issue of provenance. There are very few attributes of the MNs that differentiate them from civilian versions, so either extracts from the MN watchmakers' records or the original decommissioning papers are an essential part of the package. I was fortunate enough to acquire one with decom papers from 2003.







There are two dial/hand variations on the 94101 - snowflake and mercedes hands; having owned a few Tudor Subs my preference was to find an MN with Merc hands. It's an elegant combination with the triangle quarter markers. The hour markers on my example have developed a lovely deep patina!



The watch retains its 'matted' case sides.





And comes on its original NATO strap.



Here it is with its Snowflake brother.





Thanks to everybody who advised me on these, but special thanks goes to Jason G for helping me make it happen! ;-)

Thanks for reading!

Ross