Tudor Submariner: A Dive Watch Icon in Rolex’s Shadow
Introduction
Few watches in Tudor’s history hold as much weight as the Submariner reference 7928. It was not simply a continuation of the Submariner story, but rather a milestone that marked Tudor’s ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with Rolex while developing its own credentials as a serious tool watch manufacturer. To appreciate the significance of the 7928, it is essential to trace Tudor’s origins, its close but distinct relationship with Rolex, and the evolution of dive watch design during the 1950s and 60s.
The Creation of Tudor
The story of Tudor is inseparable from that of Rolex and Hans Wilsdorf, the man who founded both brands. By the mid-twentieth century, Rolex had cemented itself as a luxury watchmaker that combined prestige with technical innovation. Yet Wilsdorf recognised a gap in the market. While Rolex was highly regarded, it was also expensive, often beyond the reach of ordinary working professionals who still required accuracy, waterproofness, and durability in their timepieces. Wilsdorf’s solution was the creation of a second company that would offer watches with the same reliability and case-making expertise of Rolex, but at a more accessible price point. In 1946, Montres Tudor SA was officially established.
The strategy behind Tudor was straightforward but brilliant. The brand would share cases, crowns, and bracelets with Rolex, including the famous Oyster case and patented screw-down crown. These innovations were central to Rolex’s reputation for waterproof watches. However, instead of using Rolex’s own in-house calibres, Tudor models were fitted with proven movements sourced from ETA, a Swiss movement manufacturer that supplied many brands across the industry. By doing this, Tudor could drastically reduce the cost of production while still delivering watches that offered waterproofness, accuracy, and durability. Marketing positioned Tudor as a dependable companion, suitable for professionals and those whose livelihoods demanded reliability, while Rolex retained its position as the prestige brand. The two brands were intertwined but served different purposes.
The Birth of the Tudor Submariner
In 1953, Rolex unveiled the Submariner, a watch that would go on to define the dive watch category. Within a year, Tudor introduced its own version, the Submariner reference 7922, in 1954. The timing was no accident. Tudor was able to leverage Rolex’s success and translate the same functional benefits to its own clientele. The 7922 bore a striking resemblance to the Rolex Submariner, sharing the 37mm Oyster case, rotating bezel, and waterproof crown. It was a pure dive tool, stripped of unnecessary ornamentation. The key difference was again found inside: the ETA calibre 390 provided automatic winding and robustness at a fraction of the cost of Rolex’s in-house movements.
The Tudor Submariner was marketed as a professional-grade dive watch, every bit as capable as Rolex’s offering when it came to water resistance and practical utility. For divers, soldiers, and working professionals, the lower price point made it an appealing choice. Tudor’s Submariners were not aspirational stand-ins; they were genuine tools designed for demanding environments. This set the stage for the Tudor Submariner line to become a cornerstone of the brand’s identity.
Why Tudor Made a Submariner
The rise of diving during the 1950s made the development of specialised tool watches a necessity. Recreational diving was growing in popularity following Jacques Cousteau’s pioneering expeditions, while military units around the world were incorporating combat divers into their ranks. Both civilian and military divers needed watches that could survive underwater environments, resist shocks, and remain legible in darkness. Rolex had already captured this new market with the Submariner, but Tudor’s presence allowed the Wilsdorf group to expand its reach further. Tudor watches could be issued to naval forces and sold to professionals at scale because of their affordability. Many navies, including the French Marine Nationale, would later rely heavily on Tudor Submariners for their diving units. The decision to create a Tudor Submariner was therefore both strategic and practical: it extended Rolex’s technological advantage into new markets without diluting Rolex’s luxury positioning.
The Arrival of Reference 7928
By the late 1950s, Rolex was already iterating on its Submariner design. The introduction of crown guards on the Rolex references 5512 and 5513 signalled a new era of dive watch protection. Crown guards prevented accidental knocks from damaging the winding crown, a vulnerable point on early Submariners. Tudor followed suit with the release of the reference 7928, its first Submariner to feature crown guards.
The 7928 represented a leap forward in Tudor’s dive watch design. It carried the hallmarks of Rolex’s evolving case technology while maintaining its distinct Tudor character through the use of the ETA calibre 390 movement. The watch measured 39mm, slightly larger than its predecessor, and retained the utilitarian look that defined the Submariner line. It was durable, functional, and ready for professional use.
Variations of the 7928
The Tudor Submariner 7928 was produced through much of the 1960s, and over that time it saw numerous variations that today help date individual examples. One of the most notable areas of variation was the crown guard design. Early production featured square crown guards, which provided substantial protection but made it difficult to grip and manipulate the crown. These were produced in limited numbers before being replaced by pointed crown guards, which offered a sleeker profile while improving functionality. Eventually, rounded crown guards became the standard, balancing protection with ease of use.
Dial variations also marked the progression of the 7928. Early gilt dials with glossy finishes and chapter rings were printed with the Tudor rose logo, a design steeped in the brand’s heritage. As the decade progressed, the rose gave way to the Tudor shield, a more modern emblem that reflected the brand’s evolving identity. Depth ratings also changed, with early examples marked in metres-first before shifting to feet-first configurations for certain markets. The luminous material transitioned from radium to tritium, reflecting broader changes in the industry as concerns about radiation led to new standards. These details may seem minor, but they provide a timeline of the reference’s development and illustrate how Tudor responded to both technical advancements and regulatory pressures.
Technical Details of the 7928
The 7928 was constructed with a stainless steel Oyster case manufactured by Rolex, measuring 39mm and fitted with a screw-down crown and caseback to ensure waterproofness. Its bezel was bidirectional and fitted with aluminium inserts marked for 60 minutes of elapsed time, nearly identical in design to Rolex’s Submariner bezels of the same era. The movement inside, the ETA calibre 390, provided automatic winding and a reliable power reserve. While not as refined as Rolex’s calibres, it was durable and significantly more economical to service. The bracelet options included riveted Oyster bracelets and later folded-link versions, many stamped with the Rolex name, underscoring the shared manufacturing base between the two brands. On the wrist, the Tudor 7928 looked and felt every bit a Submariner, with only the dial branding and movement setting it apart from its Rolex counterpart.
Military and Professional Connections
Although the 7928 itself was not the Tudor Submariner most associated with military service, it played a critical role in establishing Tudor’s reputation with armed forces and professional divers. Later references, such as the 7016 and 9401, would be officially issued to the French Marine Nationale in large numbers. However, the 7928 laid the groundwork by proving that Tudor could build dive watches capable of withstanding professional use. Divers valued the 7928 for its ruggedness, its waterproof case, and its affordability. While Rolex remained aspirational, Tudor became the practical choice for those whose livelihoods depended on their watches. The 7928’s success in this arena reinforced Tudor’s role as a legitimate tool watch manufacturer.
Tudor vs Rolex: The Overlap and the Distinction
The close relationship between Tudor and Rolex during this period is undeniable. The 7928 used Rolex cases, crowns, and bracelets. On the wrist, it looked almost indistinguishable from a Rolex Submariner. Yet Tudor was never intended to be a direct competitor. The distinction came in the use of ETA movements, which kept costs lower and simplified servicing. For navies, professionals, and divers, this difference mattered. Tudor offered the same case construction and waterproof technology as Rolex but without the price premium. In this way, Tudor fulfilled the role that Wilsdorf had envisioned: a working man’s watch that could go anywhere and endure anything. The 7928 encapsulated this philosophy, offering nearly everything a Rolex Submariner did but positioned for a different audience.
The Historical Significance of the 7928
The Tudor Submariner 7928 holds a special place in watch history because it marked a point where Tudor truly came into its own. The introduction of crown guards modernised the line and brought it into alignment with the evolving standards of dive watches. Its long production run throughout the 1960s coincided with a period of rapid growth in underwater exploration and military diving, and the 7928 was very much a part of that era. More than just a derivative of the Rolex Submariner, the 7928 was a statement that Tudor was capable of producing serious, professional-grade tool watches. Its design and execution demonstrated that Tudor was not merely Rolex’s secondary brand but a watchmaker in its own right, contributing to the development of one of the most important categories in horology.
Influence on Modern Tudor
The DNA of the Tudor Submariner 7928 continues to influence Tudor’s watches today. The modern Black Bay line, which has been central to Tudor’s resurgence in the twenty-first century, owes much to the Submariners of the 1950s and 60s. While the snowflake hands introduced in the 1970s have become Tudor’s modern signature, the 7928’s Mercedes-style hands underscore the period when Tudor and Rolex were visually closest. Modern Tudors, with their vintage-inspired cases, domed crystals, and gilt dial options, clearly look back to this period. Without the 7928 and the credibility it built, Tudor would not have the heritage story it can now lean on. The 7928 bridged Rolex’s prestige narrative with Tudor’s practical tool-watch reputation, ensuring that Tudor’s history was authentic, not manufactured.
Transitional Reference: Tudor Submariner 79090
The Tudor Submariner 79090 sits at the hinge between vintage and neo-vintage, retaining the classic acrylic crystal and Mercedes hands while adopting the modern, serviceable ETA 2824-2 and a 200 m rated case with date and cyclops; produced in the late 1980s into the 1990s, it offered black or blue dial and bezel variants and kept the familiar 39–40 mm Sub profile, making it the spiritual descendant of the 7928 in wear and intent but pointed toward the Black Bay era in practicality and reliability—proof that Tudor’s Submariner line could evolve without losing its core tool-watch character.
Final Thoughts
The Tudor Submariner 7928 stands as a pivotal reference in both Tudor’s history and the broader story of dive watches. It was the model that brought crown guards to the Tudor line, aligning it with the functional improvements being pioneered at Rolex. It evolved through dial and case variations that today serve as markers of its long production run, and it demonstrated Tudor’s ability to produce rugged, reliable, and affordable dive watches for professionals and navies. More than a Rolex lookalike, the 7928 proved Tudor’s legitimacy as a manufacturer of serious tool watches. Its influence extends beyond its own era, shaping the DNA of Tudor’s modern collections and ensuring its place as one of the most important references in Tudor’s history.