redwatch Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Tudor 9411 Pictorial & Review First of all, let me say that without this community and its members incredible generosity & knowledge, this watch would not be possible. I would like to thank Lani & Ubi for the original inspiration by sharing their wonderful pair of Tudors with the forum. Additionally, thanks to Ubi for helping me with the initial build. I know this was a tough one! Secondly, i would like to thank eddog. Your vast knowledge of these watches was invaluable. Your ability to take this watch to the ultimate next level was outstanding and I know this watch would not be in the condition it is in without you. Also a big thumbs up to Justasgood & Gavidoc for your help and input! I present to the community my Tudor 9411 Prince Oysterdate Submariner: A little history: Rolex (which was started by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905 and officially registered in 1908 in La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland) introduced a new line in 1946 called Tudor. Wilsdorf chose the name Tudor because he wanted to honor the Tudor period of England. They used the Tudor Rose signed on the dial which is the heraldic emblem of England. In the late 60's they changed from the Rose to the Shield. The main difference between Rolex & Tudor was that inside the Oyster case, instead of a Rolex made movement, there was a movement manufactured by Ebauches SA, ETA. Although Tudor had a vast selection of watches, it is their dive watches that have become truly collectible. Purchased by the French Navy in the 60's, the Marine Nationale commissioned several watches to be given to their divers. Additionally, the US Navy used Tudor for the UDT and the Navy Seals. The history behind this watch: I first joined RWG in April this year to learn more about watches, replicas and where to find them. During my initial visits, I saw many, many wrist checks displaying these Submariner watches. At least I thought they were Submariners. They looked like subs at first, but they had these strange looking hands and the name Tudor on the dial. So, I did a little research. Needless to say, i was completely drawn in by these unique "Snow Flake" watches. I started a thread stating that I planned to build one. The community poured in advice! What to search for, how to do it, and to be extremely patient, as this was a difficult task. I felt I was up to it and I have quite a bit of patience, so I started my search. First off, the dial. Ubi pm'd me saying he knew of someone selling a 9411 dial. He forwarded my their information and that was how I first met eddog. He still had the dial available, and in addition to that, he also had an original 2784 Tudor movement for sale. Well, that was easy! About a week later, there was a posting for a case, bezel, insert, & crown from Marble. I have no idea where this case was sourced from originally, but it is superb! Excellent engravings on the caseback, inside caseback, and in between the lugs. Engraved with a serial number of 782137 and stamped 9411. Next I needed some hands. I was contacted by Justasgood as he knew of a gen set for sale. Once all the bits arrived, off they went to Ziggy for a vintage tritium style re-lume. The lume job, as always, is superb. Once I got the parts back, i shipped them off to Ubi for assembly. Ubi did an excellent job assembling all the parts, but noticed there was an issue with the movement. It was losing A LOT of time. Around 15 minutes per hour. So, the watch went to Canada for service. I sent it to eddog as his watchsmith had originally serviced the watch and said he would repair it. Unfortunately, the watchsmith decided that this wasn't his work, and would not honor his own warranty. Crap! No worries though, eddog being the superb gentleman that he is, offered to send it to another watchsmith he knew. In the meantime, eddog offered a gen 702 crown and tube assembly as well as a gen 9315T bracelet with 380 endlinks. I figured why not go all the way with this and bought them. After quite some time, the watchsmith got the 2784 back up and running nicely. The watch arrived yesterday! Timing seems excellent so far. I will be keeping an eye on it to see how it does. Here's the list of whats installed: Genuine Tudor 9411 Dial Genuine Tudor "Snow Flake" Hands Genuine Tudor 2784 Movement w/ Silver Date Wheel Genuine Tudor 9315T Folded Link Bracelet Genuine Rolex 380B Endlinks Genuine Rolex 702 Crown & Tube Soon to be installed: Genuine T125 Acrylic Crystal Photos: Wrist Shots: Super Awesome Lume Shot: Once again a huge thanks to RWG! This is the most incredible community and this watch is a true testament to that statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlydog Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 This is a thing of beauty S. The dial and hands really look like they were made for each other; creating a near exact match in patina. This must bring you a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Wear it in good health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Congratulations,That is a beautiful watch. I love Tudor Subs. I think the 9411 is one of the iconic dive watches of all time,right up there with the Red Sub,Great white and the DRSD. The nice thing about this one is NO ONE will ever doubt it's genuine. Wear it with pride, it'a a beauty Arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Thanks guys! Just added a lume shot to the original post. Ziggy's lume is unbelievable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 An amazing watch, and what a history it has Welcome to the Tudor Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Just beautiful Red Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 You could say I am definitely a proud, proud member of the Tudor club TJ! Thanks! @dluddy - thanks! Yes, I am in love with this one too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 You could say I am definitely a proud, proud member of the Tudor club TJ! Thanks! @dluddy - thanks! Yes, I am in love with this one too! Any time Anyone can wear a Rolex, wearing a Tudor is thinking outside the box (a bit ) and a guaranteed anonymity from the "Is that a real Rolex?!" question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I couldn't agree more TJ. There is definitely something special about these Tudor subs that make them stand out from the crowd! The nice comfortable, light feel of a submariner without the worries of the WIS crowd wondering if it is a gen Rolex or not. Of course, having a 90% gen Tudor sub is another way to ensure that you will not be called out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavidoc Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Red that really is a beauty you got there. Shame we don't know where the case came from. Really want one for my Frak-9411. Edog told me what the issue with the movement was. Glad his other watchsmith got it working. I couldn't agree more TJ. There is definitely something special about these Tudor subs that make them stand out from the crowd! The nice comfortable, light feel of a submariner without the worries of the WIS crowd wondering if it is a gen Rolex or not. Of course, having a 90% gen Tudor sub is another way to ensure that you will not be called out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddog Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Red, I can honestly say, the pleasure was mine... To see how happy you are with the final product makes me as happy as I can be! Wear it in good health my friend!!! cheers Ed P.S. looks like you got the bracelet sized, am i right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 @ ed ~ yes, I found a tutorial for re-sizing. Need to install the gen spring bars though. Currently installed with crappy rep spring bars. I struggled quite a bit with the 2mm spring bars and gave up. Wanted to finally wear the watch! @ gavidoc ~ thanks again! I hope we will source this case sometime in the future. It's a great case! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Congrats Red!!! I missed this thread earlier.. glad to see you have your beauty on your wrist!! she is a truly beautiful timepiece Live Strong and Wear it Well AC/Lani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 It's a beauty. Congrats! Speaking of Tudor, it's quite amazing how much the preowned prices have gone up in the past 5-6 years. Snowflakes were always more expensive but 5-6 years ago you were able to buy a full size Tudor Sub in the $1K range. Not going to happen now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I couldn't agree more TJ. There is definitely something special about these Tudor subs that make them stand out from the crowd! The nice comfortable, light feel of a submariner without the worries of the WIS crowd wondering if it is a gen Rolex or not. Of course, having a 90% gen Tudor sub is another way to ensure that you will not be called out! Absolutely Of course, anything less than gen, franken or otherwise, sadly, can never live up to the question 'is it real...?" But, because it's a Tudor, that question just won't get asked Here's to flying below the radar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 @Lani ~ Thank you my friend! As I said, it was your's and Ubi's twin which inspired the build. @By-Tor ~ yes they have gone up considerably in price over the years. It's amazing how expensive they have gotten. @ TJ ~ cheers my friend! I have to say, this is such an amazingly comfortable watch to wear. I completely forgot I was wearing it last night when I walked into a Tourneau dealer. Asked to look a the Breitling Aerospace, and then noticed I was wearing my Tudor. I handed it over to my fiancee and the sales rep asked me if the watch was my daily wearer. I nodded and he asked "Is that a Rolex?" Before I could answer, my fiancee, almost with a child like defiance, announced "Noooooo! It's a Tudor!!" It was the cutest and funniest thing I think I have ever heard her say! She knows NOTHING about watches or my watch collection ~ but, bless her heart, she puts up with all my ramblings and multiple glances at my wrist when i am wearing a new toy. She knows this project was very near and dear to my heart, so in spite of the fact that she doesn't know much about my hobby, it's nice to know she's paying attention! The sales rep just shrugged, clearly not knowing what my fiancee was talking about and proceeded to fumble about with the Aerospace. When I asked him to show me the functions of the watch, he could not make it work. All he could do was show me how to change the day of the week! I was shocked. When i asked him how do I access the other functions, he said "Well, I am not that familiar with this watch, but I am sure it says it in the manual." Man, you expect me to drop $3400 on a Ti Breitling Aerospace, and yet you can't even figure out how to turn the crown to change the modes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anguz Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 That looks very fab and groovy. I think that I may attempt to create one of these in a couple of months. It looks awesome! Lucky SOB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member X Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 If you'll pardon my french, that is pretty ****ing awesome Are you going to look for a gen case/bezel/insert too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 @Lani ~ Thank you my friend! As I said, it was your's and Ubi's twin which inspired the build. @By-Tor ~ yes they have gone up considerably in price over the years. It's amazing how expensive they have gotten. @ TJ ~ cheers my friend! I have to say, this is such an amazingly comfortable watch to wear. I completely forgot I was wearing it last night when I walked into a Tourneau dealer. Asked to look a the Breitling Aerospace, and then noticed I was wearing my Tudor. I handed it over to my fiancee and the sales rep asked me if the watch was my daily wearer. I nodded and he asked "Is that a Rolex?" Before I could answer, my fiancee, almost with a child like defiance, announced "Noooooo! It's a Tudor!!" It was the cutest and funniest thing I think I have ever heard her say! She knows NOTHING about watches or my watch collection ~ but, bless her heart, she puts up with all my ramblings and multiple glances at my wrist when i am wearing a new toy. She knows this project was very near and dear to my heart, so in spite of the fact that she doesn't know much about my hobby, it's nice to know she's paying attention! The sales rep just shrugged, clearly not knowing what my fiancee was talking about and proceeded to fumble about with the Aerospace. When I asked him to show me the functions of the watch, he could not make it work. All he could do was show me how to change the day of the week! I was shocked. When i asked him how do I access the other functions, he said "Well, I am not that familiar with this watch, but I am sure it says it in the manual." Man, you expect me to drop $3400 on a Ti Breitling Aerospace, and yet you can't even figure out how to turn the crown to change the modes? That's a fantastic story I bet your fianc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tudorking Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Beautiful watch Red, that dial though.....just amazing! regards TudorKing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Boy,have the Tudor prices gone up!! I bid on one last night on Ebay, broken, parts watch, but had a nice case,crown, dial, and I think the movement wasn't trashed, just needed work. At any rate, I bid over 700, got home from the hospital to find that my bid was Waaay low. Sold for 1045.00. 5 years ago, I could have gotten a really nice working Tudor Sub for that price. unfortunately, those days are gone. Guess I'll have to try to do what youy did Red, build my own. Congrats on a beautiful watch Arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justasgood Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Red, I have something for your Tudor..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavidoc Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Boy,have the Tudor prices gone up!! I bid on one last night on Ebay, broken, parts watch, but had a nice case,crown, dial, and I think the movement wasn't trashed, just needed work. At any rate, I bid over 700, got home from the hospital to find that my bid was Waaay low. Sold for 1045.00. 5 years ago, I could have gotten a really nice working Tudor Sub for that price. unfortunately, those days are gone. Guess I'll have to try to do what youy did Red, build my own. Congrats on a beautiful watch Arthur Heck, just in parts that Tudor Sub would have gotten well over the ending bid. I forgot to bid on it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted December 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 @arthur - yes they are starting to get quite expensive, that's for sure. That was why I went down the "build it yourself" path. It certainly was time consuming, but well worth it in the end! I got to wear the watch for three days, and now it's off for a crystal installation. It will be the final piece. Can't wait, as the current crystal seems to be a 127 and the cyclops is just a little off center. The gen T125 should finish off this beauty nicely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upland Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 Speechless..... needbondstrapbondstrapbondstrap congrats S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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