One of Rolex’s most famous watch lines is that of the Day-Date, or to some, the Rolex ‘President’. Since its inception in 1956, the Day-Date has been one of Rolex’s more revered and iconic timepieces. It was the first watch to spell out the date on the dial and has been almost exclusively produced in precious metals. That said, some very rare examples can be found in stainless steel; the peak of rare vintage Rolex. Throughout its production, the Day-Date has taken the limelight, but very little credit has been given to its younger brother, the lesser adorned and affordable counterpart, the Tudor Oyster Prince Date+Day.
1969 saw the birth of Tudor’s more affordable answer to the Day-Date, the Oyster Prince Date+Day. Interestingly, the creation of this watch coincided with the transition from the rose logo to the shield, also in 1969 and arguably one of the most significant moments in Tudor’s history. The Date+Day was a larger 37.5mm, compared to the 36mm Rolex. Although not oversized by today’s standards, the Tudor was known as the jumbo, undoubtedly larger by comparison to other vintage watches of the late sixties. One of the other key differences was the fact that Tudor offered the Date+Day in stainless steel or two-tone, making it considerably more affordable than the Day-Date. The accessible price point showed the world what Hans Wilsdorf wanted from the brand: to offer something similar to Rolex, but without the price-tag. That being said, this watch is uncompromisingly good quality, largely down to several Rolex parts which featured in the reference 7017/0. Notably, the Tudor sports a Rolex Oyster case, a Rolex crown, and the case backs are signed “Original Oyster Case by Rolex Geneva”.
Where the original Date+Day begins to diverge from the more expensive Rolex, is the movement. The 7017/0 has Tudor’s version of the calibre 1895 movement, a self-winding movement with date and day mechanisms. It was far better finished than the regular A. Schild 1895 and its rotor is inscribed “Tudor Auto-Prince Swiss Made”.
The Date+Day remains fairly unchanged throughout its production, it has seen some case size variance, with the following reference 9450/0 resized to match the Day-Date at 36mm during the mid-1970s. The case was still manufactured by Rolex, sporting some similar bezels to that of the Datejust models. The Date+Day can be seen with white gold fluted, stainless steel polished, and steel engine-turned bezels. The following model featured the double quick-set day and date feature, something Rolex replicates on the subsequent President models. Tudor, in the Date+Day, have not only shown their Rolex origins but have also shown their personal craftsmanship and pioneering spirit. The Date+Day hasn’t proved to be particularly revolutionary or ground-breaking but shows that whatever Rolex can do, Tudor can do it too, and for a fraction of the price. Although the Date+Day sports many Rolex-produced parts, stems from a Rolex creation, and has similar aesthetics; the Date+Day marks a point in time where Tudor begins to differentiate themselves. The Date+Day is emblematic of Tudors transition period. Not only did the first models’ release coincide with the change of the Tudor rose but it also symbolized Tudor forging a new identity, with elements of their own history forever present.
By: Jack Lineker