With the famous Oyster case from parent company Rolex, Tudor had an advantage over the rest of the competition. Model reference 4463.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
Early watches like this are difficult to date with 100% accuracy. But the movement used in this watch was launched circa 1950, but the logo of the rose in a shield started to the phased out in 1947 according to Tudor themselves on their website here, where they specifically show a version of reference 4463. The also confirm the red seconds hand was deliberate to aid visibility. Further evidence to help with dating is that Tudor SA was registered in 1947 (Tudor SA is stamped on the movement), and the hands and dial have radium that was all but stopped being used by 1955.
CONDITION
Rose in shield Tudor watches are a collectors niche themselves, but let’s get it right straight off – this is a good looking watch! There is definitely a military look to the watch, which is no bad thing as military watches are designed to be highly legible. The hands and dial numerals are lumed with radium, which while it won’t glow it still provides decent contrast when wet into the blued hands. The Oyster case, designed by Rolex and stamped RWC for Rolex Watch Company who made it, is all in good shape and the case back screws down nicely. The crown is also made by Rolex, and features their crown logo, underlined to show it is a twinlock design. As the Twinlock safety system wasn’t invented until 1953, this might be a service replacement, and it only screws down by half a turn. But no one should be getting a 1940’s vintage watch wet anyway. The movement is a Tudor calibre 59SC, which was based on a FHF 30-1, and using other peoples movements allowed Tudor to be cheaper than Rolex. But is is all running smartly, and having a non in house movement makes zero difference to the user experience, except finding parts if required is often easier. The leather strap is new, and could be swapped for a different colour or material if preferred. The watch is signed on the dial, case, movement and crown.
This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.
This watch has been checked against the Watch Register and has not been reported as lost, stolen or implicated in fraud, and a copy of that certificate will also be included.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 37.0 mm
Width without crown 33.7 mm
Between lugs 18 mm
Lug to lug length 41.7 mm
Case Thickness 12.2 mm
All sizes are approximate. The watch is photographed on a wrist of 190mm/7.5 inches.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon. By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.
