Soon new Tudor watches for the French Navy?

What will the next Tudor watch dedicated to the French Navy look like?

When will it be released?

For now, mystery!

But while the famous Swiss watch brand has just announced a new partnership with the French Navy, it is obvious that, in the months to come, inevitably, a new diver's watch will see the light of day.

In any case, it will be a great way to relaunch a relationship that dates back to the beginning of 1956. It was in fact in 1954 that Tudor released its first diving watch, the Oyster Prince Submariner, intended for the first professional autonomous divers. . A hobby then in full development, thanks to the invention of the autonomous diving suit. The brand then offers them an advanced submersible time measuring instrument, reliable as well as robust, and at an affordable price. In the process, in 1956, the Groupe d'Étude et de Recherches Sous-Marines (GERS), based in Toulon, was provided with Oyster Prince Submariner watches for evaluation. The water resistance to 100 meters of these references 7922 and 7923, both waterproof and equipped with automatic and manual movements respectively, is then considered

and their

behavior

by the Commander of the GERS at the time.

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In 1958, a new order followed, this time for watches water-resistant to 200 meters: the Tudor Submariner reference 7924, recognizable by its large oversized crown and known to collectors as the

.

A piece that still remains Tudor's iconic diving watch today.

In 1959, the reference 7928 introduced the principle of crown protections, two steel shoulders forming part of the watch case and protecting the main point of weakness of the watch from shocks.

The French Navy will adopt this new watch, with its famous

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Closer to us, in 1969, the reference 7016 posed the new signature of Tudor diving watches: a combination of square indexes, loaded with luminous material, and angular hands later nicknamed

, with its flake design. of snow.

In 1974, this reference 7016 will be the first TUDOR diving watch to bear the typical

engravings

.

Composed of the initials MN and the year of the endowment in digits, these markings are among the most sought after by collectors of military watches, the endowment pieces being believed to be destroyed upon leaving service.

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In 1975 the most famous Tudor diving watch used by the French Navy landed: the reference 9401, with its combination of blue dial and hands, the famous Tudor blue, a navy blue. It was also engraved with the initials MN followed by the year of the endowment on the back and delivered in two configurations,

"Or later triangular indexes, this model will remain in production and will be delivered to the French Navy until the 1980s. Its use will extend even into the course of the 2000s, at the French Navy diving school in particular or in combat swimmers. Although officially decommissioned for fifteen years, we can still sometimes see it today on the wrists of reservists. Left-handed people and lovers of rarity will look for the Oyster Prince Submariner

ref. 94010 produced in 1981 ...