In 2017, my passion for vintage grew. My good buddy was a keen watch fanatic, who especially loved vintage. I tried on his vintage Submariners, and like any watch enthusiast, once you try on a watch, and if it clicks with you, you know it instantly. The watch I tried was a 1980 Tudor Submariner 94010 Snowflake, non-date. I had tried on his Rolex Submariner 5513 sometime before, but it didn’t quite have the same effect. I eventually found a nice Tudor Submariner 7016/0 Snowflake.

The angular hands (aka Snowflake hands) and square markers were such a timeless design and a gorgeous sight. And the Patina! This design, in my opinion, offered greater visibility and readability than the 5513 Submariner maxi dial design of the late 70s and early 80s. This Snowflake (SF) hands design, apparently, was at the request and feedback of the Marine Nationale divers, who wanted greater readability during their dives. Every time I wear the Snowflake, it just makes me imagine what kind of dive operations the French Navy divers took part in.

The 7016 SF was the first for Tudor Subs on many accounts- It was 1st to house an ETA based movement, the 1st to feature the now famous snowflake hand configuration, the 1st 2-liner dial, and the 1st to feature blue dial and insert. The 70xx references were a game-changer for Tudor in my opinion. The snow flake hands have now been brought back by Tudor since 2012 in the Black Bays and Pelagos models.

The Tudor Subs may have been a ‘budget’ watch compared to their Rolex cousins, but they were by no means any less gorgeous. The ETA 3 hand movement allows easy serviceability and spares aren’t difficult to source. Many have gorgeous patina, but the early SFs had ‘dial rot’ issues, causing dials to bubble, so finding a pristine piece is even rarer. Overall, the Tudor Submariner 7016/0 Snowflake is a great vintage watch, but recent hype has been the prices climb tremendously.