5 Things To Know About Tudor Big Block Watches

Revolution Watch
Jul 27, 2017 · 3 min read

The pedigree that runs in the blood of Tudor watches undeniably makes them kings of vintage timepieces. A brainchild of no less than Rolex founder himself, Hans Wilsdorf, Tudor stands out for today’s collectors for its close resemblance to its more high-end big brother but possessing a price point that’s reasonable. Quality and affordability undoubtedly made the brand top of mind amongst vintage watch collectors, because really, there’s no other brand out there with the prestige of a Rolex timepiece without the exorbitant price tag.

Despite making more aggressive efforts to veer away from Rolex’s shadow, Tudor’s history will forever remain its strongest legacy. Not to downplay its efforts, though — there’s no doubt that the brand has made impressive leaps as an innovator via outstanding masterpieces like the Tudor Black Bay and the Pelagos — but its backstory is what makes it a more interesting brand to this day. Tudor knows this by heart as well, and capitalising on this produced modern watches with a vintage feel (case in point: the Heritage line).

However, the brand’s watches from decades past remain coveted pieces despite the bevy of contemporary Tudor watches that we see in the market today. A much sought-after model from its vintage collection is its popular line of early chronographs called the “Big Block”.

Here, Revolution Watch takes a look at the five things that make Tudor Big Block much coveted vintage Tudor watches today.

Third-generation Chronographs

The 1970s was an important era for Tudor. The brand was a big name in the world of chronographs, with model after model that was being released back then. It was in 1976, though, that the most popular amongst its line of chronographs would be born: the Big Block. The Big Block was introduced as the third family of Tudor Prince Oysterdate chronographs and became instantly recognisable timepieces known for their exceptional technical qualities.

An Innovative Timepiece

Even then, Tudor as a brand has always had a strong penchant for innovation. Watch enthusiasts can see such skill in today’s Tudor Pelagos, undoubtedly one of today’s most complete mechanical diving watches. The brand’s popular line of vintage-inspired Tudor Black Bay watches are also replete with distinct elements (think Black Bay Steel or the Black Bay Bronze) despite being peppered with signature details from the brand’s well-known historical timepieces.

What made the third series of Tudor chronographs important in the history of the brand’s innovation was the introduction of an innovation that set these timepieces apart amongst other chronographs back in the day. These models are the first chronographs to be fitted with a self-winding mechanical movement, the Valjoux calibre 7750, a powerful chronograph mechanism defined by an oscillating pinion system and a highly reliable cam.

A Nickname Coined By Avid Collectors Themselves

Tudor’s third family of chronographs possessed a distinct design element that would become famous amongst collectors. These timepieces, while sporting the general lines of the earlier Tudor chronographs, had thicker cases to accommodate the rotor of the new self-winding movement Valjoux calibre 7750, which was 1.5 millimetre thicker than the manually wound Valjoux calibre 234. This earned the new Tudor chronograph the nickname “Big Block”, which collectors christened themselves.

Probably The Only Generation Of Tudor Watches With The Most Number Of Nicknames

The third generation of Tudor Prince Oysterdate chronographs wasn’t only known as the Big Block. Collectors coined many other nicknames to lovingly call the timepiece, amongst them were “Chrono Time” and “Automatic Chrono”, which refer to the texts displayed on the watches’ dials.

A model from the series (9430/0) was also nicknamed “Exotic” by collectors, referring to the description of the dial that was inspired by those from the previous two generations.

A Tudor Chronograph With An Outstanding Feature

The Big Block family of Tudor chronographs was also known for some models with exceptional design elements. A standout would be the “Big Block Exotic Square Guards” (9420/0), which was furnished with a winding crown protective guard with a square shape. The “Square Guards” nickname was also coined by collectors.

If you want to know how much do these Tudor watches cost, they’re a bit pricier, given the higher demand for Tudor vintage watches today yet still affordable compared to most brands. It’s Tudor, after all, and we know how they’re reasonably priced without any compromise on its quality and aesthetics, of course.

Get to know the Tudor Big Block as well as other exceptional Tudor watches and their prices when you visit the brand’s website. For more stories and videos about the brand, check out Revolution Watch online and its digital editions.

Revolution Watch
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