Tudor 76200 Prince Date + Day: a Week on the Wrist.

[Old Expat Beast]

Well, after (almost) a week, this watch is certainly living up to expectations.

I'll just break this brief review down into Pros, Cons and Thoughts.

Pros
Full day and date function, very light weight with a brand new 36mm Rolex Oyster mid-case with lug holes, starburst silver dial, very thin overall (slightly thinner, even, than my 36mm Explorer, thanks to the flatter caseback), a comfortable bracelet, very affordable (less than $2,400 msrp, before discount – or about 10% of the price of the cheapest Rolex Day Date). Accuracy is about +1 second per day so far. Solid Tudor/ETA 2834-2 movement.

Cons
Folded end links, old-style non-locking clasp, no anti-glare coating under the cyclops, lume is typically weak.


Thoughts
I’ve been wanting one of these ever since I discovered that they were still being supplied brand new to ADs in Hong Kong. The 76xxx, 74xxx and 72xxx Prince and Princess models use Rolex Oyster mid-cases with lug holes, as Prince models have since the early 1950s. Hong Kong is the only place that I know of for sure that still sells them, but there are probably some other Asian countries that do. (Check tudorwatch.com in your country and see if they are featured on the site.)

It’s remarkable how similar this watch is to my 1966 Datejust. There’s more than 50 years between them, but the case and endlink design is almost identical. The dial colouring and hands are also very similar. To me, this watch is more about heritage than the actual Tudor Heritage line.

Finally, I’ve noticed when travelling overseas lately that I am more likely to need to know what day it is, than what time it is back home. So this one is probably going to be coming along on the travels instead of a GMT-Master or Explorer II in future.