Help with Tudor Submariner 76100

[vnums]

Hi,

New here, and first post, so many apologies if I am posting anything I shouldn't anywhere I shouldn't. Also assume Tudor questions are ok?

I'm interested in buying a Tudor Submariner 76100 Blue from 1984, as original as possible, and have been looking for quite a while. Prices are going up and this one seems to be reasonably priced, but has been available for a long time. Assuming others are seeing something wrong with it and that's why it's still available? There are a few things that are giving me pause, or some potential red flags that I see:


1) Seller has this listed as a "1982" when the model was only introduced in '84 (as far as I know). After inquiry, serial is 768xxx which I believe puts it squarely in '84 production (for the case anyway...). However if details like that are not accurate I question the accuracy of the rest of the listing...

2) Seller indicates the item is 'all original', however the bezel and the dial look a bit too pristine. So this has either been sitting in a drawer somewhere or the bezel and/or dial have potentially been replaced. In every bezel I've looked at for other examples, there is almost no space between the top of the minute markings on the bezel and the outer bezel. I.e. the top of the 10, 20, 30, 40 have very minimal space, however there is quite a bit of space above the '40' here specifically. There also appear to be some light nicks on the lugs that don't match the level of wear on the bezel.

3) The tritium pip looks to have aged appropriately.. so could it have been transferred from the original bezel? It also
doesn't quite look right, I notice on other pictures of the same model there is a small ring around the tritium pip that is not present here.

4) The dial also looks pristine, and I'm concerned it has been replaced, however if it was replaced it was at least apparently replaced with a dial that matches the model and year of production (no dash on the T Swiss T). 1 and 2 hour indices lume looks a little fuzzy to my eye.

5) There is tritium flaking off the hour hand. Maybe other prospective buyers are concerned that more will flake off and potentially get into the movement?

6) Movement looks way too clean... maybe this entire thing was overhauled and a lot of parts were replaced or thoroughly cleaned/polished?


Maybe I'm just nitpicking, but any insight would be greatly appreciated, either to increase my knowledge as I keep looking or to put my mind at ease on this one in particular.

I'm not allowed to post links due to my post count but I can provide the sellers website separately.

[GLADIATOR]

And damage to hour hand.
Better to walk.
Too many strange points

[vnums]

Thanks.. the more I think about it, even if I went ahead and bought it I'd still always have my doubts, and I don't want to have doubts after paying over $7k for something.

[GLADIATOR]

$7000. Absolutely not

[vnums]

Originally Posted by GLADIATOR

$7000. Absolutely not

Yeah the problem is there are basically none of these available anymore and prices have gone above $11k. The only other one available on the market right now is heavily/badly polished, missing the tritium pip, and is listed for $11.3k. They were ~$4k a couple years ago, ~$7k last year, and now apparently 10k+ is the new norm.

Kicking myself because I spent weeks mulling over one offer in January and pulled the trigger about 20 mins too late and now the prices are just getting ridiculously out of hand. Saw one a few weeks ago where the seller was like "I found this in a barn at an estate sale and left all the dirt and grime all over it because when you find a piece like this you leave it exactly as it is, please give me $11k" (+$3.5k over market value at the time) and it sold in <1 day.

Patience is a virtue and all that but in this case it also seems to mean adding thousands to the price :\

[GLADIATOR]

Wow! I never realized they had reached that figure