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Old 16 February 2019, 04:47 AM   #61
STEELINOX
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Met Retired Navy Diver today .... and his service issued Tudor Sub

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxy View Post
Great story but that's not a Rolex!


This says it is!

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Old 20 April 2019, 04:41 PM   #62
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Picture of my Dad taken at US Navy Dive School.




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Old 24 May 2019, 07:26 AM   #63
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Quote:
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The US navy issued Tudor subs to some of their UTD divers. The seal teams in the 60's and early 70's got them too. The Canadian Navy issued Tudor subs for over 30 years to divers. Most of the Rolex subs you see with "navy provenience" were purchased st the PX. Although apparently a handful of 5513's were issued to special groups (Seals, UDT's etc)

7016's, and 7928's were known to be issued to both Canadian and US divers.

I'm digging the large lollipop second hand on this one!
I have a 94010 that was issued to a Seal at NAB Coronado. I also have an issued Seiko as well. The Tudor has no case engravings but the Seiko has something crudely engraved on the case back. I acquired both watches via trade with a sailor who worked in Supply back when I was in the Marine Corps. He had a big box of Tudor, Seiko, and possibly other brands of dive watches. Most were in very rough shape and had the hands off, scratched up crystals, etc.
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Old 24 May 2019, 12:39 PM   #64
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Quote:
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Picture of my Dad taken at US Navy Dive School.




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Thank you for sharing, both the current story and the pic of your dad. He looks great, bet he had some stories

In a throw away generation, seeing someone retain and use an item like that sub for more than half a century, and not give a shit that his Rolex has a strap that says timex, restores some faith in humanity
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Old 24 May 2019, 12:52 PM   #65
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Great post
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Old 24 May 2019, 10:52 PM   #66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SS Oyster View Post
Picture of my Dad taken at US Navy Dive School.

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Nice ; )

Wish I had a shot of my dad from when he was in the Navy. Though the avionics repair ship of USS Essex during the Cuban Missile crisis would be less, uhh, interesting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel 67 View Post
I have a 94010 that was issued to a Seal at NAB Coronado. I also have an issued Seiko as well. The Tudor has no case engravings but the Seiko has something crudely engraved on the case back. I acquired both watches via trade with a sailor who worked in Supply back when I was in the Marine Corps. He had a big box of Tudor, Seiko, and possibly other brands of dive watches. Most were in very rough shape and had the hands off, scratched up crystals, etc.
Show me some photos of the Tudor and I may be able to help you with it.

Damn, wish I had the box of very rough shape watches ; )
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Old 25 May 2019, 03:00 AM   #67
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Nice story... crazy to think that watch still ticks after 30 years without servicing... amazing
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Old 27 May 2019, 09:10 AM   #68
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great story, shipmate. I wasn't in the Navy in the days when Rolex's were sold in the commissaries, but I wish I could go back in time and see a brand new 1680 or 1675 in a display for a several hundred dollars brand new.
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Old 27 May 2019, 08:41 PM   #69
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He's a Navy diver. It's whatever he says it is!
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Old 3 July 2020, 04:16 AM   #70
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Quick update - spoke with John Whitehead (retired CWO4 and owner of this watch). Since we last spoke, he suffered from a stroke in one of his eyes. He was upbeat though and as we chatted, he dove into new stories and adventures he had in the Navy (sea stories), which were amazing.

I did encourage him to write down all his major military service operations involving this watch and basics about himself like where he grew up, where he entered service, where he went to dive school, etc. I told him that provenance would be important to his family or to the value of the watch should he ever decide to sell it.

I asked him what happened to the stainless bracelet it cane with. He told me it came on a nylon strap when it was issued to him. Ever since, he has just replaced the strap, but has done nothing else to the watch.

I also asked him if the watch head had any special markings (stamps or engravings) on the back. He wasn’t sure.

I texted him a picture of my Dad at dive school.

John is definitely a national treasure and wonderful conversationalist. I will be keeping in touch.


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Old 3 July 2020, 09:49 AM   #71
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So cool!
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Old 3 July 2020, 01:55 PM   #72
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Great post! Thank you!
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Old 3 July 2020, 08:26 PM   #73
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Fantastic!! Thanks for sharing the story/pics and updates!
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Old 4 July 2020, 12:31 AM   #74
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Great thread and thank you both for your service!
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Old 4 July 2020, 03:55 PM   #75
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Thanks - I hope to keep in touch and hope to convince him to write down his story and rage some pics wearing his Sub. I also asked him to try to find vintage photos wearing his Tudor.


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Old 4 July 2020, 04:11 PM   #76
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A great story and a fabulous watch
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Old 4 July 2020, 07:00 PM   #77
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Very cool story thanks for posting
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Old 5 July 2020, 03:28 AM   #78
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Very cool! Thank you
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Old 31 August 2020, 09:49 AM   #79
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OP, I hope you will keep this thread going as the CWO allows. Very interesting. Thanks for staying in touch with him.
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Old 31 August 2020, 11:44 AM   #80
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Great story!

Looking at this watch I wonder about the advice I've seen regarding getting a dive watch tested each year if you decide to take a dip in the pool . . .

Seriously doubt he heeded.
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Old 18 February 2021, 01:48 PM   #81
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Just saw a couple of Hodinkee videos on YouTube about Tudor military service subs, so texted them to John, hoping he will be able to view them through the links I sent. I'll let you know if he responds.

https://youtu.be/NZXsl-zDdWM

https://youtu.be/OK7Ua-73TZs
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Old 18 February 2021, 02:35 PM   #82
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Threads like this are why I love TRF.
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Old 18 February 2021, 04:29 PM   #83
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Cool story. Thanks for sharing. This is what this hobby is all about.
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Old 19 February 2021, 04:56 AM   #84
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John received my YouTube link text messages and called me this morning on Facetime. He's 84 years old and his assessment of his health was "not great". He has some eyesight challenges and can't seem to get the VA to tell him when he can get a COVID vaccination. I told him to forget the VA and that I would send him a link to the CA vaccination signup, which I did after handing up.

He said he stopped wearing the watch, placing it in a shadow box. He did say he took the watch to his jeweler and that he had the watch cleaned. He said they offered to purchase the watch from him, which he refused. He said the watch service cost him $400, which I told him was reasonable for a full movement service with a full cleaning, but hoped he did not allow them to polish it, which he confirmed.

I asked if he had recorded his stories about his diving experiences in the Navy. He said his kids know the stories. I told him that it would be better if he recorded his stories in his voice.

Not wanting to press him more, we ended our call with great respect from one retired Naval Officer to another. He likes talking to me ... missing the camaraderie he had when in the service.

I will reach out to him again soon.
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Old 19 February 2021, 06:32 AM   #85
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That is a great story, and OP you are truly a man of honor to explain the value of the watch to this gentleman and it's significance to watch collectors. Bravo. More of you please.
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Old 19 February 2021, 07:04 AM   #86
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Thanks for keeping him in your loop and us in the conversation.
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Old 19 February 2021, 08:22 AM   #87
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Thank you for sharing and for staying in contact with this gentleman!

I am not a Veteran myself but my employer has a strong military presence and, as part of our practice, helps Veterans get the benefits they deserve.

These stories are wonderful treasures and we are trying to compile memories from Vietnam Vets. Any idea if he served in Vietnam?
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Old 19 February 2021, 08:37 AM   #88
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Met Retired Navy Diver today .... and his service issued Tudor Sub

Video forthcoming

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Old 19 February 2021, 10:36 AM   #89
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Met Retired Navy Diver today .... and his service issued Tudor Sub

I wanted to find a way for John to tell his stories of diving in the Navy with his service issued Tudor Submariner. I wanted to set it up in a recorded Zoom call, but when he and I were on a FaceTime call, he just started telling me about his career. So, I improvised and recorded my iPhone with my iPad, which I have uploaded to YouTube to share with you all. I know the quality his poor; just raw video of John telling his stories.

Think of this as part 1. Hopefully, I’ll be able to post more with next one focused on his Tudor Sub in his words.

https://youtu.be/QoATwmlxO4Y

Hope you enjoy the video. Let me know if you want to see more videos of John.


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Old 19 February 2021, 11:13 AM   #90
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Really enjoyed your interview with John. Thanks for posting it on YouTube.
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