TUDOR
Submariner "Marine Nationale / Meter First"
Ref. 94010 No. 903190 Circa 1977 Stainless steel diver's wristwatch delivered to the French Navy. Case: round, screw-down crown and case back, engraved "M.N 77" on the back and stamped "9411" inside, signed. Dial: black, luminous markers, "Snowflake" hand, railway minute track, signed. Movement: automatic, cal. 2776, signed. Diameter: 39 mm. With: a copy of the page from the French Navy accounting register on which this watch is listed with the notation "Complete Overhaul" dated March 30, 1981. Introduced around 1975, the 94010 model was used by French Navy divers between 1976 and 1983, as evidenced by the various examples stamped "M.N." that have reappeared at auction in recent years. The watch presented here was likely issued to the diving school, as suggested by a copy of a document from the French Navy archives, on which the serial number of our example is clearly indicated. Probably sent for servicing on March 30, 1981, this Submariner appears in the Navy's accounting records with the entry: "Paid on 3.6.81." While Tudor watches were used by members of the French Navy as early as 1956, it was only in 1961 that the brand officially became an official supplier to the French Navy. Even today, Tudor maintains close ties with the French Navy, although the long tradition of issuing service watches ended in the 1980s. A rare testament to an era when the watchmaking industry provided essential survival tools to the military, this "tool watch" is a collector's item with tangible heritage value. Introduced around 1975, the 94010 model was used by French Navy divers between 1976 and 1983, as evidenced by the various examples stamped "M.N." that have reappeared at auction in recent years. The watch presented here was likely issued to the diving school, as suggested by a copy of a document from the French Navy archives, on which the serial number of our example is clearly indicated. Probably sent for service on March 30, 1981, this Submariner appears in the Navy's accounting records with the entry: "Paid on 3.6.81." While Tudor watches were used by members of the French Navy as early as 1956, it was only in 1961 that the brand officially became an official supplier to the French Navy. Even today, Tudor maintains close ties with the French Navy, although the long tradition of issuing them as official watches ended in the 1980s. A rare testament to an era when the watch industry provided essential survival tools to the military, this "tool watch" is a collector's item with tangible heritage value.
