Last Updated on November 16, 2024 by Jason
This particular vintage Tudor cushion cased watch is of great interest to me as it belonged to my great-grandfather and it dates from the 1930s. The watch was passed to me by an uncle last Christmas, it was in a sorry state. It has since undergone restoration at J.J. Browne & Son, Caterham, Surrey, UK. I am very pleased to be able to share my research on a vintage timepiece that has genuine sentimental value. People often email me and ask for valuations on antique and vintage watches. I have said many times that the sentimental value of a vintage watch will always outweigh the monetary value and I can assure you that this is the case as the watch ticks loudly on my wrist.
The Tudor brand
The Tudor watch brand was established in 1926 when the trademark was registered by the Swiss watchmaker Veuve de Philippe Hüther on behalf of Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex. Wilsdorf envisioned Tudor as a brand that would offer the reliability and quality of Rolex watches but at a more affordable price point. In the early 1930s, the main market for Tudor watches was in Australia. The trade name “The Tudor” was officially transferred to Rolex in 1936. In 1946, Wilsdorf officially founded Montres Tudor SA, setting the stage for Tudor to become a significant player in the watchmaking industry.
Tudor’s early years were marked by the introduction of the Oyster collection in the late 1940s, featuring the waterproof Oyster case that was previously exclusive to Rolex. This innovation was followed by the release of the Tudor Oyster Prince in 1952, which included an automatic mechanism. The following decades were pivotal for Tudor, particularly with the launch of the Tudor Submariner in 1954, a diving watch that became a favourite among professional divers and military personnel. The Submariner’s design evolved over the years, incorporating features like the “big crown” and “snowflake hands,” which have become iconic elements of Tudor’s design language. During this period, Tudor watches were issued to various navies, including the US Navy SEALs and the French Marine Nationale.
In the 1970s, Tudor expanded its offerings with the introduction of its first chronograph, the Oysterdate, which featured a manually wound Valjoux mechanical calibre 7734. This period also saw the development of the Tudor Advisor, a watch with an alarm complication, showcasing the brand’s commitment to innovation and functionality. Today, Tudor continues to thrive as a sister brand to Rolex, maintaining its legacy of producing high-quality, reliable watches that combine robust performance with elegant design.
Tudor cushion cased watch
This is a mid-1930s Tudor cushion case watch, I’ll have a closer estimate on the date below. It is from the Art Deco period which influenced watch design during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Vintage Art Deco watches were, and still are, the epitome of elegance and style. This piece is a rare, early example of a Tudor watch with the Tudor ‘Long T’ logo commonly seen on Australian market models. The dial is an off-white/silver tone and is well laid out, with a railroad track for the minutes, large Arabic numerals and an inset sub-second register. The dial has age-related flecking which can be expected of a watch of this age. For collectors who value originality, this would be considered patina and does not detract from the value of the watch.
The signing on the dial is all visible and clear, but has worn slightly with ageing. The hands are original and are of syringe style. They have the original radium luminous paint, which has possibly been retouched during restoration with a zinc sulphide phosphor activator as the hands still glow in the dark. Overall, I would rate the condition of the watch as very good. There is only one nick on the case back that might be considered damage, but this is not visible when wearing the watch. The case is rolled 9ct gold and the movement is a Tudor calibre 59 with 15 jewels. This would have been an expensive watch at the time. It is not something I expected my working-class family to own, not that I am complaining about having a 90-year-old Tudor watch!
Cushion case
A cushion case is a watch case with a square or rectangular shape with softly rounded corners that resemble a pillow. Cushion case designs have been employed in watchmaking since the early twentieth century, and they have a classic and timeless appearance that is still popular today. Cushion cases are typically constructed of metal, such as stainless steel or gold, and can be found in a wide range of finishes and hues. It is a charming size, measuring 29mm x 29mm which was common during this era. The case was made by J W Handley Proprietary Limited. Inside is a manual wind Tudor calibre 59 movement which is keeping good time.
J W Handley Proprietary Limited.
After the First World War Australia imposed high import duties on complete watches so many Swiss movement manufacturers exported bare movements to be cased up in Australia. As a result, Mr Handley and Mr Tilley got into the watch case manufacturing business. In the early 1920s they established a factory in Victoria St Abbotsford before they moved from to 655 Victoria St in 1929 into a new purpose-built factory. Australia imposed high import duties on complete watches so many Swiss watchmakers exported bare movements to be cased up in Australia. Handley made cases for Rolex, Tudor, Unicorn, Cyma, Movado, Tissot and Omega.
According to The Brisbane Courier, Wednesday 1st August 1928: “Mr. E. Tilley, a Melbourne business man, who is returning on the R.M.S. Moldavia. Mr. Tilley is managing director of Handley and Tilley, Ltd., watch case makers. He said that the feeling shown by the Swiss- contrasted with the treatment of foreigners in other countries. He arrived in Switzerland in March, for the purpose of purchasing a modern plant for the manufacture of watchcases. When the Association of Watchcase Manufacturers was advised from an Australian source that there was In Switzerland a representative of an Australian watchcase manufacturing firm, they published in a daily newspaper at La Chaux de Fonds an appeal to the local manufacturers not to aid foreigners to transplant the watch making industry abroad. “All the firms with whom I had placed orders for machinery,” Mr. Tilley continued, “were informed that, if they supplied my orders, they would be called before the association, and would not be accorded the support of the association in future. I then went, to Berne, where the same thing occurred, and I was one of the most talked about men In Switzerland; Certain firms outside the association got into touch with me, and I secured all the plant I required. I heard that steps had been taken to induce the police to deport me as an undesirable trader, in the same way as three Japanese and a Canadian were deported some months previously, so I left Switzerland.”
Name change
The machinery was subsequently purchased and contracts were obtained to produce cases for Swiss brands. In 1929 one hundred staff were engaged in watch case manufacture. For whatever reason Handley and Tilley parted ways in 1934, with Tilley signing an agreement not to work in the industry for a given time. In December of the same year, all the assets of Handley & Tilley were sold to J W Handley Proprietary Limited.
In 1935 Handley launched legal action against Tilley for breach of the 1934 covenant when Tilley set up a company in his wife’s name and started making cases and trying to poach customers from J W Handley. Handley won the case and received 1000 Pounds in damages. Up until this point, the trademark had been an open hand with the text “HANTILY”. The Handley and Tilley company was officially deregistered on 11/04/1935 and the trademark changed to an open hand with the text “HANDLEY”.
Filled gold
This Handley case is gold filled with a guarantee of 10 years. It also has a serial number of 142070 and the letter “E”. I have not been able to determine what the “E” stands for, in other examples, I have seen different letters in the same place. Filled and rolled gold watch cases are a less expensive way to incorporate gold into a watch case design instead of using solid gold. The case consists of a base metal core, such as brass, with a mechanically bonded outer layer of solid gold. Filled gold has a gold content of at least 5 per cent of the total weight of the case. Rolled gold is made in the same way as filled gold, however, the gold content is less than 5% of the total weight.
Filled gold will have a gold layer at least one hundred times thicker than gold plate, which provides a much more durable presentation layer. In this instance, the filled gold case is guaranteed for 10 years. Finally, there are some markings scratched onto the inner case that would most likely have been made by watchmakers when servicing the watch. However, the numbers don’t correspond to dates that match the period of the watch.
Tudor calibre 59
The movement in this watch is marked with the Tudor name. Looking at other examples of 1930s Tudor watches of a similar style it seems most likely that this is a Tudor calibre 59. The movement is a rebrand of a FHF 30 ébauche. It was serviced as part of the restoration project by J.J. Browne & Son.
The FHF 30 is a 10½ ligne diameter (23.7mm) round movement ticking at 18,000 vibrations per hour. It has a Swiss straight line lever escapement, 15 jewels and a 40-hour power reserve. There was also a variant made in a 17-jewel and a centre seconds version called the FHF 30-1. The FHF 30 was produced between 1935 and 1949.
The FHF 30 ébauche was used in many of Wilsdorf’s “mid-range” watches such as Oyster Watch Co. and Tudor. In Tudor watches it was called the calibre 59 and the centre seconds version was called the cal. 59(SC). Although the Tudor version is usually described as being based on the FHF movement, the only modification appears to be the engraving of the Tudor name on the bridge.
FHF
Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF) was established in 1793 in Fontainemelon by Isaac and David Benguerel, along with Julien and François Humbert-Droz, under the name “Benguerel & Humbert.” It is recognized as the world’s oldest ebauche movement manufacturer. In 1816, FHF began industrial production of watch movements in its first factory, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become ETA, now the largest movement manufacturer.
Throughout the 19th century, FHF expanded its operations, acquiring a factory in Corgémont in 1838 to harness hydraulic power from the River Suze and introducing steam power in 1862. By 1876, FHF was producing 240,000 ebauches annually with a workforce of 400 employees. In 1900, Paul Robert modernized an FHF workshop with American machinery, elevating the quality of Swiss watches to match that of American factories. FHF merged with Landeron in 1925 and became a founding member of Ebauches SA in 1926.
By the 1950s, FHF focused on mass-producing watch movements for Ebauches SA. They introduced a low-cost mechanical option in 1955, which became the “standard” grade, but were excluded from participating in advanced developments. In 1979, FHF launched the mini-quartz, the world’s smallest movement. However, the quartz crisis led to a reorganization of Ebauches SA’s movement manufacturers by 1982, and FHF was eventually absorbed into ETA in 1985.
Date?
The Australian distributor for Tudor was the jewellery firm Willis & Sons, which has been an importer, wholesaler, and jewellery manufacturer since 1858. Willis & Sons distributed the Tudor watches to high-end jewellers such as Catanach’s (est. 1874), Prouds (est. 1903) and J. Farren-Price (est. 1948). The Tudor brand experienced a post-war boom between 1948 and 1952, partly due to the rapid growth of the Australian economy and the demand for reliable timepieces.
So what is the date of the watch? The watch was purchased by my great-grandfather in Australia sometime in the 1930s. The Tudor brand was launched in 1926 and most sources suggest that the first Tudor watches arrived in Australia in 1932, so the watch can’t predate this. The Tudor logo on the dial has the ‘Long T’ commonly seen on Australian market models. This particular logo predates the Tudor rose and shield that was adopted in October 1936 when Rolex officially took ownership of the Tudor trade mark. This leaves us with a date range of 1932 to 1936. However, the “HANDLEY” logo on the case was only in use from 1935. Additionally, the Tudor calibre 59 was only launched in 1935. Given these facts, the watch will likely date from mid-1935 to mid-1936, but we have no idea when my great-grandfather made the purchase.
Restoration
The watch was in a sorry state when I received it in Sydney last Christmas. It had most likely sat in a drawer for perhaps fifty years or more. The acrylic crystal lens had browned with age and was so dark that the dial beneath was not visible. One of the wire lugs for the strap was missing as was the crown and winding stem.
The case was a little battered and stained green with age at the edges.
The dial with the lens removed, was in surprisingly original condition with light age-related flecking. There was no damage and really all that needed to be done was a gentle clean. The hands showed subtle signs of corrosion.
The restoration was carried out by J.J. Browne & Son, a family-owned jewellery business that has proudly been serving the Caterham area since 1921. As well as jewellery, they can have a range of new and vintage watches. They have a dedicated workshop and craftspeople with decades of experience from prestigious brands such as Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Cartier and Longines. The work included the refurbishment of the winding work components, a replaced set wheel, a new winding stem, a new crown, a new mainspring, a new crystal and a complete overhaul. I didn’t want the watch restored to “as new” condition, I wanted it to be a practical and reliable timepiece that maintained its age-related character. I wasn’t disappointed. The restoration was carried out to perfection and on budget. I couldn’t be more pleased with the service from the team at J.J. Browne & Son.
Summary
I am thrilled to be the caretaker of this Tudor cushion case watch. It belonged to my great-grandfather, a man I never met. After sitting in a drawer for decades it now has a second lease of life thanks to the restoration work by J.J. Browne & Son. The watch has an age-related patina, which adds charm and character to this Art Deco timepiece. I enjoy wearing it and it keeps good time, approximately -30 seconds a day, which is very acceptable for a vintage watch. The power reserve, with the new mainspring, it a very healthy 40 hours on a full wind. I am very much looking forward to sharing the watch with my family on my next visit to Sydney.
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