B&S Marine Nationale Dynamic Duo

We are very excited to be presenting to you a very special opportunity!

It is becoming increasingly rare to see Tudor ‘MN’ Submariners offered for sale. These iconic and MilSubs are becoming one of the most sought after Rolex Tudor watches for both collectors of Rolex and Tudor watches as well as collectors of Military issued pieces.

Today we are able to offer two Marine Nationale Tudor MilSubs – one from 1975 and one from 1978. Both of these watches are accompanied by ledger book extracts and are beautiful examples of these rare watches.

Bernhard and Ross

A matched pair…

We are delighted to be offering two Marine Nationale issued Tudor Submariners, both accompanied by ledger book extracts. After an issue with the black dials of the MN74 watches, Tudor switched to the now legendary blue snowflake dial and bezel combination that is the classic MN combination. In fact, it is now accepted that the iconic snowflake hands were designed specifically for the MN to enable the divers to see the hands more clearly when diving at depth. Both offered examples feature beautiful blue dials and bezels, which are equally unique and yet stunning in their own ways.

The Tudor MN75…

The MN75 was the second year of engraved watches and the first year in which the blue dials and bezels were used. This was also the only year that the full year was engraved i.e. MN 1975

Our Tudor military Submariner issued in 1975 is a beautiful example with correct engravings and a copy of the ledgers. The dial is stunning and is framed beautifully by a faded bezel that has been weathered by a lifetime under the sea and sun!

The Tudor MN78

Our MN78 is another amazing example of these issued pieces. Featuring a correctly positioned engraving it is a beautiful example with very cool patina on the dial. This watch, as the other, sits in the correct serial number batch for this year of issue.

We are proud te be able to offer you 2 of these cool watches today. See the B&S Watches sales section for more images and info.

Mail me for any questions and extra info:

bernhard@bulangandsons.com
tel:+31 681 028 859

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MilSub Mayhem…

For many years the ‘MilSub’ focus was almost entirely on the vintage Rolex Submariners issued to the UK forces, with the unique sword hands, 60-minute insert, ‘circle T’ dial and the fixed strap bars. These watches were sought after by collectors of military watches and they continue to have a cult following that has inevitably spread into the investment mainstream. For many years the Tudor Submariners were seen as a far inferior cousin, but the last three years has seen an unprecedented rise in interest in Tudor MilSubs.

I have spent a considerable amount of time researching the Tudor Submariners that were issued to the military forces of a range of countries. We have now discovered watches from South Africa, Jamaica, Argentina, Israel, USA, Canada and recently a branch of the Italian Navy. Arguably, however the ‘king’ of the Tudor MilSubs is MN watch. The Tudor MN watches were issued to the Marine Nationale (French Navy) from the late 1950s until the early 1980s. In 1974 they began engraving the casebooks of the watches with the initials M.N. and the year of issue (eg in 1974 – M.N. 74). The last engraved Tudor MN Submariners we have seen are from 1983 (so M.N. 83).

Keep it real…

Collectors generally look for one of two ways of authenticating Tudor MN Subs. The first (and my personal favourite) is accompanying ledger papers (or copies there of). Like all military forces, the Marine Nationale had watchmakers that serviced the watches. These watchmakers kept ledger books where they listed the serial number, make and reference number of the watches they serviced; as well as what work was carried out. For collectors, these books are an important record and proof of each watch’s active duty. These ledger books have been owned by enthusiasts for a number of years now and certified copies of the relevant page as authentication are highly sought after by collectors.

Watches sold off at Government auctions were accompanied by cards that listed the sale date and the watch’s service history. The card often gave the unit or boat to which the watch had been lent and included the serial and reference number. These cards are known as decommissioning ‘decom’ papers and are also sought after by military watch collectors, as accompanying proof of a MilSubs legitimacy.

Collector’s dream…

For sure these watches are beautiful and we love them so much. They look so cool on a admiralty grey single-pass strap or one of our leather single-passs! You could also try them on a blue colour side-stitch leather buckle strap too for a understated look that makes the dial and bezel ‘pop’!

Click on the link below to read our short piece and see for yourselves what amazing watches these are!

The B&S Marine Nationale Article