Browing through one of my vintage Rolex catalogues I found the advertisement above for the Tudor ‘Elegante’. The Tudor ‘Elegante’ was introduced by Rolex in the late 1950s at a time when watchmakers were competing with one another to manufacture ever slimmer watch cases, a trend which continued into the 1960s. The robust and sturdy Oyster case design, with screw-down crown and case back, did not naturally lend itself to the production of a thin version. In order to reduce the Oyster case’s depth to a minimum, Rolex used the slim calibre 2402, the Ebauche produced for them by ETA. The movement had a depth of just 3.6mm. The ‘Elegante’ was known under reference number 7960 and was produced in a variety of designs – below left an early example from 1958 followed by two examples from 1963. For an in depth look at these three watches, see our sold archive section.
In 1963, the Tudor Oyster ‘Elegante’ retailed in the UK for £31 on a bracelet and £27 10s 0d on a leather strap. This compared to the pure branded Rolex Oyster equivalent which retailed for £37 on a bracelet and £33 10s 0d on a leather strap; the bracelet version is shown below.
