Tudor tropical

[0132joshua]

Hi, love it or hate it, has it become a so called tropical dial, it has spent most of its life in Aden, where it was originally purchased.

 

[John Cote]

"Tropical" is an interesting term in the watch biz. I have been following this term through its evolution over a long period of time. I think it probably started out having the meaning that a dial had been subjected to sunlight and was either faded or had changed color a bit....Mainly a dial had become somewhat warmer in color. This could be a black dial turning a bit brown or a white or silver dial taking on a tan hue. It's all dial damage but some of it to some collectors is attractive.

As this "tropical" thing became desirable or valuable, the definition of the term expanded. Water or humidity damage became "tropical." All sorts of damage came under the "tropical" definition.

I am just a follower of the definition. I am cool with whatever people want to make it. That said, I think some environmentally caused dial changes are beautiful and some are ugly and there is a lot of in-between. I guess it's a matter of taste and we all have to make our own judgements.

 

[0132joshua]

In the case of Rolex and Tudor that had Oyster cases, the name of the crystal type is actually 'tropic'.

ie: Genuine Rolex 25 13 TROPIC Crystal acrylic 29.5mm open ... - eBay

Not sure when it started applying to dials. HI, THANKS REPLY, VERY INTRESTING INDEED, THINK I WIL LEAVE IT ALONE , AS REFINISHED DIALS ALWAYS LOOK , TO ME ANYWAY, REFINISHED, NO WHERE AS GOOD AS ORIGINAL. OF COURSE IT MAY DEPEND ON THE REFINISNERS SKILLS.

Aged to Perfection: All About Rolex "Tropical" Dials - Bob's Watches


5 Nov 2020 ... A Rolex tropical dial is a dial that has discolored due to sustained exposure to the sun and minor flaws in the manufacturing process.

 

[John Cote]

HI, THANKS REPLY, VERY INTRESTING INDEED, THINK I WIL LEAVE IT ALONE , AS REFINISHED DIALS ALWAYS LOOK , TO ME ANYWAY, REFINISHED, NO WHERE AS GOOD AS ORIGINAL. OF COURSE IT MAY DEPEND ON THE REFINISNERS SKILLS.

I agree. I would much rather have this dial than any refin. We have all seen dials which are completely lost but most of the time a refin is worse.