Tudor Submariner 76100 vs Rolex Submariner 1680

Almost everything you can touch. Tudor was Rolex's own second brand, and the 76100 was built with a Rolex Oyster case, a Rolex-signed screw-down crown, a Rolex caseback and a Rolex Oyster bracelet. The reference is engraved between the lugs the same way. What Tudor did not share was the movement: instead of an in-house Rolex caliber it used an ETA automatic, which kept the price down and was easy for any watchmaker to service.

The 76100 also came in a blue dial and bezel combination that the Rolex Submariner of the period did not offer in steel, which is a large part of its appeal today.

The dial says Tudor and carries either the rose or the shield logo, so yes. The 76100 also has a lollipop seconds hand, a round lume dot near the tip, and its hands are simpler than the Rolex Mercedes hands. If the dial is blue, it is a Tudor. Turn the watch over and the caseback will be Rolex-stamped on both, which surprises people.

From a distance, on a black dial, the two are close enough to fool most observers, which is exactly why Tudor Submariners have become popular with people who like the look but not the Rolex price.

• Tudor name and rose or shield logo: 76100.
• Lollipop seconds hand and plain hour hand: 76100.
• Blue dial and bezel: 76100.
• Mercedes hands and Rolex crown at twelve: 1680.

The 76100 had a short run of about five years, so there are fewer of them than 1680s, and clean blue examples with the original bezel insert are not easy to find. The 1680 has the deeper collector pool and the famous red-text variant, which is scarcer than any 76100. In pure numbers the Tudor is the rarer watch; in collector terms the red 1680 is.

Both suffer from replaced inserts, dials and hands after decades of service. An untouched example of either is rarer than the reference itself.

If you want to wear a vintage Submariner and are not paying for the name, the 76100 gives you nearly all of the experience for a fraction of the cost. The ETA movement is a strength rather than a weakness for daily wear: parts are available and any competent watchmaker can service it. If you want the in-house Rolex caliber, the date on a Rolex dial and the collector market that comes with a Rolex reference, the 1680 is the one.

The examples below show actual sale prices from our own inventory, including a blue 76100 and a 1680 with a ghosted bezel.

The Rolex has the longer record and the deeper market, and its best examples have held firm through cycles. The Tudor has risen faster in relative terms as buyers have discovered the Rolex-cased Submariners, and the blue versions in particular have moved from overlooked to sought after. We would not assume the gap between the two closes, but the Tudor has proven it is not a consolation prize.

Condition and originality govern both. A polished case or a replacement insert costs a Tudor a larger share of its value than it costs a Rolex, because the Tudor buyer is often paying mainly for the look.

The Tudor, in most cases. It costs less, it is easier to service, the variations are fewer and the risk of paying for a wrong dial is lower. It also comes in blue, which the Rolex does not. Wear it for a year and you will know whether you want a 1680.

The one caution is that Tudor Submariners are now well known, so the days of finding one cheap are over. Buy the best example you can, check the insert and dial for originality, and pay attention to the bracelet, which is the same Rolex Oyster that is expensive to replace on either watch.