Bishton Hall bidder catches rare Oysterdate

Testament to a vibrant market for vintage Tudor wristwatches, a very scarce Oysterdate – the reference 7031 or ‘Homeplate’ – proved the star of Hansons’ Christmas auction at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire.

Extracted from Antiques Trade Gazette | ATG Reporter

The scarce Tudor Oysterdate (reference 7031) that sold for £51,100 at Hansons.

Launched in 1970, the reference 7031 is the most desirable of all Tudor chronographs.

It takes its name from a series of colourful dial designs, each with number markers shaped like the home plate on a baseball field.

This example with a black bezel and dial was spotted as a rare variant: less than a dozen black dial 7031s are known. It came for sale on December 18 from a Nottinghamshire private vendor and was in excellent condition.

Six international phone bidders competed against the internet with the watch finally sold to a French collector via thesaleroom.com.

The hammer price was £51,100 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) – many times the estimate of £3000-5000.