TWA's Top Picks: Best Snowflakes on "the Bay"
Lately, plenty of us have seen quite a bit of snowfall. Here in New York, there's been so much snow to the point where I've enjoyed an extended weekend. In honor of this blizzard, I have decided to dedicate this post to what first comes to mind when I think of winter: Snowflakes! No, not the snowflakes that fall from the sky, but rather the Snowflakes worn on our wrists.
About three years ago, I noticed Tudor's Snowflake underwent a transition from being a poor-man's Rolex Submariner to a highly-collectible vintage watch. Prices rapidly increased, fewer and fewer of these pieces appeared on the market, and the finest examples ultimately made their way into private collections.
Out of curiosity, this morning, I entered "Tudor Snowflake" into eBay's search bar. A mere ten results popped up on the screen. And from those ten, only a small percentage were in collectible and investment-grade condition.
Here are my top-three favorite Tudor Snowflakes on eBay, today.
This first Snowflake is, overall, the cleanest of the three I will be featuring. Although its hands and block hour markers are somewhat patina'd, the dial is immaculate. Additionally, the 39 millimeter case is sharp with all beveled edges intact and unpolished. A very nice teal bezel insert tops it all off.
There's nothing like a Submariner on an Oyster bracelet. Nor is there anything remotely close to the classic look of a black-dial Sub. This reference 94110 Tudor Snowflake is an alternative, in some sense, to the iconic Rolex 1680. This wristwatch isn't nearly as crisp as the aforementioned blue-dial Snowflake, but it's one cool, ticking, vintage beast.
Minute details often add character to older timepieces. This is most evidenced by the so-called "ghost" bezel on this 94110 Snowflake. How did this bezel insert fade to a lovely deep-gray coloration? Maybe this Tudor was sported by a naval diver in the South Pacific. Maybe this Tudor had adorned the wrist of a retired businessman as he lived out the rest of his life under the tropical sunshine of Anguilla. We'll never know how this particular Snowflake achieved this graceful aging; nonetheless, this little mystery plays a tremendous role in the mystique of this one watch.