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The Tudor Chronograph “Big Block” saw its “birth” in 1976 with the 9400 series, and was the first chronograph from the Swiss brand Tudor/Rolex to be equipped with an automatic movement, 12 years before elder sibling Rolex fitted the Daytona with self-winding ones. To accommodate the rotor of the movement the case of the Prince Oysterdate was made thicker, hence the nickname of “Big Block”. In 1989 the 9400 series was replaced with the 79100 series, the changes introduced compared to the 9400 series were however minimal. Both series used a large number of Rolex components, such as the winding crown, chronograph push-piece, bezel, caseback, and crystals. The three references of the 79100 series all differed in the type of bezel: 79160 tachymeter bezel in black bakelite, 79170 black bidirectional 12-hour graduated bezel, 79180 tachymeter bezel in steel. The “Big Block” saw its demise in 1996, when Tudor ceased production of this “iconic” watch series. The watch for sale with reference 79180 (SS bezel) was produced in ca. 1990, has a beautiful “inverted panda” black dial, the movement has been completely serviced and both the case and bracelet have been professionally restored to its original glory.
