Overview
The "Big Block" was produced in many different variations throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s and marked the Rolex family's first automatic chronograph and Tudor's first three-register chronograph. The "Big Block" nickname was given to the watch because of the thicker case required to house the automatic chronograph movement. The new three-register design shared a striking resemblance to the Rolex Daytona, usually coming in either a silver panda or black reverse-panda dial. This particular watch comes with a rather extensive documentation of its history.
Specifications
Brand:
Tudor
Model:
'Big Block'
Reference:
79180
Year:
1995
Case Number:
B629420
Case Material:
Stainless steel
Diameter:
40 mm
Lug Width:
20 mm
Thickness:
14.5 mm
Lug-to-Lug:
47.8 mm
Dial:
Black
Lume:
Tritium
Crystal:
Acrylic
Movement:
Automatic
Caliber:
Valjoux 7750
Bracelet/Strap:
Tudor 78360 stainless steel bracelet with 589 end links and T6 clasp code
Max Wrist Size:
7.75 in (13 links)
Hand model has a wrist size of 6.2 in
Condition
Case: The case is strong and sharp with the original brushed finishing and polished beveled edges still intact. The bezel is very well preserved with the black filling still present in all the engravings. There’s a few small scratches here and there, most of which are on the case sides. The case back engravings are sharp and deep and remain protected by a sticker from the last service.
Dial, Hands, & Crystal: The black dial is clean and the crystal is in mint condition with no scratches present. Under UV light both dial and hands exhibit the same behavior and do not glow after the light is removed.
Bracelet/Strap: The Tudor 78360 bracelet is in excellent condition with little to no stretch and only a few small hairlines present. The clasp code is T6, which dates the bracelet to 1995 (and matches the date of the watch case).
Performance
Functions: All functions including the crown-winding, time-setting, date-setting, and chronograph start/stop/reset are working as expected. The movement accuracy has been observed with a timegrapher and the beat rate, amplitude, and beat error in all positions are within acceptable ranges. While resting face up, the watch is running at -3 seconds per day.
Service History: The watch was last serviced by Motohashi Clock Shop in November of 2019.
