Tudor Submariner Date (ref. 79090) M79090N

The Tudor Submariner reference 79090 is the final acrylic-crystal generation of Tudor's Submariner, introduced in 1989 on a 40 mm Rolex Oyster case with the Rolex-signed Triplock crown while running the automatic ETA 2824-2 rather than a Rolex movement. The M79090N designation refers to the black-dial, black-bezel configuration; the reference was also offered with a blue dial and bezel. It retained a domed plexiglass crystal, a bi-directional timing bezel, Mercedes hands and tritium lume, and it was among the last Tudor Submariners before the line ended in 1999.

Tudor introduced the Submariner reference 79090 in 1989 as the successor to reference 76100. The reference guide at tudorsub.com describes the 79090 as "nearly identical to the previous ref. 76100" but with Mercedes-style hands and the updated ETA calibre 2824-2, and calls it "the last submariner to feature an acrylic crystal" in Tudor's lineup.

The 79090 kept the 40 mm Rolex Oyster case, the Rolex-signed Triplock crown and a domed plexiglass crystal at a point when Rolex had already moved its own Submariner to sapphire. Time Curated notes that in 1995 Tudor introduced the smaller 36 mm reference 75190 — among "the first and last Tudor Submariners to adopt sapphire crystal" — which sat alongside and effectively superseded the plexiglass 79090 late in the model's run.

Tudor discontinued the Submariner entirely in 1999, making the 79090 one of the last examples of a line the brand had produced since the 1950s. Both Time Curated and the Fifth Wrist owner review frame the reference as a Rolex-cased diver sold at a lower price than the equivalent Rolex Submariner.

The reference 79090 is powered by a modified automatic ETA calibre 2824-2. Time Curated records the movement as a 25-jewel automatic with a bi-directional central winding rotor and a 42-hour power reserve, and notes it offers hacking seconds and quick-set date correction.

The 2824-2 marked a change from the caliber fitted to the earlier 76100; tudorsub.com describes the 79090 as "nearly identical to the previous ref. 76100" apart from its Mercedes hands and the "updated ETA calibre 2824-2." The Fifth Wrist owner review confirms the same ETA 2824-2 running inside a Rolex-made case.

That pairing is the reference's central value argument in the reviews: a Rolex Submariner case and Triplock crown combined with a robust, widely serviceable Swiss ébauche rather than an in-house Rolex movement.

The Fifth Wrist owner review measures the 79090 at 39 mm across with calipers and 13 mm thick, and calls it "a perfectly proportioned diver for everyday wear – suits included." The review highlights drilled lug holes that make strap changes straightforward.

On the bracelet, the same review is more critical: the folded-link steel Tudor Oyster bracelet "is rattly, thin and feels cheap compared to today's modern offerings," though the reviewer still finds it "comfortable on the wrist." The reviewer also reports that the aged "tritium lume is virtually non-existent," which is typical of tritium-era dials.

Time Curated similarly describes the 79090's proportions as a "wrist-friendly diameter," contrasting it with the smaller 36 mm 75190. The 40 mm figure quoted by dealers is the official case size; the hands-on caliper measurements in these reviews come in closer to 39 mm.

The 79090 was offered with either a black or a blue dial and a matching bezel; the M79090N designation corresponds to the black configuration. Bulang & Sons describes a black-dial 79090 with "mercedes pattern hands," a black bezel insert and a "Tudor 9315 folded link bracelet with 380b endlinks," while Bob's Watches lists a blue-dial example with tritium hands and markers.

Within the late-Submariner family, Time Curated contrasts the 40 mm plexiglass 79090 — Triplock crown, bi-directional bezel — with the 36 mm reference 75190 introduced in 1995, which switched to a flat sapphire crystal, a Twinlock crown and a uni-directional ratcheting bezel. Later 75190 examples from 1997 added a steel bezel with engraved numerals.

Both references shared the three-link Oyster bracelet: Time Curated records the 79090 on the 9315 bracelet with 380B end-links and the 75190 on the 9315 with 383B end-links.

The 79090 has been out of production since Tudor discontinued the Submariner in 1999, so it trades only on the pre-owned and vintage market through specialist dealers such as Bob's Watches and Bulang & Sons.

Bob's Watches lists a 1994 blue-dial 79090 in "Excellent" condition at $6,495. The Fifth Wrist review notes that values for these Tudor Submariners have been climbing, advising that prices "are continually rising." Because the dials used tritium, lume is typically dead on surviving examples, and plexiglass crystals can be polished or replaced — points the reviews frame as normal for the reference rather than defects.

Buyers commonly look for original, unpolished cases with intact drilled lug holes and correct 9315 bracelets with the appropriate end-links (380B on the 79090), details documented by Time Curated and dealer listings such as Bulang & Sons.