Baron - Mr Red
14613
What is meant by a "tropical" dial?
This will be the first of a few threads looking at tropical dials. There is no universal definition of what exactly it means when a dial is described as having gone "tropic". There comes a moment when a dial goes "breaking bad" and turns into a completely different animal. Some people describe tropical to mean essentially anything that is very different from the original dial. I am not in that camp. To me, a tropical dial is a very specific and actually extremely unusual phenomenon. It is not a dial that has been water-damaged and changed appearance just because of that damage. It is not a dial that is aged and haggard. No, to me, a tropical dial means something quite specific. It would be great in this thread if people would send in their opinions of what they view as tropical. Like I said, I don't believe there is a universal definition so it would be good tho get some form of consensus. I am going to pitch at what I view as tropical....
....and the best way I can do that is by means of an example....
This is the same watch captured over the space of about 2 minutes as the sun emerged. When it was born, this 1665 DRSD would have had a black dial. Over time, it has faded into this beautiful even golden brown hue that catches the light in a specific way and totally alters the persona of the dial.
It is certainly true that some Rolex have had a greater tendency towards this process than others. My Mk2 DRSD, for example, was virtually black when I bought it 4-5 years ago, yet over those last few years it has turned more and more tropical.....
For me, this is what I understand by "tropical". What's your view? I would love this thread to become a "tropical" roll call in order to see as many versions as possible.....
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What is meant by a "tropical" dial?
This will be the first of a few threads looking at tropical dials. There is no universal definition of what exactly it means when a dial is described as having gone "tropic". There comes a moment when a dial goes "breaking bad" and turns into a completely...
ahhh ...
the miracles of the Brit sun .... LLOOLLLLL besides jokes ( sorry I can't ever resist ... ) in my big opinion ( as I'm a big man in the range of 250 lbs.. LOOLL ) .. " tropical " is a dial naturally faded to a different colour ( most times to brown with m...
OK....
.....so I am going to compile a form of running "checklist"..... 1) A dial that is unusual by dint of damage is not a tropic. 2) A tropic should be uniformly tropic across the dial and not just in some places. 3) Tropic is a result of dial fade....not wat...
honestly ???
not my cup of tea and neither my glass of beer ... ( either a bit too damaged and flyblown )
Christies
This watch seems very nice. It reminds me though of the Christies big crown example that sold in December in HK I believe and it was somewhat controversial as the serial Nrs were not legible anymore. But I don't believe it is the same watch as I cannot re...
For me I love Tropicals when they are perfect and even.
I can understand why it's not their cup of tea. Maybe its the fact of a damaged dial. Tropical can be a very broad term used to describe a color change in the dial and often time I've seen used on dials that have the slightest and darkest hint of brown. I...
hope this fits .....
1680 with case in the 2.216 range ( case produced in december 1969 and contemporary to PP 1665 ) ; please forgive the lumi replacement insert ( watch from my records checked by me 8 years ago ) : ...
1665 Mk2 and 1680 M first dials..
.....i see a clear tendency in these specific watches to turn tropic...Bill has a 1680 M first that has turned tropic. I also have one that is right next to Bill's on serial number, but hasn't turned yet. I am waiting.............
Sure thing! This is one I once had and miss.
Although I don't have great photos showing the effect of it in a more 'reserved' state but here's a comparison: And then how a tropical truly shines when the sun appears! ...
Thanks Nicolas! Yes, unfortunately I can't have them all and
things must go in order to fund bigger and better things.
it's a shy watch so ....
here is the back ( unpolished ) with the damned " hole " ... delivery number is still visible without a loupe ... LOL LOL LOL ...
Tropical Rolex 1680 Red Submariner m/f
I agree that the true meaning of tropical dial is not a blemished dial but one that has an even brown dial. The cause is always under debate whether from humidity, manufacturing flaws in the dials or oils that have escaped and caused the dial to turn brow...
Always so nice to view your beutiful DRSD dear Joe...
... and an interesting issue to read about. I feel that as usual, Marcelo Pissani gave a good answer about the "recipe" to consider a tropical dial as such: even change of color (usually black to dark brown) and not the result of a damage to the dial by w...
You raise an interesting question, Abel...
.....I think there are definitely some dials which have unusual damage to them which are STILL hugely attractive, but that doesn't mean they are tropical dials. Its like one of those logic algorithms.... If something is tropical, then it is attractive. Bu...
Let me guess: this does . . .
. . . not conform to your understanding of what would properly be a 'tropical' dial. '56 Seamaster Calendar with original black dial. Freckled and speckled with a brownish tinge, but still essentially black. Here's a macro of a section of the dial . . . ....
Splendid example
you show us Abel. The dial has so much character. My sincerest compliments! Best Edmond
Thank you Edmond for your kind comments!...
... so glad you like it!! Very cordially, Abel.
very hard to say from ...
such a small pic: it " looks " like a medium-brown faded dial but I can't either see if the shade is uniform or not ; do you have a bigger pic of the dial ??
doesn't seem to be ....
a tropical dial but the pic is still too small to note " the amount of evenness " ...
Abel makes a similar point....
......ALL tropicals are charming, but not all charming watches are tropical.
Lets see more and more scans of possible "Tropic" dials?
Are there more on matt dials than gloss dials? Is a particular reference more prone to turning tropic? What happens to a tropic dial after it turns tropic?! Lots of questions....but lets see lots of examples???
maybe there are more tropical gilts than ...
tropical matts ( considering Rolex only ) .. but the difference is very small .. if you consider also Omega speedys .. amounts are probably the same. tropical Rolex matts are almost only Singer dials made from the late 60s to the early 70s ( in 1680 and 1...
Thank you for your comments about my ramblings on tropicals dear Joe...
... now, reading and viewing more watches and comments of our colleagues, in this thread, I need to ask... may be a silly question... We call tropical to black dials turning evenly brown in our Submariners, GMTs and probably Explorers 1 too. But how we ca...
the first triple scan you posted...
...wow, that watch! it's hard to see a nice and uniform brown dial with this patina on the hands and plots. very very nice specimen! best, chris
A very relevant topic
In so many ways. Firstly let me state that I am highly sceptical of tropical dials. Especially when dealers emphasize them. It is like big red warning light goes off in my head that says 'procede with extreme caution'. It is sad but true. There is so much...
Lovely tropical example Baron, here are mine….
Thanks for bringing this topic for discussion as it is one of my favorites and have been a huge fan of tropical Rolexes for the past few years. To me a tropical vintage watch is one where the dial has naturally faded over a course of time to a pleasing sh...
Abel, Edmond, Atin....
.......you all raise some interesting questions. I think Atin answered Abel's question well regarding fading of colours other than black-brown. I will say that I am going to use this thread to compile a proper article for the forum exploring this issue in...
My humble addition: 5508
This example checks all the boxes for me, with a perfectly even and high gloss gilt, unpolished case, and original "long 5" tropical insert ...
Again, an interesting issue raised...and one from before too...
.....can you call a dial tropic if it applies just to the sub-dials? My view on this is that the watch you post is most definitely tropic..... but lets compile views and scans....this one I will definitely use in the article.
One would refer to it as a Rolex Daytona with Tropical sub dials
I don't think you would refer to the Daytona a having a tropical dial as it is not a model that turns tropical. But Tropical sub dials is a very nice and desirable feature that carries the premium of Tropical dials in Subs and explorers. Bill
So that the so called Patrizzi dial can be considered as...
... tropical sub dials chrono? ...
Where do you draw the line?
OK, i agree that a Daytona can have tropical sub-dials, but do you think that a watch with an ordinary dial that has seen its lume turn an extraordinary colour can also be termed tropical? For example.... In my view, this is NOT a tropical dial, although ...
John...welcome!
First, a warm welcome to the Rolex forum and a pertinent first post on the forum. Second, looks like my instructions on how to download worked! Nobody more surprised than me! It was a pleasure meeting you at the weekend and I am sure I speak for all in we...
Welcome to our Forum Johnny, and what a wonderful ...
... tropica dial in your GMT!! So unusual to view such a color change in a white gold surrounded indexes Rolex!! Really amazing!! Can you give us more details about your watch (e.g. reference and year of production?) Enjoy your beautiful watch and also pa...
Thanks for the welcome Joe and Abel
It's a 16760 fat lady I believe it's a 9 million serial full set I googled the name on the paperwork and And it originated from a dealership in New Orleans Regards John
A few more of my 5508
I was just reminded how much I am in love with the pure emotion this piece brings For me, this is the essence of tropical ...
Hey Bill...lovely 5508
As a watch, the 5508 is one with bundles of charm.....to see one with such a dial too must be just a joy. Thanks for posting it.
Thank you
Someone reminded me just how lovely this rare tropical is today, and I couldn't agree more. Thanks again for your kind comments.
I used this today...
.....is a Subtropical .... for the moment ... Lol Rgds. Juan ...
Wow! Hello dear Juan! Didn t know you had this beauty in your collection!...
... A recent addition may be? We need to meet some day soon to have some watch talking my friend! Un abrazo y felicitaciones! Un abrazo, Abel.
Hi Abel.....
......remember how the guys call me in the spanish forum "El escondedor"....Lol Un Abrazo. Juan
Matt....you raise a further question....
.....given that "tropic" depends so much on lighting conditions, how can something be definitive when its effect is determined by something that is so variable? In some lights, a watch looks normal and plain, whereas in other light it becomes a tropical b...
Oh yes!...
Well, on my Tudor the "tropical" is obvious but as you can see from the pics it is more about the shades of brown depending on lighting... Now on others, if you want some examples of that, here you go...knowing that it is very difficult to capture this on...