Tudor Oyster timepieces, introduced in 1946, were manual-wind watches housed in 34mm steel Oyster cases with a wide range of dial variations. In 1952, the "Oyster Prince" was introduced, indicating the presence of an automatic movement, which was Tudor's equivalent to Rolex's "Perpetual." These automatic movements were modified by Tudor but based on the Fleurier Calibre 390, making them bulletproof almost. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Tudor, aimed to create watches of the same quality and reliability as Rolex. He introduced the Oyster case and auto-wind movement, which he believed would make these watches stand up to his high expectations and promise. The Oyster case is iconic and one of the most beautiful and aesthetically pleasing designs of the 20th century. The Oyster was designed to hermetically seal the movement inside the case using screws and seals. The introduction of the three-piece case made replacing scuffed and cracked crystals easier and is still in use today. The screw-down crown and case back were still key features, but the bezel pressed over the crystal to seal the case.
