The SAGA:
We at Saga are truly honored to present this Tudor Mini-Sub. Its former owner, Robert J Spangle, is the photographer behind Thousand Yard Style. Formerly a Marine, Savile Row trained Bespoke Tailor, & designer, he succumbed to photography at the request of British GQ in 2013 and currently spends upwards of 36 weeks a year traveling, & 52 working. Robert’s works has been featured by British GQ, The Rake, Monrowe, Plaza Uomo, Vogue Online, style.com, M Magazine, Esquire UK, Men’s Health Germany, and Esquire Hong Kong amongst others.
Here’s a little background on Robert’s personal relationship to the watch, in his own words: “Late 2016 I started an assignment for GQ to photograph men’s watches and the stories behind them during the Fashion weeks I was covering for them. After a year covering watches I’d yet to see something that resonated with me personally, but one day on the tube in London I noticed a young man wearing what looked like a Rolex Submariner in dress watch proportions. I asked him about it, and thankfully wasn't taken as a mugger. The watch was a Tudor MiniSub, a model that had never been available in the west outside of special order in Italy and Australia, a gift from his father a diplomat in Singapore. With a oyster case back and Rolex crown, it was the stealth watch I had always wanted.
A few months later I found myself in Tokyo, a trip I had looked forward to since age 8. For a solid 3 weeks I lost myself in the streets of Tokyo, and at the top of a laundry list of shopping to do’s was hunting down my own Tudor Mini-sub, which had been discontinued for nearly 30 years at that point. The Japanese had not just the model I’d seen in London (black dial and bezel) but something more rare, and more personal, a blue face blue bezel model. It was more costly, but the color held to dear a place in my heart, it was a constant reminder of the oceans of childhood home in Malibu. This was my first serious vintage watch purchase and it felt like the singular intersection of my needs in the field, and personal taste. After finding my first Mini sub I found it to be so suited to my needs I soon had a small collection of my own, largely found on trips to Tokyo and Italy. The robust movement showed no signs of its age, the timing bezel helped me keep track of multiple time zones and events, and above all it was a personal pleasure discrete enough for assignments in the roughest parts of the world. choosing a vintage watch for a combat zone seemed like a stretch, but nearly a year and a half after I purchased it my Mini-sub was packed and worn without a second thought covering the Mosul offensive as Iraqi SF, Federal Police & Kurdish Peshmerga ousted ISIS from its last stronghold in Iraq. It kept critical timing, garnered the admiration of many a old Kurdish fighter in Erbil. It will be sorely missed on my wrist.”
Tech Specs:
Year of manufacture: 1987
Serial Number: 1975XX
Dial: Excellent glossy blue dial
Bezel insert: Plexi, rotating dive bezel. Blue
Case: good case that has been polished previously. It shows wear from use
Bracelet: Tight jubilee bracelet
Movement: automatic
Accessories: continuing the adventure
Watch is currently running at COSC spec