1968 Tudor Submariner ref. 7016/0 Issued by LAGOVEN Oil Company

Please read Ross Povey’s article on these watches on his website: https://tudorcollector.com/rosstalks/new-finds-lagoven-tudor-sub-mariners/

About a year ago, in 2019, I found a Tudor 7016/0 with a shield logo dial which came out of Venezuela and had an engraving on the back, which I haven’t seen before. The engraving read: Lagoven with a number below matching the watch’s case serial number. Lagoven was a state ran Venezuelan oil company. Without any provenance or other similar watches to compare to, I could only guess and assume the origin and use of that watch. I had little choice by to sell it as a normal 7016 with Shield Logo dial, but also made sure to document it. This watch can be found in my archived listings.

Recently, I found and received two more 7016’s with similar engravings on back, in same “raw and used” conditions; both came without a strap or bracelet, both form Venezuela. Based on signs of use and unpolished condition, I am more confident now that these watches were issued by state to divers working for Lagoven to use during maintenance and/or exploration projects.

Ross Povey from TudorCollector.com and I got together and I shared with him pictures, facts, and some of the responses I received from IG followers to put together an article about these.

This is the 4th Lagoven Tudor I found from Venezuela since 2019. The current watch is the earliest of them all with 623,276 serial number, circa 1968. When it was found, the watch was not running, the original winding crown was badly damaged, and the crystal had damage. LA Watchworks serviced the movement, replaced the Rolex crown and crystal (the original crown and crystal were kept and will be included with the watch).

As you can see, the case of this example was brush finished on the sides. We see this done on tool watches to avoid reflection and shininess underwater.

Lagoven engraving is clearly visible on the back with serial number matching to the case.

Dial is original, damage-free with nice patina. The insert is faded.

All of these watches were found as “head-only” and we expect they were all worn on straps. I will include an unworn NATO strap with the watch, but in the photos wanted to present it as found.