On July 8, 1952, members of the British North Greenland Expedition left Deptford, an area on the banks of the Thames in London, for a scientific mission to study the vast ice sheet on the world's largest island.
Equipped with Tudor's first automatic and waterproof watch, the British scientists and sailors set out to conduct glaciological and seismic surveys at several sites.
The expedition also allowed Tudor to execute the rigorous "trial of destruction" in order to gather performance data of 30 Oyster Prince watches.
In fact, this was one of the very first long-term tests, under real-world extreme conditions, with the tool watch enduring freezing climate for two years, as the British North Greenland Expedition ended in August 1954.
The expedition members monitored variations in the precision of their Oyster Prince watches compared to the hourly signals emitted by the BBC, and recorded them in notebooks specifically provided for this purpose.
In light of the expected temperatures, the expedition watches were specially lubricated with "arctic" oil and provided with bracelet extensions, allowing them to be worn over the sleeves of the parkas.
Upon returning from Greenland, one of the members wrote in a letter to Tudor that his watch "was maintaining a remarkable accuracy" and that "on occasion did it require to be wound by hand".
Surviving the trial of destruction, the Oyster Prince inspired the development of a number of the brand's tool watches, such as the robust and reliable Ranger.
