Rolex Perpetual Chronometer Automatic, Model Ref.04104, 9ct 1957 – Rare

Rolex

Founded in 1905 in England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving to its new Geneva headquarters in 1919. The success of the wristwatch can be largely attributed to many of Rolex’s innovations which made the company one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These have included its famous “Oyster” case — the world’s first water-resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and its “Perpetual” — the world’s first reliable, self-winding movement for the wristwatch, launched in 1933. These would form the foundation for Rolex’s Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956. Also and equally importantly, Rolex is known for its sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.

Description

Rolex Perpetual automatic watches were almost always made with Oyster cases. However just occasionally, made during the late 1950s, we find a Rolex Perpetual Chronometer in a non-Oyster watch case. These are particularly rare and interesting.

In all other respects, the watch here remains a classic 1950s vintage gold Rolex Perpetual gentleman’s dress watch, featuring a beautiful ivory cream dial, with the sought after 1 – 12 Arabic (standard) hour numerals, matched with the original ‘leaf’ hands. The Rolex Calibre 1030, 25 Jewel movement is exactly the same as fitted to the Oyster Perpetuals of the period and also as fitted to the Submariner.

This watch also carries the more sought after plain bezel which along with the rest of the case, is in superb condition. Also a 1 – 12 Arabic (standard) numerals dial which is one of the most popular from this period. This watch is immaculate, having been fully restored by ourselves, and is now ready for many more years of faithful service!

The Dial

1950s vintage Rolex dials are, we feel, the most wonderful examples of Rolex style and simple elegance at its best. This particular dial with 1 – 12 Arabic (standard) numerals is particularly hard to find and highly sought after. Here in ivory cream, it contrasts beautifully with the yellow gold case and the applied yellow gilt Rolex coronet at 12 o’clock. It is full of character and 1950s Rolex charm and the original restored ‘dauphine’ hands and blued steel centre seconds hand complete the dial perfectly. We feel the absence of a date window only adds to the beauty and perfect symmetry of this dial.

The dial is signed ‘Rolex Perpetual’ with the Rolex Coronet above, and ‘Officially Certified Chronometer’ below.

The lens has been replaced with a new original Rolex part and so it is fresh and scratch-free.

This dial is in stunning condition due to the superb work of our dial restorers. It is simply immaculate. This is the original dial which has been expertly restored to the very highest standards by our dial restorers, considered to be the best in the UK.

The Case

The 9ct yellow gold watch case is totally immaculate and measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the crown. The case has the rarer and more sought after plain bezel, free from any nicks or scratches, which is a rare thing as the bezel is always prone to damage. This all indicates this watch has only seen very light occasional use. It has simply required professional cleaning and very careful and gentle hand-polishing to bring the case back to showroom condition. The case as a whole shows no scratches, dings, damage or signs of over-polishing, visible to the naked eye.

The press-fit case-back is highly polished, of full-thickness and has never been engraved.

Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct for a Rolex watch case made by Shackman, its UK case-maker and signed D.S.&S  (David Shackman & Sons Ltd) along with the reference number 04104. The case-back also carries London UK 9ct hallmarks which date this watch to 1957.

As ever our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Movement

The original high grade ‘Officially Certified Chronometer’ 25 Jewels, 1030 calibre ‘butterfly’ movement is very highly regarded for being particularly accurate, reliable and strong. This movement is known as a ‘butterfly’ movement, due to the lightened rotor which resembles a butterfly wing. Here, it is in sparkling condition and working perfectly following a thorough overhaul and service by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. This involves dismantling the watch to all its component parts and careful inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Rolex parts, then careful reassembly and adjustment before final calibration in 5 positions. The watch winds sets and runs accurately and reliably and after final testing and calibration, the movement is running strongly and accurately within +6 seconds/day, which is outstanding for a watch movement of this age! The power reserve of this watch is 42 hours.

This watch movement is now ready for many more years of faithful service and is perfectly suited for everyday use. We are therefore very confident in offering this watch with our extendable 12-month warranty on the movement*.

The movement is signed Rolex SA Geneva, Twenty Five Jewels, Adjusted to Five Positions and carries the movement reference number 645332 and the Calibre number 1030.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.

The Strap & Buckle

A new, very high-quality black Alligator strap has been fitted, along with matching gold-plated Rolex buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin and can also obtain most colours and types of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of 17mm straps if you wish here.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1957.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

The Rolex presentation box as shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

In Conclusion

This is a wonderful example of a 1950s vintage Rolex automatic which is ready to wear and very appropriate and practical for regular everyday use. It is a highly collectable timepiece from horology’s most famous name, which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to treasure and enjoy! If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece and even though vintage gold Rolex prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel excellent examples such as this are still undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold Rolex watches continues to expand, prices will continue to climb ever higher.

A word about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very best quality watches we can find before restoring these to the highest possible standards. We then offer these watches at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post sales care and service. This approach inevitably means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are a number of well known stores in West London which are very successful, charging between two to three times the price you see here. We therefore consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you choose to pay by UK bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you – Please contact us to reserve the watch and request our bank details. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or International Bank Wire Transfer, we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and unfortunately out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges, however attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those that happen to visit the UK on occasion we are of course more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and your watch directly to you there.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges and if you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will be happy to Service, Repair, or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions, please call our landline 020 7727 7095 or mobile 07515 949 250 or if calling from overseas our landline number is +44 207 727 7095 or mobile +44 7515 949 250.

We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting, we will also be very happy to hear from you. We await your call!

Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.