Rolex
Founded in 1905 in England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, the partnership soon 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
A simply wonderful early Rolex Precision dress watch. A stunning watch in every regard with a beautifully restored dial, wonderful movement and an exceptional Rolex Swiss made 9ct pink gold case. The dial is particularly unusual and attractive, characterised with a rare ivory-cream honeycomb dial, ‘Arrowhead’ hour indices and completed with unrestored ‘Leaf’ hands.
Note: At 32mm this watch would originally have been marketed as a gentlemans watch, as during the 1950s, gent’s watches tended to be much smaller. Today however the fashion is for gents to wear much larger watches and for ladies to wear this kind of watch. Therefore this could be considered suitable for both ladies and gents.
The Dial
A rare example of a pink gold Rolex Precision with a rare honeycomb dial! We have sold hundreds of Rolex Precisions over the years and only ever seen one or two such examples. The honeycomb guilloche effect is quite subtle, but elevates the dial to something very special.
This is the original classic 1950s ‘3, 6, 9′ dial mixed with ‘arrowhead’ hour indices. The dial is topped with the Rolex Coronet at 12 o’clock and is signed ‘ROLEX’ with ‘Precision’ below and ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom. This is a beautifully understated and elegant dial in the ‘Explorer’ style with original restored gilt ‘leaf’ hands which look simply fabulous. The dial is very clean and easy to read even in low light. This is the rarer version of this model with the subsidiary seconds dial at 6.
The Case
This very rare pink gold case is in excellent condition, having been very well cared for, and shows only the faintest signs of wear visible to the naked eye. The full-thickness press-fit case back clicks securely into place just as it should and the case-back has never been inscribed.
The case measures 32mm in diameter, excluding the Rolex signed crown and 39mm, including the lugs. Note, this was a typical gent’s sized watch during the mid-century but could be considered equally suitable as a ladies watch today.
Inside the case-back is signed ‘R.W.C.’ with the Rolex brand, along with the reference number 1549. The case-back also carries Birmingham 9ct hallmarks which date this watch to 1954. The case, case-back and bezel are all in superb condition with no marks or scratches visible to the naked eye. The watch case has been exceptionally well cared for and so the case has simply required a clean and gentle polish to bring it back to its current ‘like new’ condition.
As ever, our standard advice applies: vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Movement
The high-grade Cal.1200 manual wind movement is incredibly clean and also in incredibly good condition. It has just been overhauled and serviced by our expert watchmaker and is running perfectly. These movements are very highly regarded for their accuracy and reliability and this movement has been calibrated to run arrow straight within +8 seconds per day which is no exaggeration and has been checked on our electronic watch timer. This movement also has a really excellent 45-hour power reserve when fully wound.
The movement is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva’, ‘Swiss’ and ’17 Jewels’ with the reference number N57659 and the calibre number 1200.
This particular movement is in superb condition and with regular servicing, we would fully expect this watch to run quite happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore very confident in offering this watch with a 12-month written warranty*.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only included if the list price is paid.
Strap and Buckle
A new high quality brown Alligator strap is fitted with a pink gold-plated Rolex buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, we will do our best to provide this at no extra charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown burgundy and black straps in stock, in plain padded leather, alligator, or lizard skin.
Box and Papers
Although there is no original paperwork with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating the watch to 1954.
A detailed Particulars document will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months’ warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will also 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 totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.
The hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included with this watch.
In Conclusion
This is a truly first-class example of a 1950s vintage Rolex Precision which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. 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 good 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 on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before then restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly 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 would like to pay by UK cheque or by UK bank transfer we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.
If you have any questions please call us on Landline 0207 727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss.
Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.
Thank you.
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
