Rolex
Founded in 1905 in England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, the partnership 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
Here we have a quite special, Rolex Precision in a beautiful Rolex-made 9ct yellow gold case. The watch is a good size at 33mm in diameter, excluding the correct Rolex signed crown, with a wonderfully clean, elegant and perfectly balanced ivory-cream dial. This dial is completely original, unrestored, untouched and remains in a beautiful condition.
The Dial
Classic Rolex simplicity and typical of the 1960s. Original, unrestored and untouched beautifully balanced and symmetrical ivory-cream dial. The original unrestored ‘stick’ hands are in remarkable condition and are paired outstanding with ‘1 – 12’ standard Arabic numerals.
The dial is correctly signed and branded with the Rolex Coronet just below 12, along with ‘Rolex’ and ‘Precision’ below, with Swiss at the very bottom.
The unrestored and untouched ivory-cream dial is in outstanding condition considering the age of the watch. Usually, we restore the dial as part of the restoration of a watch as vintage watch dials over 50 years old are usually damaged due to sunlight, humidity and air pollution. Typically this takes the form of fading, staining. pitting, speckling etc. However, we have decided to leave this dial completely alone to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.
Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.
The Movement
The watch carries its original high grade Rolex Calibre 1225 Precision hand-wound movement which as can be seen, is in sparkling clean condition. The movement has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using original Rolex parts, only where required, by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. His work is superb and when finally tested and calibrated, the watch was running consistently at -6 seconds per day which is truly exceptional for any vintage watch of this age. When fully wound, this movement has a 58-hour power reserve.
The movement is all correctly signed ‘MONTRES ROLEX SA GENEVA’, ‘SWISS’, and ‘SEVENTEEN 17 JEWELS’, with the Calibre number 1225.
These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable, making the watch perfectly suited for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in A1 condition and with regular servicing every 2-3 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily for many more decades to come! We are pleased to offer a 12-month warranty on this watch movement*.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only included if the list price is paid.
The Case
The 9ct yellow gold watch case measures 33mm in diameter, excluding the correct Rolex signed crown. This is a typical sized watch for 1968, although the bezel on this wonderful watch is thin and therefore makes the watch look larger on the wrist. The case, the case-back and bezel are all in superb condition with no marks or scratches visible to the naked eye. The watch has been beautifully well cared for and so after a close inspection has simply required a careful clean and a gentle polish to bring it back to its current, almost as new condition.
Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct with ‘Rolex’, ‘R.W.C’, 9ct hallmarks and the serial number 33210.
Please note – This watch was not specified as water-resistant when new. As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap and Buckle
A new, high quality brown alligator strap has been fitted, along with a 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 straps in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin. We can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at our full range of straps if you wish here.
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 1968.
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 shown in the photographs is included.
If you would like to pay by bank transfer we will be pleased to assist you with this. 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.
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.
As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no quibble sale or return policy.
In Conclusion
This is a truly first class example of a 1960s 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 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.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.
We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.
If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.
Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.
Thank you.
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
