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.
During the 1930s and ’40s, Rolex also became quite masterful at courting tremendous publicity and excitement through literally being ‘on hand’ during numerous record-breaking events. These were, for example, swimming the English Channel (1927), breaking the world automobile speed record (300mph, 1935), breaking the sound barrier (1947) and climbing Everest for the first time in 1953. No matter how well orchestrated these events came to be, we have to admire Rolex for becoming masters of self-promotion and capitalising on every opportunity with simultaneous worldwide marketing campaigns.
Of course, Rolex is now so ubiquitous it is almost its own kind of its currency. A Rolex is the watch you want on your wrist when you’re in a Third World country when a revolution breaks out, there’s only one seat on the plane – and there’s a guy standing there with a machine gun! You give him a Rolex and he’ll give you the seat!
Description
Here we have a rare and special 18ct pink gold Rolex dress watch with an incredible rectangular case that carries a beautiful fancy cornered bezel. This wonderful watch was produced for the French watch market and therefore the case was manufactured in France for Rolex. This watch is in fully original, unrestored and untouched condition. Not only is this watch in incredible condition, it also carries the very high grade, Rolex Precision, 17 jewel hand-wound movement which is running perfectly. This watch is perfectly proportioned and carries a wonderful mix of ‘baton’ hour indices and roman numerals, along with a subsidiary seconds dial at 6, all of which complement the original honey dial perfectly.
Note – This watch would originally have been marketed as a gentleman’s watch, as during the 1940s, today however, this could easily be considered suitable as a ladies watch today.
The Dial
Although this watch is around 80 years old, the dial design is so elegant and timeless it could easily be mistaken for a contemporary watch today.
The beautiful Rolex dial, carries original ‘Index’ hands with mixed ‘baton’ hour indices and ‘3 – 6 – 9 – 12’ roman numerals on a beautiful honey background, all delicately framed by a subtle dash minute dial and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6. So well balanced, beautifully proportioned and executed to perfection. In harmony with the watch case, the dial speaks of pure class, simple elegance, quality and confidence.
This dial is simply signed ‘Rolex’ just below 12 with ‘Fab Suisse’ at the very bottom, below 6.
As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and 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 movement fitted to this watch is the original Rolex Precision, 17 jewel hand-movement used in Rolex’s highest quality watches of this period. The movement is in very clean condition having just completed a full overhaul and service by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. This means it has been completely dismantled to each of its component parts before cleaning and inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Rolex parts, then careful reassembly, adjustments and oiling to Rolex specification, before final calibration and testing.
The movement is signed ‘Rolex Precision’, ‘Swiss Made’, ‘Patented Superbalance’ and ‘17 Rubis’.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.
Watch Case
The beautiful 18ct pink gold case measures 22mm across, excluding the correct Rolex unsigned crown, and 30mm from top to bottom. This may initially seem small until one considers it is 37mm across the diagonal, excluding the wonderful lugs. This makes this watch a good-sized watch for this period. This case has a press-fit case-back which clicks back into place with a very satisfying ‘pop’. The outstanding rectangular case carries beautiful fancy corners on the bezel which give the watch such a beautiful presence when on the wrist.
As with all Rolex watches sold in France during this period, the watch case was specially made in France for Rolex. This was to due to regulations surrounding the import of gold watches into France at the time and the high import duties levied by French Government at the time.
When acquiring such a watch, especially in gold, it is important to ensure the case shows no wear, no fatigue cracks and no pinholes, particularly around the hinge and corner areas. This type of case is prone to wear and damage in these areas, which is another reason for these watches becoming rare as they can often be beyond repair and restoration. Fortunately, this example has been very well cared for and lightly used, so apart from our usual checks and cleaning, the case has required little work apart from some very light hand-polishing. There are no scratches or dings, and no damage/wear visible to the naked eye.
Please note – as always, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Bracelet
The original Rolex 18ct pink gold bracelet is in close to as new condition and is of its original full length at 17.8cm to 19.1cm. This is adjusted using the three-stage adjustable catch. The bracelet is in immaculate condition and has simply been cleaned and lightly polished to bring it back to the condition you see here. This watch and bracelet will fit an average to a slightly larger sized wrist, however, it can also be tailored by ourselves, free of charge, following the purchase of the watch.
The bracelet can be shortened and tailored to your wrist size for a nominal charge.
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 c1942.
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 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 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.
The high quality hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included.
Payment and Delivery
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 who happen to visit London 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 hand 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 wonderful and collectable example of a c1942 vintage Rolex hand-wound dress watch 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 
