Rolex Precision Cal.700 18ct Pink Gold c1949

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

A simply wonderful, rare and completely original 18ct pink gold vintage Rolex Precision gentleman’s dress watch in beautiful condition from c1949. The completely original silver-white dial with the popular mixed indices adds to the desirability of this watch, particularly when found on a watch in such unique condition. Not only is the dial stunning, the watch also carries a very high grade Calibre 700, 15 jewel hand-wound movement, which is in sparkling condition.

A notable feature of this watch is the rare use of 18ct pink gold, rather than the more common yellow gold. Rolex Precisions of this period were mostly 18ct or 9ct yellow gold, therefore the pink gold case makes this watch rare and highly sought after.

The Dial

The beautiful, original, unrestored and untouched silver-white dial is perfectly balanced with mixed 2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 10 – 12 standard Arabic numerals and ‘arrowhead’ hour indices. These are matched by the original and unrestored ‘lance’ hands which are in superb condition. The dial is completed with a subsidiary seconds dial just above 6.

Due to this dial being completely original, unrestored and untouched, it carries some wonderful signs of ageing. This is shown in the beautiful even spotting across the dial and the gentle even patina which gives this dial a slightly darker area around the edge.

The dial is simply signed with the Rolex coronet and ‘Rolex’ at the top, just below 12.

The dial has a great deal of appeal due to its classic signs of ageing and very even patina. Due to its unique condition and for reasons of retaining the character and the originality of the watch, we have left it completely alone. If however, you would prefer the dial sympathetically restoring, we will be happy to arrange this for you without any extra charge.

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 high grade Calibre 700, 15 jewel, hand-wound, superbalance 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 +11 seconds per day, checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timer. This movement also has a really excellent 45-hour power reserve when fully wound.

The movement is signed ‘Rolex’, ‘Swiss Made’,  and ’15 Rubis’ and is marked with the Calibre 700. This particular movement is in superb condition and with regular servicing, say every 2-3 years, 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.

The Case

The rare 18ct pink gold watch case has a classic 1940s honesty and simplicity and carries outstanding fancy ‘bullhorn’ lugs which were very popular during this period. These have flowing form and significantly elevate the status of the watch – nothing less than pure class. The case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct crown and is in perfect condition. Even under high magnification, it is very hard to find any signs of wear, indicating this watch has seen very little use and has had a charmed life.

The case has been inspected, cleaned and lightly hand-polished to bring it back to the immaculate condition you see here, with no scratches, dimples or marks visible to the naked eye. The case-back is of full-thickness and has never been inscribed.

The interior of the case back is simply signed with the correct 18ct hallmarks and on the exterior of the press-fit case-back, the case serial number 657341 can be found.

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

Strap and Buckle

A high quality burgundy cocksfoot strap has been fitted with a matching Rolex pink gold-plated buckle which we feel finishes this watch perfectly. 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. We can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their wonderful 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 c1949.

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 in the sale of this watch.

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 first class example of a 1940’s 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. Even though vintage gold Rolex prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel good examples such as this are still undervalued and 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