Ladies 14ct White Gold Rolex ‘Aventurine’ Dial c1985

Rolex

It is not so very well known that Rolex was actually founded in the UK in London in 1905 and it was not until 1919 that the company transferred its base of operations to Geneva, Switzerland. It is also a misconception that the world of luxury watches is a gentlemans one, as the first recorded wristwatch was actually designed for a lady. In June 1810, Abraham-Louis Breguet made a watch for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples. For many decades, women have proudly worn Rolex watches and have been integral to the brand’s success.

Description

The watch we see here is an absolutely delightful example of a 1980s ladies Rolex dress or cocktail watch in 14ct white gold with its original 14ct white gold Rolex bracelet. This wonderful watch has a completely original, rare Quartz stone blue Aventurine dial which we feel contrasts beautifully with the white gold case and bracelet.

Also known as goldstone, Aventurine has had a resurgence as a dial material in the watch industry over the last two decades. Its unique composition evokes a starry sky. Aventurine is notoriously difficult to work with, especially considering how delicate the material is and the fact that so many were broken during manufacture, makes this dial quite rare. Aventurine glass is made using transparent red copper ruby glass and a purpurin glass, which is brown to deep red in colour. When cobalt is substituted for copper, the glass turns blue, creating the type of aventurine primarily used in wristwatches. The flecked appearance occurs during the cooling process, creating a stunning glittery effect.

The condition of this dial, bracelet, watch case and movement is excellent, indicating this watch has only ever seen very occasional and careful use.

This is the perfect dress or cocktail watch, for either evening wear or regular daily use, as you so please.

The Dial

Blue Aventurine is a gentle stone that resonates from the mind to the heart, working calmly, rationally and steadily.

This rare Quartz stone blue Aventurine dial has a natural fleck, which can be seen in the photographs, and is complete with its original ‘stick’ style hands which are in A1 original condition. Both the dial and hands are untouched and unrestored. Normally we restore the dials of all our watches but here the dial is in such good original condition, we decided to retain its charm and felt restoration unnecessary.

Please note: This is a small watch and we use a very high definition camera with a high magnification macro lens to provide you with the best images possible. While this the most honest policy, this can be a little cruel in exposing every tiny flaw on a vintage watch which the naked eye would not normally notice.  In truth, you would not see these on your wrist unless you held the watch very close to your eye and you have 20:20 vision!

Although this is quite a small watch in comparison with most others, the blue dial, gilt hands and hour indices make the dial easy to read, even at arms length.

The dial is signed simply with ‘Rolex’ below 12.

As mentioned above, this dial is original and unrestored. We have elected to leave this 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 untouched.

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 1400, 17 Jewel, hand-wound movement is in incredibly clean and sparkling condition and has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our expert vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker.

Rolex went to considerable lengths and expense to ensure its smaller series movements perform equally as well as its larger gents Precision movements. These are high precision movements and the example here is running perfectly, having been calibrated to run consistently within plus or minus 14 seconds per day! This is excellent for any small mechanical watch and is no exaggeration – we have checked and confirmed the test results on our electronic watch timegrapher. This movement also has an excellent power reserve of 44 hours when fully wound.

The movement is signed ‘Rolex’, ‘Swiss Made’ and ‘17 Rubis’ (Jewels) and is marked with the Calibre number 1400. This particular movement is in beautiful condition and with similar care and regular servicing, say every 3 to 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to continue to run very happily for another 50+ years! We are therefore totally confident in offering this watch with our 12 months’ written warranty*.

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

The Case

The 14ct white gold case measures 25mm across, excluding the correct Rolex signed crown*. This case is of a very solid two-piece design with a rare tapestry effect bezel that matches the 14ct white gold bracelet beautifully.

*Please note, the size of the winding crown may look slightly large in certain photographs. This is because the watch is small in comparison and the crown needs to be of adequate size in order to wind it. However please be assured, this is the correct original Rolex crown for this watch.

The watch is in superb condition with no marks or scratches visible to the naked eye. It has been beautifully well cared for and 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. The case is of full-thickness and has never been inscribed. All the markings are correct for a Rolex Swiss made case of this period.

Please note – as ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Bracelet

The original, integral, full-sized Rolex signed bracelet is also in solid 14ct white gold with the matching tapestry effect. This is quite a heavy bracelet, weighing 49 grams including the dial, and is in immaculate condition, showing no signs of wear or damage visible to the naked eye. While the links do not stretch, they are just flexible enough to hug the wrist beautifully with no gaps or unevenness in any of the links.

The bracelet remains at its original standard 18.5cm length, which means the watch and bracelet are a perfect fit for a lady with a wrist size/circumference of 17 centimetres. However, the Rolex signed clasp and lock provide an adjustment of 0.7 centimetres, meaning the watch will fit a wrist size 17.1cm – 17.8cm or 6.75 inches to 7 inches. The original Rolex signed clasp is also superbly designed and substantial, with a two step ladder catch.

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 c1985.

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 original Rolex presentation box shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

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.