Ladies Rolex Cocktail Watch 9ct 1924

Rolex

It is not quite so 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

Here we have a rare and historic Ladies Rolex cocktail watch, in 9ct yellow gold, from 1924. The watch case is correctly signed ‘Rolex 7 Worlds Records’ just as it should be, as this watch was produced during the very earliest days of Rolex history. This wonderful watch is completely original, unrestored and untouched, yet looks absolutely stunning. The feature that stands out most to us along with the incredible dial is the wonderful ‘studded’ case.

The Dial

The original, unrestored and untouched ‘Guilloche’ silver-white dial with applied Breguet style 1 – 12 standard Arabic numerals is, as can be seen in the close-up photographs, in superb condition. The dial is complete with its original blued steel ‘Cathedral’ style hands which are also tip-top, especially considering the age of the watch. This dial is completed and perfectly framed by a minute rail track. The dial, hands and hour indices are all original, unrestored and untouched, yet remain in outstanding condition.

Although this may seem like a very small watch at just 18mm, all of these wonderful aspects are very clear and make this watch very easily read when on the wrist.

The dial is simply signed with Rolex just below 12 and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom below 6.

As mentioned above, this dial is original and unrestored and 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 high grade, 15 Jewel, Prima 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.

The example here is running perfectly, having been calibrated to run consistently within plus or minus 9 seconds per day! This is truly outstanding for any mechanical watch and has been checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher.

The movement is signed ‘Rolex Prima’, ‘Swiss Made’, ‘Timed 6 Positions’, ‘Elinvar Hairspring’ and ’15 Rubies’ (Jewels). This particular movement is in beautiful condition and with 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 Rolex Swiss made 9ct yellow gold case measures 18mm in diameter, including the correct sunken Rolex unsigned crown and 26mm from top to bottom. The size of the winding crown may look overly 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, it is the correct original Rolex crown for this watch.

The case-back carries Swiss 9ct hallmarks and is correctly signed ‘Rolex’, ‘7 World’s Records’, ‘Gold Medal’ and ‘Geneva-Suisse’. The exterior of the case-back carries the Rolex serial number 64687.

The case is of a very solid two-piece design with a wonderful studded case. This was designed to improve water and dust resistance. The press fit case-back clicks into place with a firm and satisfying ‘pop’, indicating it is a nice tight fit.

This watch has been exceptionally well cared for and so the case has simply required a clean, a thorough inspection, and then a gentle hand-polish to bring it back to its current ‘like new’ condition with no scratches, dings or dimples, or other forms of damage visible to the naked eye.

The Strap & Buckle

The watch is fitted with a high quality black leather strap and Rolex gold-plated 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 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 huge range of straps 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 1924.

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 original jewellers 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.