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 beautiful Rolex with an incredible square art-deco case with a stunning white dial which is in beautiful, previously restored condition. Not only is this watch in incredible condition, it also carries the very high grade, 15 jewel hand-wound movement which is running perfectly. This watch is perfectly proportioned and carries a wonderful mix of hour indices and numerals, along with a subsidiary seconds dial at 6.
The Dial
Many square watches of this period carried dials with ‘art-deco’ influences and this can be seen in the design of the numerals which complement the beautiful art-deco case perfectly. The dial has a mix of ‘teardrop’ hour indices along with gilt ‘2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 10 – 12’ standard Arabic numerals, all of which look perfectly in place against the white dial and are swept by the original ‘index’ hands. Square and rectangular watch dials present certain challenges to dial designers, but here the approach is very simple. This dial is complete with a perfectly proportioned subsidiary seconds dial that replaces ‘6’.
This dial is simply signed with ‘Rolex Shock Resisting’ at the top of the dial below 12.
This dial has been previously restored to a very high standard and remains in stunning condition.
The Movement
The movement fitted to this watch is the original 15 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 now running accurately and within expectations of 30 seconds per day. The timing expected of a Rolex movement of this period is within 1 minute per day, and this is our guarantee. The power reserve when fully wound on this movement is 30 hours. We are therefore confident in offering this watch with a 12-month written warranty*.
The movement is signed ‘Rolex’, ‘Swiss Made’ and ‘15 Rubies (Jewels)’.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.
The Watch Case
The case measures 25mm across, excluding the correct Rolex signed crown, and 25mm from top to bottom. This may initially seem small until one considers it is 41mm across the diagonal, including 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’.
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.
The inside of the case back is correctly signed with ‘Rolex’ and ‘31 World Records’ along with the correct 9ct hallmarks ‘9C’.
Please note – as always, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap and Buckle
A high quality black lizard strap is fitted along with a Rolex pink 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 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 and indicate the date of manufacture as 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”.
This watch comes complete with a green suede Rolex pouch, as shown in the photographs.
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
We love to find, restore and make available, fine old vintage gold Rolex watches of this rarity, quality and condition. This is a superb, highly collectable (and usable) vintage watch from horology’s most famous name, which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as something to treasure and enjoy! It will make an excellent evening wear dress watch as well as a practical, highly accurate and reliable timepiece to use on an everyday basis.
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 
