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 and moved 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
An extremely rare, early sterling silver Rolex half hunter from 1917. This incredible watch is in truly remarkable condition for its age, the dial, the case and the movement are all simply stunning. The dial is protected by a hinged case, which also carries a small window, this enables you to read the time without opening the case front.
The Dial
The original, unrestored and untouched black dial is in wonderful condition as are the beautiful blued steel ‘cathedral’ hands, making the dial very easy to read. These are also original and are an outstanding feature of this watch. The dial also carries attractive bold white 1 – 12 standard Arabic numerals on the black dial behind the hinged case along with a subsidiary seconds dial, along with black 1 – 12 standard Arabic numerals on the outer of the hinged case.
The dial is simply signed ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom of the dial just below the subsidiary seconds dial.
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 Watch Movement
The movement fitted to the watch is the original 15 Jewel hand wound movement, reserved for 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, adjustment and oiling to Rolex specification, before final calibration and testing. The movement is now running accurately within +11 seconds per day. We are therefore confident in offering this watch with a 12-month written warranty*.
The movement is correctly signed with ‘Rolex 15 Jewels’ and ‘Swiss Made’.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.
The Case
The original sterling silver case measures 35mm in diameter, excluding the correct unsigned crown. This wonderful Rolex half hunter has a rare case due to the front being hinged, revealing an inner dial. This was made to protect the original dial from any damage. The case back on this rare watch is screw down, this is also unusual for this period.
The watch case is double hinged to reveal the dial and the movement and the inside of the case back is double signed with both the earlier ‘W&D’ Wilsdorf and Davies signature and ‘Rolex’. The inside of the rare screw down case back is also signed with the correctly sterling silver stamp .925 along with the case reference number 807914 and London hallmarks which date the watch correctly to 1917.
The case is in superb condition, indicating the watch has only seen occasional careful use. Only under very close examination can some of the smallest marks be found, commensurate with the age of this piece.
As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Bracelet
The original, early Rolex stainless steel bracelet is in great condition. The bracelet has simply been cleaned and lightly polished to bring it back to the condition you see here. Setting the catch to the shortest adjustment the bracelet will fit a 16.5cm wrist, then when setting the catch to the longest adjustment the bracelet will fit a 18.4cm wrist.
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 1917.
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”.
This watch comes complete with a green Rolex suede pouch.
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.
This is a truly first class example of a 1917s vintage Rolex half hunter 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 steel watches.
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
