Rolex
Founded in 1905 in England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it 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
Rolex Perpetual automatic watches were almost always made with Oyster cases. However, just occasionally, made during the late 1950s, we find a Rolex Perpetual in a non-Oyster watch case. These are particularly rare and interesting.
In all other respects, the watch here remains a classic 1950s vintage gold Rolex Perpetual gentleman’s dress watch, featuring a beautiful ivory dial, with standard Arabic numerals hour indices matched with the original ‘Leaf’ hands. The high grade, Rolex Calibre 1530, 25 Jewel automatic movement is exactly the same as fitted to the Oyster Perpetuals of the period and also as fitted to the Submariner.
This watch also carries the more sought after plain bezel, which along with the rest of the case, is in superb condition. This watch is immaculate, having been fully restored by ourselves and is now ready for many more years of faithful service!
The Dial
1950s vintage Rolex dials are, we feel, the most wonderful examples of Rolex style and simple elegance at its best. This particular dial with 1 – 12 Arabic (standard) numerals is particularly hard to find and highly sought after. Here in ivory cream, it contrasts beautifully with the yellow gold case. It is full of character and 1950s Rolex charm and the original restored ‘leaf’ hands and blued steel centre seconds hand complete the dial perfectly. We feel the absence of a date window only adds to the beauty and perfect symmetry of this dial.
The dial is signed ‘Rolex Perpetual’, and ‘Super Precision’ below.
This dial is in stunning condition due to the superb work of our dial restorers. It is simply immaculate. This is the original dial which has been expertly restored to the very highest standards by our dial restorers, considered to be the best in the UK.
The Movement
The original high grade, Rolex Calibre 1530, 25 Jewel automatic movement is running perfectly following a complete overhaul and service by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. This involves completely dismantling the movement to all its component parts, close examination under high magnification, then using only genuine Rolex replacement parts where required, careful reassembly and lubrication using Rolex specified lubricants.
This particular movement is sparkling clean and winds, sets and runs perfectly, just as it should. When finally tested following its overhaul, this watch was found to be keeping superb time to within +10 seconds per day! This is outstanding for any watch of this age. We are therefore highly confident in offering this watch with a 12-month warranty on the movement* and we will also be very happy to assist you with competitively priced servicing in the future.
These movements are robust, accurate and very reliable making this watch perfectly suitable for both evening wear and everyday use. This movement is in superb, sparkling clean, A1 condition and with regular servicing, say every 3 – 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily for another lifetime!
The movement is correctly signed: Rolex Perpetual, Swiss Made.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.
The Case
The 9ct yellow gold watch case is totally immaculate and measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct Rolex unsigned crown. The case has the sought after plain bezel, free from any nicks or scratches, which is rare, as watch bezels are always prone to damage. This all indicates this watch has only seen very light occasional use. It has simply required professional cleaning and very careful and gentle hand-polishing to bring the case back to showroom condition. The case as a whole shows no scratches, dings, damage or signs of over-polishing, visible to the naked eye.
The press-fit case-back is highly polished, of full-thickness and has never been engraved. Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct for a Rolex watch case including the serial number 08447. The case-back also carries the correct 9ct hallmarks which date this watch to 1959.
As ever our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap & Buckle
A new, very high quality brown alligator strap has been fitted along with a matching gold-plated Rolex buckle. We feel this matches the watch beautifully. 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 and can also obtain most colours and types of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their range of straps if you wish here
The 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 1959.
Detailed particulars will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months warranty*. 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 totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.
The Rolex presentation box shown in the photographs is included in the sale.
In Conclusion
This is a wonderful example of a 1950s vintage Rolex automatic which is ready to wear and very appropriate and practical for regular everyday use. It is a highly collectable timepiece from horology’s most famous name, which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to treasure and enjoy! 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 excellent 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 about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very best quality watches we can find before restoring these to the highest possible standards. We then offer these watches at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post sales care and service. This approach inevitably means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are a number of well known stores in West London which are very 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.
We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you choose to pay by UK bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you – Please contact us to reserve the watch and request our bank details. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or International 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 that happen to visit the UK 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 your watch directly to you there.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges and if you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.
We will be happy to Service, Repair, or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.
If you have any questions, please call our landline on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.
We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting, we will also be very happy to hear from you. We await your call!
Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine Vintage Gold Watches!
Thank you.
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
