Rolex
Founded in 1905 in England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, the company became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving to its new Geneva headquarters in 1919. The evolution and early success of the wristwatch can be largely attributed to a number of Rolex’ 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.
During the 1930s and ’40s, Rolex also became quite masterful at courting tremendous publicity and excitement through literally being ‘on hand’ during numerous record-breaking events. These were for example, swimming the English Channel (1927), breaking the world automobile speed record (300mph, 1935), breaking the sound barrier (1947) and climbing Everest for the first time in 1953. No matter how well orchestrated these events came to be, we have to admire Rolex for becoming masters of self-promotion and capitalising on every opportunity with simultaneous worldwide marketing campaigns.
Description
The Rolex Precision was first released in the late 1940s as a gentleman’s hand-wound dress watch and remained in production as such, until the 1970s. It was succeeded by the Rolex Cellini which remains in production to this day.
Here we have a quite special, Rolex Precision in a beautiful Rolex Swiss made 18ct gold case.
The watch is a good size at 34mm in diameter, excluding the Rolex signed crown, with a wonderfully clean, elegant and perfectly balanced ivory-cream dial.
This watch has just completed a full restoration including the movement, watch case and watch dial. This involves three different skill-sets, so a watchmaker has restored and serviced the watch movement, our watch case-maker has sympathetically restored the case and our dial restorer has restored the dial.
The Dial
The dial is in classic 1950s ivory-cream, with solid gold ‘pencil’ hour indices and ‘Dauphine’ watch hands which complement the 18ct yellow gold case beautifully. The dial carries the gold Rolex Coronet and is simply signed ‘Rolex’ in the top half of the dial with ‘Precision’ below and ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom.
A new correct Rolex replacement lens has been fitted as part of the restoration.
This is the original dial which has been restored to the very highest standards by our dial restorers who are considered to be the best in the UK.
The Case
The two-piece Rolex Swiss made 18ct yellow gold watch case is of a classic 1950s design and simplicity, with very attractive lugs. It is quite rare to find an 18ct Rolex Precision, particularly in the UK, as most were made in 9ct gold.
The case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct Rolex crown and is in perfect condition. Even under high magnification, it is very hard to find any signs of wear, indicating this watch has seen very little use and has had a charmed life.
The case has been inspected, cleaned and lightly hand-polished to bring it back to the immaculate condition you see here, with no scratches, dimples or marks visible to the naked eye.
The rounded case-back is of full-thickness and has never been inscribed. Inside the case-back, all is as expected and is correctly signed with the earlier Rolex scroll signature, the branding model reference 8961 and the reference number 794. The case also carries Swiss Geneva 18ct hallmarks.
As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Movement
The watch carries the original, high-grade Rolex Calibre 1210 Precision movement, which as can be seen, is in sparkling clean condition. The movement has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using original Rolex parts, only where required, by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. His work is superb and when finally tested and calibrated, the watch was running consistently at +6 seconds per day which is truly exceptional for any vintage watch of this age. The movement is all correctly signed ‘MONTRES ROLEX SA GENEVA’, ‘SWISS’, and ‘SEVENTEEN 17 JEWELS’, with the calibre number 1210 and the reference number 05478.
These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable, making the watch perfectly suited for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in A1 condition and with regular servicing every 3-4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore pleased to offer a 12-month warranty on this watch movement*.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only included if the list price is paid.
The Strap and Buckle
The strap fitted is a new, high-quality dark brown Crocodile strap, with a Rolex gold plated buckle which we feel contrasts nicely with the watch. 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, but can also obtain most types and colours of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of 18mm straps if you wish, here.
The Box and Papers
Although there are no original papers with this watch, all the numbers and markings on the watch are correct, dating the watch to 1950.
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 watch comes complete with a Rolex presentation box, as shown.
In Conclusion
A beautiful, rare, and highly collectable vintage gold watch from horology’s most famous name, which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to use, wear, treasure and enjoy!
This is a truly first-class example of an early vintage Rolex Precision in 18ct yellow gold, in amazing condition. The watch is ready to use and practical for evening wear or everyday use, as you wish. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment or family heirloom piece and even though vintage gold Rolex prices have risen markedly in the past few years, we still feel great examples such as this are greatly 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.
We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you would like to pay by UK cheque or by UK bank transfer we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. 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.
If you have any questions please call us on 0207 727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095. We await your call and we will be happy to help with any questions you may have about this watch or any of our collection.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. We will also be happy to service your vintage watch or assist with repairs or restoration as necessary.
Please also take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
