Rolex Precision Cal.1210 18ct 1954

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, fully original, unrestored and untouched 18ct yellow gold vintage Rolex Precision gentleman’s dress watch in wonderful condition from 1954. The completely original gold-honey dial with mixed hour indices, make this a rare and sought after watch, particularly when found in such excellent condition.

The Dial

The remarkable, original, unrestored and untouched gold-honey dial with gilt mixed ‘arrowhead and ‘stud’ hour indices is one of our favourite dials. The dial is complemented with the original and beautiful, unrestored, gilt ‘lance’ hands. The dial is completed with the outer minute railtrack, we think this completes the dial perfectly. Simple, yet stunning.

The dial is signed with the perennial Rolex Coronet with ‘Rolex Precision’ just below 12 o’clock and ‘Swiss’ below at 6 o’clock.

As the dial is original and unrestored, 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. 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 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 movement within this watch is the original, high grade Rolex Calibre 1210, 17 Jewel movement, which as can be seen in the photographs, is in sparkling condition. The movement has been fully overhauled and serviced which means it has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using original Rolex parts where required, by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. When tested and calibrated, this watch was running to within +13 seconds per day, which is outstanding for any vintage watch of this age. This is also among four or five of the most accurate watches we have tested this year. When fully wound, this movement has a 58-hour power reserve.

The movement is correctly signed ‘Rolex Precision’, ‘Swiss Made’, ‘Patented Superbalance’ and ‘17 Rubies’, with the Calibre number 1210.

These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable, making the watch perfectly appropriate for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in top condition and with regular servicing every 3 years, we would fully expect this watch to run very happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore more than pleased to offer a 12 month warranty on this watch movement* and regular servicing in the future.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.

The Watch Case

The 18ct yellow gold case is in tip-top condition and measures 33mm, excluding the original, correct Rolex unsigned crown. The case also features wonderful straight lugs which give the watch the perfect presence on the wrist.

The case has been professionally cleaned and carefully inspected, requiring only a very light hand-polishing to remove any tarnishing and bring it back to the current condition with no scratches, dings or other damage visible to the naked eye.

Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct and it is signed ‘Rolex Geneva Swiss’ with the correct 18ct hallmarks ‘18ct’, ‘0.75’, the model reference 3745 and the case reference 006.

Please note – This watch was not specified as water-resistant when new.

As ever, our standard advice applies; Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap and Buckle

A high quality black Hirsch strap has been fitted, along with a gold-plated Rolex 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 straps 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 our full 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, dating this watch to 1954.

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 high quality hardwood presentation box 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.