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
A rare, original, unrestored and untouched 9ct vintage Rolex Precision gentleman’s dress watch in beautiful condition from 1953. At 30mm, this watch was originally sold as a boys or a small gents watch. The ivory-cream dial with the popular 1 – 12 standard Arabic numerals also add to the desirability of this watch, particularly when found on a watch in such unique condition.
The Dial
The wonderful original classic dial with completely unrestored and untouched 1 – 12 numerals is one of our most popular and sought after dial designs. The original period honey coloured numerals, outlined in black, are very clear and stand out beautifully. The matching ‘leaf’ hands, and the gold centre seconds hand complete the unmistakable period look and charm of this watch. This dial has a very unique feel due to being completely original, unrestored and untouched.
This dial carries the Rolex crown and is signed ‘Rolex’ at the top, just below 12 and ‘Precision’ just above 6.
Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however, we decided in this case, due to its exceptional condition, to retain its originality and charm for the many collectors 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 Movement
The watch carries its original high-grade Rolex Calibre 710 Superbalance Precision movement, which as can be seen, is in immaculate condition. The movement has been completely disassembled by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker, then cleaned, inspected under high magnification and rebuilt using only original Rolex replacement parts where required. His work is amazing and following careful calibration and testing, this watch is now running within +5 seconds per day. This really is excellent for any vintage watch of this age. The movement is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva’, ‘Swiss’, ’17 Jewels’ and ‘Patented Superbalance’ with the Calibre number 710. This watch movement also carries the serial number 59647.
These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable making this watch perfectly suited for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in A1 condition and with regular servicing, say 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 applicable if the list price is paid.
The Case
The substantial 9ct gold, wide bezel case, measures 30mm in diameter, not including the original Rolex unsigned crown*. The watch case is in tip-top condition and even the case-back looks pristine.
*Please note – Rolex did not sign the crowns on its Precision watches until the early 1960s and this is, therefore, the correct crown for this watch.
No matter how closely you examine the case it shows no signs of anything more than very light and careful use. Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct and signed ‘Dennison’, ‘Made in England for Rolex’ and ‘A.L.D.’. Dennison was one of the two top UK case-makers which made cases for Rolex, the other being D. Shackman & Sons. In addition, the case-back carries the case reference number 12325 and the serial number 562959, along with Birmingham UK 9ct hallmarks, which date this watch to 1953. This watch case has been exceptionally well cared for and so after careful inspection, has simply required a clean and gentle polish to bring it back to its current ‘like new’ condition.
As ever, our standard advice applies: vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap & Buckle
A new brown Alligator strap has been fitted, along with a Rolex 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.
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 1953.
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 Rolex presentation box as shown in the photographs is included in the sale.
In Conclusion
This is a truly first class example of a 1953 vintage Rolex Precision 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.
To summarise, this is a highly collectable vintage watch from horology’s most famous name, which is ready to wear, use, treasure and enjoy, providing excellent reliability and a sound financial investment, as long-lasting as the watch itself!
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.
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. 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 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.
If you have any questions please call on our Landline 0207 727 7095 or Mobile 07515 949250 or if calling from overseas, on Landline +44 207 727 7095 or Mobile +44 7515 949250.
Please note, we welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss.
We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.
Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.
Thank you.
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
