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.
Of course, Rolex is now so ubiquitous it is almost its own kind of its currency. A Rolex is the watch you want on your wrist when you’re in a Third World country when revolution breaks out and there’s only one seat on the plane. There’s a guy standing there with a machine gun! You give him a Rolex and he’ll give you the seat!
Description
A simply wonderful Rolex gentleman’s dress watch from 1956. A stunning watch in every regard with a beautiful, previously restored dial, superb movement and an exceptional Dennison made 9ct gold watch case. The slightly off-white dial looks incredible with bold black hour indices, swept by unrestored ‘lance’ hands.
The Dial
The slightly off-white dial with bold black hour indices and standard Arabic numerals at ‘3 – 6 – 9 – 12’ gives this dial a particularly stand-out look. The dial is signed ‘Rolex’ and ‘Precision’ with ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom and is very clear and easy to read even in low light. This is a beautifully bold dial with original unrestored gilt ‘lance’ hands and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6, which has a seconds rail track.
This is the original dial which has been previously restored to a very high standard, as can be seen by the accompanying images.
The Watch Movement
The movement fitted to the watch is the original 9¾ Hunter, 15 Jewel hand-wound movement, reserved for Rolex’s highest quality watches of this period. As can be noted from the photographs, this is especially high grade ‘Timed 6 Positions’ and signed ‘For All Climates’.
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*.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.
The Case
The wonderful 9ct yellow gold case measures 31mm in diameter, excluding the wonderful nipple 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.
The case was made for Rolex by Dennison in the UK who made watch cases for many of the top Swiss watch manufacturers at this time. Dennison and Sons in Birmingham and Shackman and Sons in London, both produced top quality cases for almost all of the watch brands you see on this website. The case is signed ‘Denison Made in England ’, along with ‘A.L.D.’ which was the Dennison manufacturers stamp. The case reference 12320 and the serial number 763780 are also clearly shown.
Please note, as ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap and Buckle
A new black lizard 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 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.
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 1956.
A detailed written receipt with 12 months’ warranty* and a separate insurance valuation for the replacement value 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 totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.
A Rolex presentation box, as shown in the photographs, is included in the sale.
In Conclusion
This is a truly first class example of a highly collectable vintage Rolex Precision from horology’s most famous name which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, this will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece. Even though vintage gold Rolex prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel good examples such as this are still undervalued and 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 then 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 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.
If you have any questions, please call on: 0207 727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or small collection for sale, please let us know and we will be happy to discuss this.
Please take a look at our other vintage gold watches.
Thank you
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
