Rolex Precision Ref.296 9ct 1954 Roulette Date

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, good-sized 9ct vintage Rolex Precision, with the rare addition of a date window at 3, gentleman’s dress watch in stunning condition from 1954. This watch carries a beautiful original, unrestored and untouched off-white dial with original mixed hour indices, original ‘lance’ hands and Rolex coronet at ‘12’, making this a rare and sought after watch, particularly when found in such excellent condition.

The Dial

This stunning fully original, unrestored and untouched off-white dial with original ‘arrowhead’ indices that are wonderfully mixed with ‘2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 10’ standard Arabic numerals. This has to be one of our favourite dials and is complemented with the original and beautiful unrestored, gilt ‘lance’ hands. The symmetry and simplicity of the dial is an exercise in pure 1950s elegance. This dial also carries the beautiful addition of a blued steel seconds hand and a rare date window at the 3 position, all of these remarkable features make this watch very easy to read when upon the wrist.

It is signed with the perennial Rolex Coronet with ‘Rolex’ at 12 o’clock and ‘Precision’ below at 6 o’clock with ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom of the dial below 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.

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 see here 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 high grade Cal.1210 manual wind movement is incredibly clean and also in incredibly good condition. It has just been overhauled and serviced by our expert watchmaker and is running perfectly. These movements are very highly regarded for their accuracy and reliability and this movement has been calibrated to run arrow straight within +7 seconds per day. This is outstanding for any watch of this age and has been checked on our electronic watch timer. The movement also has a really excellent 45-hour power reserve when fully wound.

The movement is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Swiss’ and ‘Seventeen 17 Jewels’ with the Calibre 1210. In addition, it carries the movement serial number 68806. This particular movement is in superb condition and with regular servicing, say every 2-3 years, we would fully expect this watch to run quite happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore very confident in offering this watch with a 12-month written warranty*.

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

The Watch Case

The 9ct yellow gold case is in tip-top condition and measures 34mm, excluding the original, unsigned Rolex crown. The case has been professionally cleaned and carefully inspected, requiring only a very light hand-polishing to remove any tarnishing and it is in excellent condition with no scratches, dings or other damage at all, visible to the naked eye.

Inside the case-back, the markings are correct for a Rolex watch case made by Shackman and signed D.S.&S  (David Shackman & Sons Ltd) with 9ct hallmarks and the model number 296. Shackman & Sons were very high quality case-makers who along with  Dennison and Sons in Birmingham, produced top quality cases for almost all of the watch brands you see on this website.

Please note – as ever, our standard advice applies; Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap and Buckle

A high quality brown leather 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”.

The Rolex Precision presentation box shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

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.

In Conclusion

Here we have a truly desirable vintage gold dress watch from horology’s most revered name which is truly a thing of beauty – to wear, use, treasure and enjoy. It will also make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece. Even though Rolex prices continue to rise, we still feel outstanding examples such as this remain undervalued, particularly compared to the price of a new Rolex.

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.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.