Rolex Ref.3286J 9ct Pink & Yellow Gold c1947

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.

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

A beautiful original, unrestored and untouched gentleman’s Rolex 9ct yellow and pink gold wristwatch from c1947. The case, movement and dial are all in incredible, completely original condition. Watches like this are becoming harder to find these days, particularly in such wonderful condition.

The Dial

This outstanding, original, unrestored and untouched ivory-cream dial is in wonderful condition as are the beautiful blued steel ‘leaf’ hands. These are also original and are an outstanding feature of this watch. The dial also carries attractive pink gilt 1 – 12 standard Arabic numerals and is complete with a subsidiary seconds dial at 6. The numerals are very clear, making the dial very easy to read.

The dial is simply signed ‘Rolex’ at the very top, below 12 with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom, below 6.

As this 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, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those 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 hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched 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 high grade, 15 Jewel, hand-wound movement is in incredibly clean and sparkling condition and has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our expert vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. It is now running perfectly, having been calibrated to run consistently within plus or minus 9 seconds per day which is truly outstanding for any mechanical watch and has been checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher.

The movement is signed ‘Rolex 15 Rubies’, ‘Swiss Made’ and ‘Fab Suisse’. This particular movement is in beautiful condition and with regular servicing, say every 3 to 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to continue to run very happily for another 50+ years! We are therefore totally confident in offering this watch with our 12 months written warranty*.

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

The Case

The substantial 9ct pink gold, wide bezel case measures 30mm in diameter, excluding the original Rolex unsigned crown*. This truly wonderful watch carries beautifully square 9ct yellow gold lugs and we feel the mix of pink and yellow gold adds some true uniqueness to the look of the watch. The watch case is in tip-top condition and even the extremely rare hinged case-back looks pristine. No matter how closely you examine the case it shows no signs of anything more than very light and careful use.

*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.

Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct and signed ‘R.W.C. Ltd’  with the model reference 3286 J and UK 9ct hallmarks.

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

The Strap & Buckle

The watch is fitted with a  high quality black leather strap and plain yellow 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.

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 c1947.

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 also 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 Rolex presentation box, as shown in the photographs.

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 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 deliver 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

This beautiful vintage 9ct pink and yellow gold Rolex is in superb fully original condition and also from horology’s most famous name. It will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to wear, treasure and enjoy and make the perfect evening wear dress watch as well as a practical, highly accurate and reliable timepiece to use on an everyday basis. Although this is one of our more expensive watches, its quality will be remembered for long after its purchase price will be forgotten.

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.