Rolex Precision Cal.1210 9ct 1960

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 quite special, Rolex Precision in a beautiful Dennison-made 9ct gold case. The watch is a good size at 35mm in diameter, excluding the unsigned crown, with a wonderfully clean, elegant and perfectly balanced ivory-cream dial.

This watch has been previously restored to a very high standard. This includes the movement which is in tip-top condition and running accurately.

The Dial

This is the classic gold on ivory cream 1960s dial design which carries 1 – 12 Arabic numerals and the Rolex Coronet at 12 o’clock. The dial is signed ‘Rolex’ below 12 and ‘Precision’ at the bottom, just above 6. The dial is very clear and easy to read even in low light and beautifully elegant with its original unrestored gilt ‘Lance’ hands and needle centre seconds hand.

The lens has been replaced with a new original Rolex part and so it is fresh and scratch-free.

This is the original dial which has been previously restored to a very high standard and therefore is in wonderful condition.

The Movement

The watch carries the original, high grade Rolex Calibre 1210 Precision movement which as can be seen, is in sparkling clean condition. The movement has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using original Rolex parts, only where required, by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. His work is superb and when final tested and calibrated, the watch was running consistently at +6 seconds per day which is truly exceptional for any vintage watch of this age. The movement is all correctly signed ‘MONTRES ROLEX SA GENEVA’ and ‘SEVENTEEN 17 JEWELS’, with the calibre number 1210 and the serial number 43482.

These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable, making the watch perfectly suited for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in A1 condition and with regular servicing 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 included if the list price is paid.

The Case

The wonderful yellow gold case is in excellent condition, having been very well cared for, and shows only the faintest signs of wear visible to the naked eye. The full-thickness press-fit case back clicks securely into place just as it should and the case-back has never been inscribed.

The 9ct gold Rolex case is in superb condition and measures 35mm, excluding the unsigned crown, making this a fairly large sized gents watch for the 1960s.

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 ‘Dennison Made in England for Rolex’, along with ‘A.L.D.’ which was the Dennison manufacturers stamp. The case also carries the reference number 12847 and Birmingham 9ct hallmarks which date this watch to 1960. The watch case has been exceptionally well cared for and 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.

Strap and Buckle

A new high quality black alligator strap is fitted with a gold-plated Rolex buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, we will do our best to provide this at no extra charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown burgundy and black straps in stock, in plain padded leather, alligator, or lizard skin.

Box and Papers

Although there is no original paperwork with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating the watch to 1960.

A detailed Particulars document will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months’ warranty*. 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 totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.

The Rolex presentation box shown in the photographs is included with this watch.

In Conclusion

This is a superb, highly collectable and usable vintage watch from horology’s most famous name, which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to treasure and enjoy! It will make an excellent evening wear dress watch as well as a practical, highly accurate and reliable time-piece to use on an everyday basis.

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 UK bank transfer we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. 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 us on Landline 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 contact us as we will be happy to discuss.

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

Thank you.