Ladies Rolex Cal.10½ Hunter 9ct Pink Gold 1928

Rolex

It is not so well known that Rolex was actually founded in the UK in London in 1905 and it was not until 1919 that the company transferred its base of operations to Geneva, Switzerland. The company’s founders Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis simply used their initials W&D until around 1910, when they began to use the name Rolex. It is also a misconception that the world of luxury watches is a gentlemans one, as the first recorded wristwatch was actually designed for a lady. In June 1810, Abraham-Louis Breguet made a watch for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples. For many decades, women have proudly worn Rolex watches and have been integral to the brand’s success.

Description

Here we have a beautiful example of a Rolex ladies cocktail watch in 9ct pink gold from 1928. The watch has a superb condition case, very clean fully overhauled and serviced movement and mint condition dial. The original matching 9ct pink gold bracelet has been re-sprung and is suitable for a wide range of wrist sizes.

The Dial

This beautiful watch dial carries wonderful, black steel ‘cathedral’ hands, an outer stud minute track and a perfectly proportioned subsidiary seconds dial at 6, along with the bold black breguet numerals which were typical for Rolex ladies watches at this time. For such a small watch. this is a very clear and legible dial. It is simply signed ‘Rolex’ and with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom.

This dial is original and unrestored and has been left this way by our restoration team due to its extraordinary good condition for its age. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we felt in this case, due to its condition, it was best to retain some of its originality and charm.

The Movement

The movement fitted to this watch is the original 10½ Hunter, 15 Jewel hand-wound movement as used in Rolex’s highest quality watches of the period. 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, adjustments and oiling to Rolex specification, before final calibration and testing.

The movement is simply and delicately signed ‘Rolex’ and ‘Swiss’.

The movement is now running accurately and within expectations of 30 seconds per day. The timing expected of a Rolex movement of this period is within 1 minute per day, and this is our guarantee. The power reserve when fully wound on this movement is 30 hours and we are confident in offering this watch with a 12-month written warranty*. Please note, While Rolex watches of this period are reliable and accurate by the standards of their day, they do need to be treated with extra care.

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

The Case

The original, solid 9ct pink gold case measures 26.5mm in diameter, excluding the pink gold crown. The case-back on this watch is a good quality tight fitting watch case and closes with a gentle push and with a satisfying ‘pop’. The case is in superb condition, indicating the watch has only seen occasional careful use. Only under very close examination can some of the smallest marks be found, commensurate with the age of this piece.

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

The Bracelet

The watch is fitted with its original heavy 9ct pink gold expandable bracelet which has been fully dismantled and completely re-sprung. This bracelet will expand to a wide range of wrist sizes between 15cm – 16.5cm, or 6″ inches to 6.5″ inches i.e. a small to mid/large ladies size wrists.

The Box and Papers

Although there is no original paperwork with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct and date the watch to 1928.

Detailed particulars are included with the receipt, along with our 12 months’ warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value will also be provided at the time of sale. This will also include our ‘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”.

This watch comes with a green suede Rolex purse included.

In Conclusion

A rare and functional pink gold ladies cocktail watch which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something of beauty to use, treasure and enjoy! It will make an excellent investment or family heirloom piece and even though vintage gold watch prices have continued to rise markedly in the past 2-3 years, we still feel fine examples such as this are still undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold watches continues to expand, prices are surely destined to climb ever higher!

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. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you 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 also welcome part exchanges.

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