Ladies Rolex Precision 18ct Pink Gold c1942 Thunderbird Bezel

Rolex

Founded in 1905 in England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, the partnership soon 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

A simply wonderful early Rolex Precision gentleman’s dress watch. A stunning watch in every regard with a beautiful, original, unrestored dial, wonderful movement and an exceptional 18ct pink gold case, this case also carries the highly sought after thunderbird bezel which completes this watch perfectly.

This is a very clean and well cared for example which has undergone some very light and sympathetic restoration to bring it back to the almost new condition you see here. The watch also carries a high grade Cal.250 hand-wound movement, which is in spectacular condition.

The Dial

Beautifully balanced and symmetrical and complemented with a subsidiary seconds dial at ‘6’. The original unrestored ‘leaf’ hands are in remarkable condition and are paired with ‘spearhead’ hour indices and standard Arabic numerals at ‘12’.

This dial is correctly signed with ‘Rolex’ at the very top of the dial along with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom of the dial below 6.

This dial is original and unrestored and 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 Calibre 250, 17 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.

Rolex went to considerable trouble and expense to ensure its small Cal.250 series movements performed equally as well as its larger gents Precision movements, and they succeeded! These are indeed high precision movements and the example here is running perfectly, having been calibrated to run consistently within +13 seconds per day! This is truly outstanding for any mechanical watch and has been checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. This movement also has an excellent power reserve of 44 hours when fully wound.

The movement is signed ‘Rolex Precision’, ‘Swiss’ and ’17 Rubis’ (Jewels) and it is marked with the Calibre number 250. This particular movement is in beautiful condition and with similar care and regular servicing, say every 3 to 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to continue to run very happily for many more decades to come! 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 beauitul 18ct pink 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 case measures 22mm in diameter, excluding the correct Rolex signed crown. The full thickness press-fit case-back clicks securely into place just as it should and is of full thickness, having never been inscribed.

As mentioned above, this wonderful 18ct pink gold case also carries the highly sought after thunderbird bezel which we believe adds something truly special to this watch.

The inside of the case back is correctly signed with ‘Rolex Geneve Suisse’ along with the correctly 18ct hallmarks and the case reference number 4327.

As ever, our standard advice applies: vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap and Buckle

The watch is fitted with a black alligator strap and a plain pink gold-plated buckle, which we feel suits the watch perfectly. If, however, 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 burgundy and black straps in stock, in plain, padded leather, alligator, crocodile or lizard skin.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with the watch, the numbers and markings are all correct, dating this watch to c1942.

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 watch comes complete with a high quality hardwood presentation box, as shown in the photographs.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by 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 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

This is a truly first class example of a 1940s vintage ladies Rolex Precision which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece and even though vintage gold Rolex prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel good examples such as this are still undervalued. 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 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.