Ladies Rolex Precision Ref.8635 18ct c1963

Rolex

It is not quite 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. 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

The watch we have here is an absolutely delightful example of a ladies Rolex Precision cocktail watch in 18ct yellow gold from c1963. This watch carries a wonderful previously restored ivory-cream dial along with a wonderful gold plated bracelet that carries clam shell links at the lugs.

The Dial

The beautiful, previously restored ivory-cream dial with mixed applied gilt ‘cube’ and ‘arrowhead’ hour indices, is, as can be seen in the close-up photographs, in superb condition. The dial is complete with its original ‘leaf’ style hands which are also tip-top, especially considering the age of the watch.

Please note, at 18mm diameter, excluding the crown, this is quite a small watch in comparison with most others. However, the gilt hands and hour indices are very clear and make the dial easy to read, even at arm’s length.

The dial is crowned with the usual Rolex ‘Coronet’ at 12 and is signed ‘Rolex’ below, along with ‘Precision’ at 6 and ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom.

The Movement

The high grade, Rolex Precision 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 lengths and expense to ensure its smaller series movements perform equally as well as its larger gents movements – and they succeeded. These are high precision movements and the example here is running perfectly, having been calibrated to run consistently within plus or minus +8 seconds per day! This is excellent for any small mechanical watch and is no exaggeration – we have checked and confirmed the test results on our electronic watch timegrapher.

The movement is signed ‘Rolex Precision’, ‘Swiss’ and ‘17 Rubis’ (Jewels).

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 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 18ct yellow gold case measures 18mm in diameter, excluding the correct Rolex unsigned crown. Please note, the size of the winding crown may seem overly large in certain photographs. This is because the watch is small in comparison and the crown needs to be of adequate size in order to wind it. However please be assured, it is the correct, original Rolex crown for this watch.

This watch has been exceptionally well cared for, therefore the case has simply required a clean, thorough inspection, and then a gentle hand-polish to bring it back to its current ‘like new’ condition with no scratches, dings or dimples, or other damage visible to the naked eye. The press-fit case-back clicks into place with a firm and satisfying ‘pop’, indicating it is a nice tight fit. The case-back is of full thickness and has never been inscribed.

The case is correctly signed with the model reference number 8633 along with the correct 18ct hallmarks.

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

The Bracelet

This watch comes complete with a gold plated, expandable bracelet which has been delicately polished and matches perfectly with this ladies Roles watch. This bracelet would fit a wrist size of 15.9cm at its smallest and 23cm at its largest when expanded.

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 c1963.

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”.

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 superb, highly collectable and totally usable vintage watch from horology’s most famous name, which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to wear, treasure and enjoy! It will make the perfect gift as well as a practical, accurate and reliable timepiece to use on a regular basis, as you so wish.

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.