Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cal.1030 14ct 1954

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 and moved 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.

Of course, Rolex is now so ubiquitous it is almost its own kind of its currency. A Rolex is the watch you want on your wrist when you’re in a Third World country when revolution breaks out and there’s only one seat on the plane – and there’s a guy standing there with a machine gun! You give him a Rolex and he’ll give you the seat!

Description

This is a classic Rolex Oyster Perpetual carrying a charming, previously restored silver dial with ‘spearhead’ hour indices and stick hands. This watch contains the Rolex Calibre 1030 Chronometer automatic movement which is also in wonderful condition.

This is one of the earliest Rolex Oyster Perpetuals with the larger sized 35mm 14ct gold case. It carries the sought after plain bezel, which along with the rest of the case, is in wonderful condition.

This watch is superb throughout and is very much the classic Rolex timepiece – perfectly suited for all occasions.

The Dial

This classic early 1950s Rolex Oyster Perpetual dial is beautifully simple and elegant. The gold gilt ‘spearhead’ hour indices and ‘Space Rocket’ indices at ‘3 – 6 – 9’ are matched by the yellow gold gilt ‘stick’ hands. The design is beautifully balanced and perfectly symmetrical. In terms of purity and elegance, the absence of a date function is often referred to retain a dials perfect balance.

The dial carries the applied Rolex Coronet and is signed ‘Rolex Oyster Perpetual’,  ‘Officially Certified Chronometer’ with ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom.

This dial has been previously restored to a very high standard and remains in tip-top condition, as we have tried to demonstrate in the accompanying photographs.

The Watch Movement

The original high grade “Officially Certified Chronometer” 25 Jewels, 1030 calibre ‘butterfly’ movement is very highly regarded for being particularly accurate, reliable and strong. This movement is known as a ‘butterfly’ movement, due to the lightened rotor which resembles a butterfly wing. Here, it is in sparkling condition and working perfectly following a thorough overhaul and service by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. This includes dismantling the watch to all its component parts and careful inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Rolex parts, then careful reassembly and adjustment before final calibration in 5 positions. The watch winds, sets and runs accurately and reliably and after final testing and calibration, is running strongly and accurately within +9 seconds/day, which is outstanding for a watch movement of this age! The power reserve of this watch is 48 hours.

The movement is signed ‘Rolex Perpetual SA Geneva’, ‘Twenty Five Jewels’, ‘Adjusted to Five Positions’ and carries the movement reference number 458140 and the Calibre number 1030.

This watch movement is now ready for many more years of faithful service and is perfectly suited for everyday use. We are therefore very confident in offering this watch with our extendable 12-month warranty on the movement*.

This watch is perfect suited for everyday use, should you so wish.

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

The Watch Case

The 14ct yellow gold case is in tip-top condition and measures 35mm, excluding the original Rolex signed Oyster screw-down crown. The case has been professionally cleaned, carefully inspected and lightly polished and is immaculate with no scratches, dings or other damage, visible to the naked eye. The case carries the sought after early 14ct gold plain bezel which is often preferred for its cleaner, simpler look.

Inside the case-back, all the markings are correct and as expected with the Rolex signature: ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Swiss’, along with Geneva Swiss 14ct hallmarks. The case also carries the Rolex model reference numbers 6585 and 6584.

Please note – even though this watch was specified as waterproof when new and the rubber seals have been replaced on the case-back and crown, the water resistance of this watch has not been tested and is not guaranteed.

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

The Strap & Buckle

This watch has a new brown Alligator strap fitted and this watch has also been fitted with a matching gold-plated Rolex 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.

The Box and Papers

Genuine original documents with a watch of this age are very rare and although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1954.

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 in the sale.

In Conclusion

This is a truly first-class example of a 1950s vintage 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.

To summarise, this is a truly rare and highly collectable vintage watch from horology’s most famous name, which is ready to wear, use, treasure and enjoy. It will provide excellent reliability and a sound financial investment, – as long-lasting as the watch itself!

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.

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 with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

If you have any questions please call us 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 welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

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

Thank you.