Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cal.1570 18ct Bombé 1965

Rolex

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

Of all the 1950s and ’60s vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual dress watches, the Rolex Model 1011 Bombé is one of the most rare and special. It is often mistakenly referred to as the ‘Bombay’ – this term refers to the bombé (sculpted) lugs of the case. These are beautiful and infinitely more attractive than the block angles of the standard sports Oyster Perpetual case so the Bombé cased watch replaces these with the much softer and more fluid lines of the Bombé dress watch design.

The example here has a simply wonderful and original, unrestored Champagne Pearlescent dial with original unrestored ‘Stick’ hands and and applied ‘Baton’ hour indices. This is a simply beautiful combination and one which always delights us each time we find a really nice example such as this. To our eyes, this is one of the most attractive gentleman’s Rolex automatic dress watches by far.

The sparkling clean fully restored movement and immaculate watch case means this is now ready and set for many more decades of faithful service!

The Case

Again, very special in having the most attractive and most desirable Bombé sculptured lugs, often referred to as a ‘Bombay’ case. As mentioned above, this removes the block angles of the Oyster case and replaces them with the much softer and more fluid lines of the Bombé dress watch design. Compared side by side with the usual Oyster case, this looks far more classy and when you get to know the difference, there is no comparison. These are rare watches so if you see one and like it, we recommend you snap it up because prices are climbing. This time 12 months ago we were buying and restoring these for 15 – 20% less and the same year before!

This lightly used example has only required professional cleaning and very gentle polishing to bring the solid 18ct yellow gold case back to showroom condition and showing few signs of wear. The screw-back design has a new rubber seal, as does the seal around the crown.

The case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the Rolex Oyster crown and 42mm, including the lugs. Inside the case-back, all is as expected and signed ‘MONTRES ROLEX SA GENEVA SWISS’, ‘PATENTED’ with the Rolex model number 1011. It is all appropriately double hallmarked with Swiss Geneva 18ct gold hallmarks.

Please note, while this watch was specified as waterproof when new, this has not been tested and this is not guaranteed. As ever, we recommend: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Dial

This is the classic 1960s Rolex at its best, in perhaps the most popular colour, which is Champagne with a subtle pearlescent – sunburst effect which catches the light beautifully. As we have tried to demonstrate in the images, this varies from a pale yellow through champagne, to a slightly richer yellow depending on the light.

The dial design is in the classic 1960s style and the one which has remained, in essence, more or less unchanged until this very day.

We love the elegance, simplicity and symmetry of these original 1960s Rolex Oyster Perpetual dials and feel that unless one absolutely ‘has to have’ a date function, early non-date Rolex Oyster Perpetual are so much prettier to our eyes. ‘Less’ is definitely ‘more’ here.

This dial is original, unrestored and untouched. It is also in really tip-top condition with hardly any faults visible to the naked eye. Due to its excellent condition and to retain more of the character and the originality of the watch, we have left the dial completely alone rather than restore it. If however, you would prefer the dial to be sympathetically restored, we will be happy to arrange this for you free of charge.

The Movement

The watch carries its original, very high grade ‘Superlative Chronometer’ Calibre 1570, 26 jewel automatic movement which is in sparkling clean condition. The movement has been completely overhauled and serviced which involves fully dismantling, ultrasonic cleaning, inspection under high magnification and replacement of parts, only with new original Rolex parts where required, then careful reassembly and oiling ready for testing and calibration. The watch is now running perfectly, having been calibrated and timed within +6 seconds per day. This is truly outstanding for any watch of this age and has been confirmed by our electronic timegrapher. It is now ready for many more years of faithful service.

The movement is all correctly signed ‘MONTRES ROLEX SA GENEVA’, ‘SWISS’, and ‘TWENTY SIX JEWELS’ with the Calibre number 1570 and the reference number 255124. These movements are strong, very accurate and very reliable making this watch particularly suited to everyday use should you so wish. This particular movement is in superb A1 condition and with regular servicing, say every 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily for many years to come. We are therefore pleased to offer 12 months warranty on this watch movement*.

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

The Strap and Buckle

A new high quality, Hirsch London Alligator strap has been fitted with a 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.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, all the numbers and markings on the watch are correct, dating the watch to 1965.

Our detailed ‘Particulars’ document will be included in the sale, along with our detailed receipt and 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 at any time, 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 watch comes complete with Rolex Inner and Outer presentation boxes, as shown in the photographs.

In Conclusion

This is a truly exceptional example of a 1960s vintage Rolex automatic which is ready to wear and quite appropriate and practical for regular everyday use. It is also a highly collectable piece from horology’s most famous name which if treated with care, will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something for you to treasure and enjoy!

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.

We will 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 we will welcome your call at: 0207 727 7095. If calling from overseas please call us at +44 207 727 7095.

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 this.