Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bombé 18ct Pink Gold 1952 Bubbleback

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, 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.

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 a revolution breaks out, 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

Of all the 1950s vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual dress watches, the Bombé model is easily the most elegant. The beautiful bombé sculptured lugs case with a plain bezel and early 1950s dial is a simply wonderful combination and one which always delights us.

This example is the very rare Rolex model ref. 6090 Oyster Perpetual ‘Bombé’ in 18ct pink gold. Having restored and sold many hundreds of Rolex Oyster Perpetuals, this is only the second 18ct pink gold bombé we have held in stock in the past 10 years.

A particular feature of this watch is its most beautifully elegant and rare early 1950s quilted white dial. This carries the original pink gilt ‘Dauphine’ hands which are paired with wonderful early ‘arrowhead’ hour indices.

This is easily one of the most attractive gentleman’s Rolex automatic dress watches of the period. This example has seen extremely light use and is in mint condition. Its rarity, beauty and condition mean this Rolex is a very special timepiece indeed!

The Dial

This has to be one of the most beautiful of all the early 1950s Rolex dials. Pink gilt ‘arrowhead’ hour indices are matched by the original restored pink gilt ‘Dauphine’ hands and blued steel seconds hand, all of which contrast wonderfully against the rare quilted white dial. 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.

Please note, the quilted texture of the dial is a rare feature of this watch. It is quite subtle and not easily picked out in the photographs, but can be most clearly seen in the second image.

The dial carries the applied Rolex Coronet below double pencil hour indices at ’12’ and is signed ‘Rolex Oyster Perpetual’,  ‘Officially Certified Chronometer’ with ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom. The outer seconds track is subdivided into half seconds.

This is the original dial which has been restored to the very highest standards by our dial restorers who are considered the best in the UK.

The Case

This beautiful ‘Bombé’  Bubbleback case with beautifully sculpted lugs transforms the case into something quite special and classy, compared to the usual Rolex Oyster case. Bombé cases are rare, but in 18ct pink gold they are almost never seen. The reason for this is they were only ever made to special order for a specific customer and furthermore, pink gold was not so popular during the early 1950s, therefore very few were made.

Often referred to as the “Bombay” due to the bombé (sculpted) lugs of the case, the case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the original Rolex Oyster crown. The case also has the more sought after smooth bezel, which just like the rest of the case, is in immaculate condition.

The case has simply been professionally cleaned and lightly hand-polished, simply to remove any tarnish and to bring it back to the condition you see here. The case-back is of full thickness and has never been inscribed.

Inside the case-back, all the markings are correct and as expected with the beautiful older Rolex scroll signature, Geneva Swiss 18ct hallmarks and 0.750, along with the Rolex model number 6090. The model number 6090 is also shown externally, between the lugs at 12 o’clock and between the lugs at 6 o’clock. The serial number 855454 is also clear, indicating the year of manufacture as 1952.

Please note – as part of the restoration we have replaced all the rubber seals on the case-back and the winding crown and stem tube. However, although the watch was specified as waterproof when new, this has not been tested and it is not guaranteed. As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Movement

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bubblebacks draw their name from the bulbous case-back designed to accommodate Rolex’s early Calibre 645, 18 Jewel Chronometer automatic movement and rotor. The movements are deeper on these earlier Oyster Perpetuals, which were produced between 1950 and circa 1954 and these are popularly known as the ‘large’ Bubblebacks, as these watches had a 34mm Oyster case, as opposed to the ‘small’ Rolex Bubblebacks which were produced between 1934 and 1950 with a 32mm case.

The movement is working perfectly following a thorough overhaul and service by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker and after calibration and timing, the movement is running strongly and accurately at +8 seconds per day. This is truly excellent for any watch of this age and has been confirmed on our electronic Timegrapher. The movement also has a 41 hour power reserve. The movement is all correctly signed ‘Rolex Perpetual Chronometer’, ‘Swiss Made’ and ‘Patented’, with the reference numbers 05149 and F63219.

This watch movement is now ready for many more years of faithful service and is perfectly suited for daily use and is offered with 12 months’ warranty on the movement*.

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

The Strap & Buckle

The watch is fitted with a new Brandy Alligator strap and matching pink 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 19mm straps if you wish here.

The 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 1952.

Detailed particulars 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 Oyster Deluxe presentation box as shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

In Conclusion

This is a truly special example of a 1952 vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual 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 highly collectable vintage watch from horology’s most famous name, which is ready to wear, use, treasure and enjoy, providing 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 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.

If you have any questions please call on 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.