Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback Ref.6084 18ct 1953 Quilted Dial

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 bubbleback carrying a charming, original, unrestored and untouched off-white quilted dial with ‘arrowhead’ hour indices and original ‘lance’ hands. This is Rolex model reference 6084 with the Calibre 10½” A269 Chronometer rated automatic movement.

This is a truly remarkable Rolex Oyster Perpetual bubbleback with the larger 34mm 18ct yellow gold case. The watch 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 and also for everyday use.

The Dial

The classic 1960s Rolex Oyster Perpetual dial is beautifully simple and elegant. The original, unrestored and untouched quilted dial carries gold gilt ‘arrowhead’ hour indices are matched by the original gold gilt ‘lance’ hands and give the watch a very elegant look. The design is beautifully balanced and perfectly symmetrical. In terms of purity, 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’ and ‘Officially Certified Chronometer’ with ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom.

We have left dial the alone to retain the originality and charm of the original, unrestored and untouched dial. You do have the option to ask us to restore the dial back to its original condition along with the hands which we will be happy to do so at our cost price.

This dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched and there are some wonderful signs of ageing in the staining, spotting and pitting you see across the dial. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided, in this case, to leave it alone, due to its unusually unique 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. While the dial is in excellent condition for the year and many collectors prefer original and untouched dials, if a customer prefers we could restore the dial of this watch back to its original condition, at no extra cost.

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 original high grade, Rolex Calibre 10½ ” A269, 19 Jewel Chronometer automatic movement is in superb condition. The watch is running perfectly following a complete overhaul and service by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. This involves completely dismantling the movement to all its component parts, close examination under high magnification, then using only genuine Rolex replacement parts where required, careful reassembly and lubrication using Rolex specified lubricants.

This particular movement is sparkling clean and winds, sets and runs perfectly, just as it should. When finally tested following its overhaul, this watch was found to be keeping superb time to within +9 seconds per day! This is outstanding for any watch of this age. We are therefore highly confident in offering this watch with a 12-month warranty on the movement* and will also be very happy to assist you with competitively priced servicing in the future.

These Chronometer grade movements are very strong, very accurate and very reliable making this watch perfectly suitable for both evening wear and everyday use, should you so wish. This movement is in superb, sparkling clean, A1 condition and with regular servicing, say every 3 – 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily another lifetime!

The movement is correctly signed ‘Rolex Perpetual Chronometer’, ‘Swiss Made’, with the reference number F15950 along with the movement serial number 79922.

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

The Watch Case

The 18ct yellow gold case is in tip-top condition and measures 34mm, 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.

Inside the case-back, all the markings are correct and as expected with the Rolex signature: ‘Geneva Swiss’, along with Geneva Swiss 18ct hallmarks. The case also carries the Rolex model reference number 6084.

The watch case serial number 858597 can be found between the lugs at 6 o’clock which confirms the date of manufacture of this watch as 1953.

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 high quality black Alligator strap fitted, along 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. Please take a look at their huge range of straps if you wish here.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with the watch, the numbers and markings are all correct, dating this watch to 1953.

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 green suede Rolex pouch shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

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 1960s 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 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.

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.