Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cal.A269 1947 Rolled Gold

Rolex

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

A simply wonderful Rolex Oyster Perpetual gentleman’s dress watch. A stunning watch in every regard with a beautiful, unrestored dial, wonderful movement and an exceptional Rolex rolled gold case.  This is a very clean and well cared for example which is completely original, unrestored and untouched and remains in tip-top condition. The watch also carries the high grade Cal.A269 Automatic movement, which is in spectacular condition.

The Dial

The wonderful classic off-white dial carries raised roman numerals and the original period ‘leaf’ hands. The blued steel centre seconds hand completes the unmistakable period look and charm of this watch.

The dial is correctly signed ‘Rolex Oyster Perpetual’, along with ‘Super Precision’ below and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom.

This dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched. Inevitably, it therefore shows some evidence of spotting commensurate with ageing.  It is somewhat unfair, as here, to produce very large images of an unrestored dial because this example is, in fact, in remarkably good condition with a nice even patina and no pitting or scratches. It looks far more attractive and charming in natural light and on the wrist, rather than close up under studio lights and a macro lens.

The Movement

The original high grade, Rolex Calibre 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 which involves completely dismantling the movement to all its component parts, close examination under high magnification, then using only genuine Rolex replacement parts where required, before careful reassembly and lubrication, using only 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 +10 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, accurate and 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’ and ‘Swiss Made’, with the model number 2940 and the movement serial number 54680.

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

The Case

The case measures 33mm in diameter, excluding the wonderful Rolex Oyster crown and is in perfect condition. Even under high magnification, it is very hard to find any signs of wear, indicating this watch has seen very little use and has had a charmed life.

Unusually, the watch case is made of 20 micron rolled gold. This is sometimes referred to as a gold-filled case and is simply a 20 micron layer of gold, fused to the base metal of the case.

The case has been inspected, cleaned and lightly hand-polished to bring it back to the immaculate condition you see here, with no scratches, dimples or marks visible to the naked eye. The rounded case-back is of full-thickness and has never been inscribed. Inside the case-back, all is as expected with the early Rolex scroll signature and the reference number 2940.

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

The Bracelet

The original, stretch link Rolex rolled gold bracelet is in close to as new condition and is of its original full length at 18cm to 19.5cm. The bracelet has simply been cleaned and lightly polished to bring it back to the condition you see here. This watch and bracelet will fit an average to a slightly larger sized wrist, however it can also be tailored by ourselves if required, free of charge, following purchase of the watch.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct and indicate the date of manufacture as 1947.

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”.

A matching Rolex presentation box is included in the sale.

This is a truly first class example of a 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. Even though vintage gold Rolex prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel good examples such as this are still undervalued and as each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold Rolex watches continues to expand, prices will continue to climb ever higher.

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.

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 that happen to visit the UK 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 your watch directly to you there.

If you have any questions please call 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 also 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.