Rolex Oyster Precision Model Ref.6022 10ct 1952

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 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

A particularly fine, good sized gents Rolex Oyster Precision dress watch with a 10ct yellow gold Rolex Oyster case, manufactured in 1952. This is Rolex Model Reference 6022, complete with its original high-grade Cal.710, 17 Jewel movement which is in superb condition and running strongly and accurately following a recent thorough overhaul and service by our vintage Rolex expert watchmaker. This Rolex Precision has the Rolex Oyster case with a screw-down case-back and Oyster crown. This was therefore specified waterproof when new**. This example comes in completely original, unrestored and untouched condition and with its Rolex presentation case, as shown.

The Dial

1950s vintage Rolex dials are, we feel, the most wonderful examples of Rolex style and simple elegance at its best. Here in ivory cream, this dial is complete with a mix of arrowhead and stud indices with standard arabic numerals at ‘6 – 12’, matched with original ‘Lance’ hands,  all of these wonderful aspects contrasts beautifully with the yellow gold case. It is full of character and 1950s Rolex charm and blued steel centre seconds hand complete the dial perfectly. We feel the absence of a date window only adds to the beauty and perfect symmetry of this dial.

The dial is signed ‘Rolex Oyster’, ‘Precision’ below and ‘Swiss’.

This dial is original, unrestored and untouched. It is also in really excellent condition considering the age of the watch, with almost no fading, spotting or crazing and with an even overall patina. Due to its relatively good condition and for reasons of retaining the character and the originality of the watch, we have left it completely alone. If however, you would prefer the dial sympathetically restoring, we will be happy to arrange this for you without any extra charge.

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 watch carries its original high-grade Rolex calibre 710 Superbalance Precision movement, which is in immaculate condition. The movement has been completely disassembled by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker, then cleaned, inspected under high magnification and rebuilt using only original Rolex replacement parts where required. His work is amazing and following careful calibration and testing, this watch is now running within +18 seconds per day. This really is excellent for any vintage watch of this age. The movement is signed ‘Rolex Precision’,  ‘Swiss Made’, ’17 Rubis’ and ‘Patented Superbalance’ with the Calibre number 710.

These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable making this watch perfectly suited for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in A1 condition and with regular servicing, say every 3 – 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily for many more decades to come! We are therefore pleased to offer a 12-month warranty on this watch movement*.

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

The Case

The 10ct yellow gold case measures 34.5mm in diameter, excluding the original Rolex Oyster screw-down crown. The case, case-back and plain bezel are all in superb condition with no marks or scratches visible to the naked eye. The watch case has seen only very light use and has been very well cared for so following close inspection, the case has simply been gently hand-polished to bring the watch to almost new condition once more. The outside of the case-back, importantly, has never been engraved and equally importantly it is of its original thickness.

Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct for a Rolex Geneva Swiss made case. It is signed ‘Geneve Suisse Rolex’ and carries the R.W.C. Ltd. signature, along with the model number 6022, the serial number 840392 and the correct Swiss Geneva 10ct gold hallmarks. All of which date this watch to 1952.

The case has the screw-down Rolex Oyster crown and screw-down case-back, each complete with rubber seals. Although this 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 Strap & Buckle

A new, high-quality black lizard strap has been fitted, along with a Rolex gold-plated 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 of strap, 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

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 presentation box as shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

In Conclusion

This is a truly first class example of an early 1950s vintage Rolex Oyster 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 excellent 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.

A word about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very best quality watches we can find before restoring these 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 inevitably means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are a number of well known stores in West London which are very 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 choose to pay by UK bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction 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 International 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.

Please note, we welcome part exchanges and if you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

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

If you have any questions, please call on 0207 727 7095  or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095

We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting, we will also be very happy to hear from you. We await your call!

Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine Vintage Gold Watches!

Thank you.