Rolex Precision 9ct Cal.1215 1965

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.

Description

Here we have a quite special, Rolex Precision in a beautiful Rolex-made 9ct yellow gold case. The watch is a good size at 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct Rolex unsigned crown, with a wonderfully clean, elegant and perfectly balanced ivory-cream dial. This dial is completely original, unrestored, untouched and remains in a beautiful condition.

The Dial

Classic Rolex simplicity and typical of the 1960s. Original, unrestored and untouched beautifully balanced and symmetrical ivory-cream dial. The original unrestored ‘lance’ hands are in remarkable condition and are paired with wonderful ‘baton’ hour indices.

The dial is correctly signed and branded with the Rolex Coronet just below 12, along with ‘Rolex’ and ‘Precision’ below.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good 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.

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

This is the original, high-grade Rolex Calibre 1215, 17 Jewels movement, which as can be seen in the photographs, is in sparkling condition. The movement has been fully overhauled and serviced which means it has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using original Rolex parts where required, by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. When tested and calibrated, this watch was running to within +3 seconds per day, which is outstanding for any vintage watch of this age. This is also among four or five of the most accurate watches we have tested this year. When fully wound, this movement has a 58-hour power reserve. The movement is all correctly signed ‘Montes Rolex SA Geneva Swiss’, and ‘17 Jewels’, with the Calibre number 1215 and the reference number 324.

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

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

The Case

The 9ct yellow gold watch case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct Rolex unsigned crown. This is a typical sized watch for 1965, although the bezel on this wonderful watch is thin and therefore makes the watch look larger on the wrist. The case, the case-back and bezel are all in superb condition with no marks or scratches visible to the naked eye. The watch has been beautifully well cared for and so after a close inspection has simply required a careful clean and a gentle polish to bring it back to its current, almost as new condition.

Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct with ‘Rolex’, ‘Made In England’, ‘A.L.D’, the correct 9ct hallmarks and the case reference 12834 and the serial number 414995.

Please note – This watch was not specified as water-resistant when new. As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Bracelet

The original, integral, heavy woven link Rolex 9ct bracelet is in close to as new condition and is of original full length. This is adjusted using the two-step Rolex ladder locking catch. 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, free of charge, following the 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, dating this watch to 1965.

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 totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.

The high quality hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included.

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 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.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no quibble sale or return policy.