Rolex Precision Cal.700 9ct Pink Gold 1938

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

A very rare, completely original, unrestored and untouched gentleman’s 9ct pink gold vintage Rolex Precision dress watch, with an outstanding black dial. The watch is of a very clean, simple and classic design and typical of the 1930s. It contains the original Rolex calibre 700 movement which is highly reliable and accurate.

This watch is rare for the following reasons – the outstanding original, unrestored black dial, the 9ct pink gold watch case and last, but my no means least, the 34mm dial with the subsidiary seconds dial. Very few Rolex precisions were made at 34mm which also carried a subsidiary seconds dial. At 34mm diameter, excluding the correct unsigned crown, this is a good-sized Rolex Precision for the period.

Such examples are now becoming almost impossible to find, especially in the outstanding condition you see here. This is truly one of the finest examples of a vintage Rolex Precision that we have ever seen, and we have seen a great many.

The Dial

The highly impressive looking black dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched, yet remains in beautiful condition. It is complete with a mix of arrowhead and standard Arabic numerals at ‘2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 10 – 12’ and is swept by the original ‘leaf’ hands, which are in superb condition. The wonderful addition of a subsidiary seconds dial completes this watch perfectly.

Black dials have become exceedingly popular over the past 15 years and this one looks wonderful against the pink gold case and furnishings.

The dial carries the Rolex Coronet and is signed ‘Rolex’ Precision’ with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom.

Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case, due to its exceptional condition, to retain its originality and charm for the many collectors 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.

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 see here 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 Rolex Precision Calibre 700, 17 Jewel Superbalance movement is highly regarded for its reliability and accuracy and was a forerunner of the Precision 1200 series movements, which became one of Rolex’s most successful and longest running series of watch movements.

As with all our watches, this is the original movement which has been completely overhauled and restored by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. This involves complete disassembly, careful examination under high magnification of each the component parts and replacement where necessary, only with Rolex originals. Finally reassembly and adjustment to Rolex specification before testing and careful calibration in two positions. As can be seen, this movement is in spectacular condition having had the benefit of proper care and maintenance and light use.

The movement is all correctly signed ‘Rolex Geneva’, ’17 Jewels’, ‘Patented Superbalance’ and ‘Swiss’.

The movement winds, runs and sets smoothly and is in superb working order and keeping excellent time. The watch has been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker and is calibrated to run arrow straight within +10 seconds per day! These test results have been confirmed by our electronic watch test Timegrapher instrument. We are therefore more than happy to offer our 12 months’ warranty on the movement of this watch*.

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

The Case

The beautiful and rare 9ct pink gold case measures 34mm in diameter, not including the original Rolex unsigned crown*. The watch case is in tip-top condition and even the case-back looks pristine.

*Please note – Rolex did not sign the crowns on its Precision watches until the early 1960s and this is, therefore, the correct crown for this watch.

No matter how closely you examine the case it shows no signs of anything more than very light and careful use. Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct and signed ‘Rolex’, ‘31 victories De Haute Precision’ and ‘R.W.C. LTD’. In addition, the case-back carries the model reference number 4425 and the correct UK 9ct hallmarks, which date this watch to 1938. This watch case has been exceptionally well cared for and so after careful inspection, has simply required a clean and gentle polish to bring it back to its current ‘like new’ condition.

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

The Strap & Buckle

A high quality black Lizard strap has been fitted, along with a Rolex pink 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 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

Our detailed Watch Particulars document 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”.

This watch comes complete with a Rolex presentation box as shown.

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 deliver 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 vintage Rolex 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. 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.

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.