Passions Watch Exchange

About This Watch

Vintage. No box/papers and sold with a Passions box.

This is an absolutely charming Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer Semi-bubbleback in 14ct solid yellow gold from the early 1950s & the condition is very good for a nearly 70years old watch. The polished gold case some some user marks and we didn't want to polish it further.

The original dial has a slight patina with a very very faint patch of browning towards the centre of the dial which adds to the charm while the radium has all aged to a nice khaki colour that matches those in the hands as well. A steel version of this with the same dial was given by Rolex to Sir Edmund Hillary for the Mount Everest expeditions.

Like a treasure box, the back cover unlocks to reveal a breathtaking sight of an immaculate inner workings of a vintage Rolex that's kept fresh as if it's just left the factory yesterday! Please click on the images to see what we saw. The superb Oyster case has kept moisture out for decades and there's no evidence of rust or corrosion anywhere which shows that it has never seen much water related activities or sweaty wrists from it's owners.

We have just overhauled the movement & the rotor shines like a mirror. The 3 pieces of steel movement holder plates are original & intact with matching screws which shows that it was properly maintained throughout it's life as these plates are often lost over the years by careless watch mechanics or simply rusted away due to moisture.

This is the transitional Oyster when Rolex tried to do away with the screw-lock crowns by installing regular crowns with improved seals naming it "Rolex Super Oyster" the project failed after a couple of years and watches with these crowns are easily identified from the early 1950s.

Today, this beautiful vintage Rolex keeps good time & will serve you well for many more years to come but just keep it away from water & don't drop it. Are you ready to tell your story with her for the next half a century?