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PLEASE SEE ALL PHOTOS as they constitute a major part of the description and we draw your attention to them to assess the condition of the items.
This auction is for a beautiful andrare World War 1 period antique ladies’ ROLEX time piece with a lovely engineturned dial and housed in a SOLID 9 CARAT GOLD twin hinged case with a trenchstyle thick banded bezel. It is a wonderful and hard to find model from themost recognizable time piece manufacturer of all time. The date hallmark insideis slightly rubbed and difficult to read but stylistically I feel certain thisdates to the 1914-18 period. Thisbeautiful watch would have been quite the gift at this time, a luxurious watchcrafted in an era of restraint, austerity and national endeavour.
Cosmetic condition is good and thiscomes on its original 12 carat Rolled Gold bracelet stretch link strap. Themovement is IN NEED OF SERVICE/REPAIR as it requires a new mainspring.The balance is fine and a service is a no brainer in terms of investing in thepiece itself. It will be well worth the investment. This is a top-quality pieceso serious bidders only please.
Early Rolex Watches
Early Rolex watches do not have thesame serial numbering patterns that later models were stamped with. Rolex havechanged their cataloguing systems on a few occasions since they beganproduction. Early Rolex watches such as this one also bear the initials‘W&D’ for ‘WILSDORF & DAVIS,’ the Rolex mother company. Branding Rolexon dials started later - Rolex received their CLASS A PRECISION CERTIFICATE in1914 from Kew Observatory in the UK.
TheDial
The dial has an ENGINE TURNED circulartexture and has military style ARABIC NUMBERS. After a 100 years plus, the dialhas acquired a lovely authentic patina, the kind that only a century of age canprovide.
The classic RED 12 is seen at the topand the subtly patinated gold backdrop highlights the other design featuresbeautifully. The RED 12 is often thought to be associated with military watchesbut is also thought to accentuate the 12 to draw the eye there – wrist watcheswere directly modified from pocket watches initially where the 12 mark wasoften at the three position.
Please note the stunning original Bluesteel SPADE/WHIP HANDS which are hugely elegant and symbolic of theperiod.
The Case
The case is as stunning as the dial –twin hinged and crafted in solid 9 carat gold adding to the sense and feel ofsuperior quality. This is further enhanced by the thick banded bezel.
Hallmarked inside for W&D ROLEX9:375 LONDON – please note the date letter is rubbed and hard to read but Ifeel certain this is around 1914-18 in date.
Measurements
It measures:
·26mms across NOT including the crown
Movement
The movement is a superb quality RolexRebberg manual mechanism marked 15 JEWELS ROLEX SWISS MADE. It is currently in NEED OF REPAIR/ SERVICE – the balance is fine but it winds continually and is in need of anew main spring. A service is a no brainer – it’s a solid gold antique Rolex insuperb condition. Even if it was working constantly, it would still be worththe service! Sold as described folks so please bear in mind that furtherservicing costs will be necessary.
Please note that vintagewatches cannot be guaranteed and it is always advisable to have them servicedat regular intervals to protect your investment.
Strap
It comes on its original 12 CaratRolled Gold metal stretch link strap suited for the smaller wrist but willexpand.
CosmeticCondition
Cosmetically, there are few conditionissues to consider. Given that this is over a 100 years old, condition is reallyvery good indeed. The dial is totally original with a warm genuine patina whichadds to the authenticity of the piece. The case is in great condition with somelight age-related surface marks, all of which will polish out if desired. Thecrystal looks original and has no cracks or chips – some light surface marksbut nothing that won’t polish out. Most importantly, please study the photosand make your own assessment prior to bidding.
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Please only bid if you intend to pay. Payment within 48 hours please or the item will be relisted and the bidder excluded from all further auctions. Non payers will politely be asked to cough up and if we don’t hear back then we will refer the matter to an Ebay ‘non paying item case’ which may further impair your ability to bid in other sellers’ auctions too.
