Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback Ref.6332 1953

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 and moved 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 truly wonderful example of a Rolex Oyster Perpetual bubbleback which is completely original, unrestored and untouched. A wonderful, original, unrestored and untouched Rolex Oyster Perpetual stainless steel wristwatch, with a wonderful ivory -cream dial framed with the plain bezel. The 34mm stainless steel case has thick straight lugs and a screw-down case-back, overall, giving this stylish watch a confident, yet not overstated wrist presence.

The Dial

Here we have one of the most timeless vintage Rolex dial designs, originating in the 1950s which continues through until this day. The original, unrestored and untouched ivory-cream dial against the steel case is a classic look and perfectly suitable for casual, office and evening wear.

The dial carries ‘pencil’ hour indices, crowned by the perennial Rolex Coronet at 12. These are matched with the original unrestored Rolex ‘lance’ hands which are so redolent of the period.

The dial is signed ‘Rolex Oyster Perpetual’ along with ‘Swiss made’ at the very bottom of the dial.

The dial has a great deal of appeal due to its classic signs of ageing and very even patina. Due to its unique 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

This watch has its original high grade “Officially Certified Chronometer” 17 Jewels, Calibre.645, automatic movement which is well regarded for being particularly accurate, reliable and strong. The movement has a 41-hour power reserve and following its overhaul, service and calibration, is performing strongly and extremely accurately at +10 seconds per day. This movement also remains in sparkling condition, which is truly outstanding for a watch movement of this age!

The movement is simply signed ‘Rolex Perpetual’ and ‘Swiss Made Patented’ along with the movement serial numbers 79669.

This watch movement is now ready for many more years of faithful service and is perfectly suited for daily use.  We are therefore very confident in offering this watch with a 12-month written warranty*.

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

The Case

The steel watch case measures 34mm, excluding the correct Rolex signed winding crown, this makes this a good size watch for the 1950s. The heavy Rolex Oyster Perpetual case with a plain bezel has quite a bold character, with strong straight lugs. It is in excellent condition, having received a very gentle and sympathetic clean and polish, although the watch has obviously been very well cared for, as there are no dings, scratches or marks visible to the naked eye. The case-back is of full thickness and has never been engraved.

The inside of the case back is correctly signed with ‘Montres Rolex S.A’ along with the reference number 6332. On the exterior of the case between the lugs at 6 it is correctly signed with the case serial number 981150 which dates this watch correctly at 1953 along with 11154.

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

The Bracelet

The original, Rolex rivet stainless steel bracelet is very close to perfect condition. The bracelet has simply been cleaned and lightly polished to bring it back to the condition you see here. Setting the catch to the shortest adjustment the bracelet will fit a 18.4cm wrist, then when setting the catch to the longest adjustment the bracelet will fit a 20.3cm wrist.

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 1953.

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 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

This watch comes complete with a green suede Rolex presentation pouch included.

Payment and Delivery

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 wwho happen to visit London 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 hand 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 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 steel 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 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 steel watches.

Thank you.