Rolex Oyster Royal Cal.710 1957

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

The Oyster Royal was introduced in 1933 and was recognisable as one of the earliest wristwatches to feature a centrally pivoted second hand, as opposed to the small subsidiary seconds register that was the norm. Rolex marketed the Royal as being ideally suited for those in the medical profession, on the basis that a large second hand would be far easier to consult when timing a patient’s heartbeat. Strangely, as centre seconds became more common, the Oyster Royal would be offered in both centre and sub-seconds formats, and the Oyster Royal model became more associated with the British Military services.

Here we have a particularly fine example of a completely original, unrestored and untouched gents Rolex Oyster Royal dress watch, in a steel Rolex Oyster case, manufactured in 1957. This watch carries a rather interesting off-white double textured dial which we believe looks simply stunning. This is the Rolex Model Reference 6246, complete with its original high grade Cal.710, 15 Jewel movement.

This example is in superb condition and running strongly and accurately following a recent thorough overhaul and service by our vintage Rolex expert watchmaker. This Rolex Precision has the Rolex Oyster case with a screw-down case-back and a Super Oyster crown which was waterproof when new.

The Dial

Here we have a simply incredible original, unrestored and untouched off-white dial which carries two different textures. The original off-white dial against the steel case is a classic look and perfectly suitable for casual, office and evening wear. This dial carries some wonderful signs of ageing in the gentle colour change within the dial, we believe this adds uniqueness and history to the watch.

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

The dial is simply signed ‘Rolex’ ‘Oyster Royal’ at the top of the dial below 12 along with ‘Shock-Resisting’ on the lower half of the dial and ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom of the dial below 6.

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 unique 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

The watch carries its original high grade Rolex Calibre 710, 15 Jewel movement, which as can be seen in the photographs, is in spectacular condition. This movement was one of Rolex’ first to include a shock-resistant movement, hence the script on the dial.

The movement has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using original Rolex parts where required, by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. When tested and calibrated immediately following its restoration, this watch was running to within 6 seconds per day which is outstanding for a vintage watch of this age!

These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable making the watch 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 pleased to offer a 12-month warranty on this watch movement*.

The movement is all correctly signed ‘ROLEX’, ‘SWISS MADE’ and ‘15 Rubis’, with the Calibre number 710 along with the movement serial number 34226.

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

The Case

The steel Rolex Oyster case measures 32mm in diameter, excluding the original Rolex Super Oyster crown. As this is a Rolex Oyster case, it was marketed as waterproof when new*.

This watch still has its original Super Oyster (non screw-down) crown. This is rare, partly because these watches were only produced for around two years between ’51 and ’53 and many of these were later converted to screw-down Oyster crowns.

The case, case-back and plain bezel are all in superb condition with no marks or scratches visible to the naked eye. The watch case has seen only very light use and has been very well cared for so following close inspection, the case has simply been gently hand-polished to bring the watch to almost new condition once more. The outside of the case-back, importantly, has never been engraved and equally importantly it is of its original thickness.

Inside the case back is correctly signed with ‘Montres Rolex S.A’, ‘Geneva Switzerland Patented’ along with ‘Stainless Steel’ and the case reference number 6246.

The case also carries the model number 6246 between the lugs at 12 and the case serial number 235026 which dates this watch to 1957.

*The screw-down case-back and Super Oyster crown seals have been replaced, however, although this watch was specified as waterproof when new, this has not been tested and it is not guaranteed. As ever, our standard advice applies, vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Bracelet

This watch sports an original slightly later 1963 expandable Rolex rivet stainless steel bracelet is very close to perfect condition, it was replaced by the previous owner as the original had become worn. 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 15.2cm wrist, then when setting the catch to the longest adjustment the bracelet will fit a 19.7cm wrist.

The 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 1957.

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 pouch, this watch also comes complete with several service receipts.

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 who 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 an early 1940s vintage Rolex Oyster Royal which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece and even though vintage Rolex prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel excellent examples such as this, are still undervalued. 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 about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very best quality watches we can find before restoring these 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 inevitably means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are a number of well known stores in West London which are very 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.

We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you choose to pay by UK bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you. Please contact us to reserve the watch and request our bank details. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or International Bank Wire Transfer, we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please note, we welcome part exchanges and if you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will be happy to Service, Repair, or Restore your watch, all at sensible prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions, please call on 0207 727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095

We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting, we will also be very happy to hear from you. We await your call!

Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.