Rolex Oyster Precision Ref.6422 1956

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

A completely original, unrestored and untouched Rolex Oyster model reference 6422 stainless steel wristwatch, with an original off-white dial with wonderful gilt furnishings. The good size 34mm stainless steel case has thick straight lugs, a wonderful plain bezel, a screw-down case-back and the original Rolex signed expandable bracelet, overall, giving this stylish watch a confident, yet not overstated wrist presence.

The Dial

This classic early 1950s Rolex Oyster dial is beautifully simple and elegant. The steel gilt 1. – 12 standard Arabic numerals are matched by the gilt ‘leaf’ hands. The design is beautifully balanced and perfectly symmetrical. In terms of purity and elegance, the absence of a date function is often referred to retain a dials perfect balance.

This dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched and remains in a wonderful condition. As can be seen in the images, this dial has next to no signs of aging in the form of staining, pitting or spotting which is why we have chose to leave this dial completely alone.

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

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

The high grade Cal.1210 manual wind movement is incredibly clean and also in incredibly good condition. It has just been overhauled and serviced by our expert watchmaker and is running perfectly. These movements are very highly regarded for their accuracy and reliability and this movement has been calibrated to run arrow straight within +12 seconds per day. This is outstanding for any watch of this age and has been checked on our electronic watch timer. This movement also has a really excellent 45-hour power reserve when fully wound.

The movement is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA’, ‘Geneva Swiss’ and ‘Seventeen 17 Jewels’. This particular movement is in superb condition and with regular servicing, say every 2-3 years, we would fully expect this watch to run quite happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore very confident in offering this watch with a 12-month written warranty*.

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

The Case

The stainless steel case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct, screw down signed crown. The case carries a plain bezel, this gives the watch a much larger feel when on the wrist. All of this, along with the rest of the case and case-back, is in immaculate condition, with no marks or scratches visible to the naked eye. The watch has only seen light use and has been very well cared for. Following close inspection, it has simply required some gentle hand-polishing to bring the watch to almost new condition once again. The case-back has never been engraved and equally importantly, it is of its original thickness.

Inside the case-back, the markings are all correct for a Rolex Swiss-made case and it is signed ‘MONTRES ROLEX S.A.’, ‘GENEVA SWITZERLAND’ and the model number 96422. On the exterior or the case between the lugs at 12 you can find the model reference number 6422 and in between the lugs at 6 you can find the case serial number 202464 which dates this watch correctly to 1956.

Please note – our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Bracelet

The  original, fully Rolex signed expandable, 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 16.5cm wrist, then when setting the catch to the longest adjustment the bracelet will fit a 18.4cm wrist, however, due to the bracelet being expandable when set to the largest position on the catch the bracelet could go as large as 22.2cm. This bracelet is of full length and includes 12 links.

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 1956.

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”.

A green suede Rolex presentation pouch shown in the photographs is 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.