Rolex Precision Model Ref.9022 c1952

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

Here we have a beautiful original, unrestored and untouched good sized stainless steel vintage Rolex Precision gentleman’s dress watch in immaculate condition from c1952. The outstanding white dial with incredible ‘pencil’ hour indices and swept by unrestored ‘dauphine’ hands, make this a rare and sought after watch, particularly when found in such excellent condition.

The Dial

This classic 1950s Rolex Precision dial is beautifully simple and elegant. The steel gilt ‘pencil’ hour indices are matched by the steel gilt ‘dauphine’ 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 ageing and remains in absolutely outstanding condition.

The dial carries the applied Rolex Coronet and is signed ‘Rolex’ just below 12 and is signed with ‘Precision’ just above 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 good 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 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 +11 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’. In addition, it carries the reference number 05250. 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 35mm in diameter, excluding the correct unsigned crown. The case carries a thin, 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 9022.

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

The Bracelet

The  original, early 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 17.1cm wrist, then when setting the catch to the longest adjustment the bracelet will fit a 18.4cm wrist.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct and indicate the date of manufacture as c1952.

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 high quality hardwood presentation box.

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.