Beautiful 1947 Rolex Oyster ‘Bubbleback’ Gents Vintage Watch

The Overview

Only 3 or 4 vintage watches have achieved iconic status and the Rolex Bubbleback is one of them.

This is an incredibly rare and highly collectable steel Rolex Oyster Bubbleback which dates to 1947. The provenance polished case is in excellent condition with only the most minor signs of wear – small amount of pitting on the case back. The original Rolex signed screw down winding crown is again in excellent condition. There are no signs of incorrect tool use on the teeth of the outside case back. The very high grade Rolex signed perpetual movement is as clean as I’ve seen and has just been fully serviced by my professional watchmaker. We usually re-finish original dials as they become very tarnished but this one’s aged so beautifully. The bold Arabic numbers are in ivory/cream and the dial colour is slightly lighter. The original hands have a matching inner colour – the second hand is gold plated.

As many will know, when Rolex first made a perpetual (automatic) movement they had to redesign the case due to its size, hence the phrase ‘bubble back’. I have added a new, high quality black crocodile skin strap with a steel Hirsch buckle to complete this beautiful watch. This is one of if not the most collectable Rolex watch.

My asking price is below the value for a watch of this condition and rarity, particularly with the continual rise in value of vintage watches of this high quality. In view of the high grade Swiss movement, I will include a three month written guarantee on the movement, which is long enough for you to assess the working order.

The Case

The solid steel case is in excellent condition with only the most minor signs of wear – there is some minor pitting on the underside case back which I’ve tried to capture on the pictures (happy to send the originals). After a soft provenance polish the case is gleaming and very rarely it has an original Rolex signed screw down winding/setting crown. The case measures 30 mm’s across, excluding the Rolex signed crown and 39 mm’s long including the lugs. The inside case is signed ‘Rolex Geneve Suisse Brevette’ with the gorgeous art-deco Rolex crown. The case number is ‘2940’.

The Dial

We usually re-finish original dials as they become very tarnished but this one’s aged so beautifully. The bold Arabic numbers are in ivory/cream and the dial colour is slightly lighter. The original hands have a matching inner colour – the second hand is gold plated. The dial is signed ‘Rolex Oyster Perpetual’, ‘Officially Certified Chronometer’ and ‘Swiss Made’.

The Movement

The very high grade Rolex signed perpetual movement is as clean as I’ve seen and has just been fully serviced by my professional watchmaker. The movement is signed ‘Rolex Perpetual Chronometer’, ‘Swiss Made Patented Super Balance’ and ‘Vis Tirette Trigger Screw Patented’.

The Strap

WeI have added a new, high quality black crocodile skin strap with a steel Hirsch buckle to complete this beautiful watch.

Couriering and Pre-Delivery Inspection

We use the Royal Mail’s Guaranteed next day service for UK sales and DHL for all overseas shipping. All our watches are fully serviced, but prior to couriering each one will undergo a 3 day pre-delivery check to ensure the watch is in perfect condition.

Service, Repair and Refurbishment

Our association with the best of the industry allows us to offer a limited number quality servicing and repair for most of the famous Swiss brands; such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Cartier, as well as Omega, Longines, Jaeger LeCoultre, Breitling, IWC, Breguet, and a wide range of complications.

In collaboration with our watchmaker, we offer the following services:

Watch Repairs

Watch Servicing

Watch Restoration

Case Refinishing

Case Repair and Complete Restoration

The Conclusion

This is an extremely rare and highly collectible vintage watch from one of history’s most famous names and will provide an excellent financial investment as well as a possession to treasure and enjoy. I will provide an insurance valuation in excess of my asking price. Please appreciate the difficulty of photographing this piece, it looks far better in real life. Subject to your location I’ll happily show the watch. f required. Please ring me if you have any questions: Chris 07917 100927

Please take a moment to look at my other watches in the Sonning Vintage Watches E Bay Shop.

Please also see my 100% feedback as reassurance of the quality of my watches and highest levels of service

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