1955 Solid Gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer on Very Rare Rolex Solid Gold Expandable Bracelet

The Watch

A highly attractive 9ct solid gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer in beautiful original condition from 1955.

We have left this incredible example completely alone (save for a light buff) rather than be fully restored as the watch, dial and case are all in completely original excellent honest condition.

This Rolex model reference 6564 has the most wonderful original Champagne dial; solid gold Dauphine hands hands which pair beautifully with the mixed ‘arrowhead’ and  Arabic ‘Explorer-Style” 3 – 6 – 9 hour indices.

As mentioned above, the dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched and has been left this way, due to its extraordinarily good condition and because some collectors prefer the originality of an unrestored dial.

The original Rolex Calibre 1030, 26 Jewel Chronometer-grade automatic movement is superbly accurate and reliable even by current day standards and running, winding and setting beautifully. The watch has just been fully inspected and overhauled by our Watchmaker and as can be seen, the movement is sparkling clean, following its service by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker.

The Dial

The incredible 1950s original, unrestored and untouched Champagne Rolex Oyster Perpetual dial is totally captivating and looks outstanding with a nice aged Patina.

The dial looks wonderful against the gold case and original unrestored Rolex 1950s ‘Dauphine’ hands and is complete with a mix of arrowhead and standard arabic numerals at ‘3 – 6 – 9 – 12’.

The  dial carries the Rolex Coronet at the very top of the dial and  is correctly signed ‘Rolex Oyster Perpetual’ and ‘Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified’ with ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom. This dial is very reminiscent of the Rolex Explorer 3 – 6 – 9 dial design.

This dial is original, unrestored and untouched. It is also in really excellent condition considering the age of the watch, with a lovely overall vintage patina. Due to its relatively good condition and for reasons of retaining the character and the originality of the watch, we have left the dial completely alone.

The Movement

The watch carries its original, very high grade ‘Superlative Chronometer’ Calibre 1570, 26 jewel automatic movement which is in sparkling clean condition. The movement has been completely overhauled and serviced which involves full dismantling, ultrasonic cleaning, inspection under high magnification and replacement new original Rolex parts where required. Then careful reassembly and oiling ready for testing and calibration. The watch is therefore now running perfectly, having been calibrated and timed within -14 seconds per day. This is truly outstanding for any watch of this age and has been confirmed by our electronic timegrapher, making it now ready for many more years of faithful service.

The movement is all correctly signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Swiss’, and ‘Twenty Six Jewels’ with the Calibre number 1570 and the reference number 37809. These movements are very strong, very accurate and very reliable making this watch particularly suited to everyday use should you so wish. This particular movement is in superb A1 condition and with regular servicing, say every 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run very happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore pleased to offer 12 months warranty on this watch movement*.

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

The Case

The 9ct yellow gold case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the original signed Rolex Oyster screw-down crown. The case carries the plain bezel, which along with the rest of the case and case-back, is in excellent 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, therefore following close inspection, it has simply required some gentle hand-polishing to bring the watch to outstanding condition once again. The case-back has never been engraved and 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 SA Geneva Switzerland’ with the correct Swiss hallmarks for 9ct gold and the model number 6564. This model number can also be clearly found on the outside of the case between the lugs at 6 o’clock and the case serial number  is found on the outside of the case between the lugs at 12 o’clock. This dates the watch to 1955.

The case has the screw-down Rolex Oyster crown and screw-down case-back, each complete with new rubber seals, however, although the watch was specified as waterproof when new, this has not been tested and it is not guaranteed. Our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Bracelet

The very rare original expandable Rolex stretch link rivet 9ct yellow gold bracelet is in very close to perfect condition and is hallmarked on every single link! The bracelet has simply been cleaned and lightly polished to bring it back to the condition.

Setting the catch to the shortest adjustment the bracelet will fit an 18.5cm wrist, then when setting the catch to the longest adjustment the bracelet will fit a 21cm wrist. As this is a stretch link bracelet this provides additional flexibility for both the fit and when placing the watch on the wrist.

This rare bracelet is also available to purchase separately for £4,000. If you are interested in purchasing this bracelet separately, please feel free to contact us.