When
you buy a vintage watch, even when the brand is a minor one, you should ask for
a written warranty from the dealer as evidence of the authenticity of your purchase.
A
watch case without hallmarks for gold content and origin, but supplied with the
manufacturer's name is to be considered unreliable.
The watch hands must be in perfect harmony with the dial and have the right size
and colour. Beware of any anomalies you may notice.
You
should be familiar with the code Rolex utilises for different metals both for
watches and bracelets.
Metal codes:
/0= steel /1= Yellow gold
plated /2= White gold plated /3= steel and 18K yellow gold 18k (yellow
rolesor) /4= steel and 18k white gold (grey rolesor) /5= gold shell
/6= platinum /7= 14k yellow gold /8= 18k yellow gold /9= 18k white
gold /11= 18k pink gold
1953:
the first “Submariner” was made
2003: Rolex and Guido Mondani Publishing House celebrated
the 50th anniversary of Submariner. The former with a new model characterized
by a unidirectional revolving bezel and the latter with the publication of the
book “Collecting wristwatches Rolex Submariner”
The first version
of the SUBMARINER watch was launched in 1953 (reference number 6204). This model
does not yet bear the crown-guard case, does not show the waterproof depth and
does not bear the Mercedes hands.
In a 1959 Rolex
catalogue, one can find:
Things you need to know: If you take out your
watch at night, both if it is automatic or not, always put it down in the same
position. The pace of a watch can vary by a few seconds depending on its position.
For this reason, the official Swiss shops check all the watches they sell in five
different positions. Only in doing so, one can really be sure about their precision.
Remember:
1. A watch facing upwards in an horizontal position
on a table, advances by a few seconds during the night.
2. In a vertical position, with the winding crown
looking down, it loses a few seconds.
3. In a vertical position, with the winding crown
looking up, it loses a few more seconds.
Rolex
defined “Tropic” the glass for the SUBMARINER
with reference numbers 6204, 6205, 6200, 6536, 6536/1,
6538, 6538 A, 5508, 5510, 5512, 5513.
The
SUBMARINER and the SEA-DWELLER can only be found in
steel. The Submariner Date can be found in steel, in
steel / gold and in 18k yellow gold.
The
reference number is the number which identifies the watch’s model.
The
watch James Bond wears in “Dr. No” is a Submariner
with reference 6538.
The
dimension of the Date Just’s case is slightly larger
than that of the Date
( 2 mm. difference).
The
DAYTONA "Paul Newman" reff. 6239-6241, appeared in the Italian Rolex catalogues
only in the years 1969/1970
