Rolex Ladies Cocktail Watch Manual Wind - Rare 1935/1938 - Solid 9ct Gold

Specifications

Year: 1935 or 1938
Box/Papers: No/No/Yes - TWW Authenticity Guarantee Card

Reference: 516P

Serial: 71330
Case size: 25.5mm (27mm with crown)
Movement: Rolex Manual Wind 
Crystal: Mineral
Strap Size: Fits between 6.5 and 7 inches wrist size with adjustable clasp mechanism.

Condition

This is an exceptionally rare and truly captivating vintage pre-war Rolex ladies’ cocktail watch, dating from either 1935 or 1938. This elegant timepiece features a solid 9ct gold British hallmarked and British made case with a pocket-watch-style opening, representing an important period in Rolex’s history and the brand’s transition from pocket watches to wristwatches. The beautiful ivory-coloured dial is adorned with elegant gilt Arabic numerals and Breguet-style hands, complemented by a beautifully detailed gold-plated bracelet with adjustable clasp mechanism. Remaining in outstanding condition for its age, the watch comes fully serviced, running flawlessly and keeping excellent time within specification.

History

The watch is also among the earlier Rolex timepieces produced for ladies, during a period when the brand was beginning to establish its presence in the ladies’ watch market in the 1920s and 1930s. It predates the Rolex Precision line, introduced in the 1940s and subsequently produced throughout the golden era of ladies’ cocktail watches, which extended into the 1960s. It also includes an interesting piece of historical context with an inscription "25 World's Records", which Rolex used on early watches to highlight the company's achievements in precision timekeeping. The 25 refers to the number of records Rolex was claiming at the time the case was manufactured.

This exceptional timepiece represents a rare opportunity to own an authentic and highly desirable vintage Rolex, offering both historical significance and timeless elegance.

Dial - The beautiful ivory colour satin dial with gold Arabic numerals and Breguet-style hands have been extremely well preserved and remain remarkably in clean condition with only light sins of age, and tiny imperfections, which are mostly visible only under magnification.

Case - The solid 9ct case is in fantastic shape for a watch of this age and shows just light signs of wear. 

Crown - The large and easy to operate crown was replaced at some point in the past and remains in excellent used condition, working perfectly. 

Movement - The watch encases its original Rolex manual wind movement which is working flawlessly and keeping excellent time. This watch has been fully serviced. 

Case back - The original 9ct gold, pocket watch style case back shows light signs of wear, displaying it's Rolex markings, British hallmarking and numbering clearly.

Strap - This piece has a period gold-plated bracelet with an extendable clasp, which is in good vintage condition and shows some wear including a light plating loss.

Crystal - The crystal is in fantastic condition, with no visible signs of wear, only very little signs of wear around the outer edges for which you need a loupe to see.

For a watch of this age, this piece is in spectacular order and is ready to wear!

If you have any further questions about this piece, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email or Instagram.

@thewristwatcher1

thewristwatcher1@gmail.com

Terms of sale

Please note these are vintage timepieces and their timekeeping abilities will never be the same as modern equivalents. We ensure that all of our watches are keeping time within vintage specification. We categorise watches as keeping good time when they’re running within +/- 60 seconds per day.

We are a registered limited company and can be found on Companies House and therefore are legally required to accept returns within 14 days and provide our customers with fully authentic timepieces.

We guarantee the full authenticity of all out of timepieces. Each piece is fully tested and inspected by our watchmaker to ensure both full functionality and authenticity.

International customers are responsible for customs charges when receiving a purchase.

We cannot guarantee any water resistance due to the age of these watches.

Returns

Customers may return their purchased item within 14 days of delivery date as long as the item(s) are returned in the same condition as received.

International buyers are responsible for customs charges that apply when returning an item.

JM29