1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
Ref: 678

1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
1934 Rolex Oyster 9ct Gold Cushion 31.5mm 678
Sold
£2,950.00

Specification

Reference : 678
Movement : Manually Wound 15 Jewel Rolex
Age : 1931/1940
Specific Age : Circa. 1934
Case Size : 31.5mm
Case Thickness : 9.5mm
Lug to Lug : 36mm
Lugs : 16mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : 9ct Yellow Gold
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch


Points of Mention

This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and therefore comes with no original box or paperwork. It comes paired with an 18mm well-suited leather strap. The watch is from Circa. 1934 and is sold in worn, vintage condition, with an even patina, and an incredible “Gold Burn” on the case, as you can see. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zbezY0Js40d3cUttMVYltNNRSIfbQmzD?usp=drive_link

4K YouTube video, skip to 5:38 - https://youtu.be/GjVuaxMAuMg


The Watch

Here we have an early 1934 Rolex Oyster 678 with a characteristic 31.5mm 9ct Gold Cushion case with fixed wire lugs. Its slim profile leads to a lug-to-lug length of 36mm and a case thickness of 9.5mm, ensuring a comfortable fit on your wrist. On the right side is a large coin-edged signed screw-down crown. The soft, rounded edges add an understated elegance, and its smooth bezel holds a domed crystal that protects the crisp white dial. An outer minute track surrounds gold-painted Arabic numerals marking the hours, which play with the light as you rotate your wrist. Delicate thermally blued hands are complemented by running seconds at six o’clock; at 12 o’clock, we have the simple Rolex Oyster motif completing this very early vintage timepiece. On the reverse, a screw-down coin-edged solid case back, inside a Manually Wound 15 Jewel Rolex movement. It comes paired with a 16mm well-suited leather strap.


Personal Note

It is always a great day when a vintage Rolex Oyster Cushion Case lands on your desk, and this lovely 9ct gold example is brilliant, especially with the lovely 'gold burn' that has developed on the case. This often develops from years of not being used, and the gold oxidises, it is easy to remove, but the almost rainbow to black colouration it provides is amazing in my opinion and worth leaving as part of its story. This reference 678 dates to 1934 and comes in a modest 31.5mm 9ct yellow gold cushion case. it wears perfectly and is well worth trying on for yourself if you are unsure, but be warned, you will likely walk out with it on your wrist!


The Brand

In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements which are installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908.
In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland.
Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster, and released to an appreciative audience in 1926.
In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual.
They released the Datejust in 1945. The Datejust was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight.
The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960, saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.

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