1970 Rolex Oysterdate Precision on Bracelet 34.5mm 6694
Ref: 6694
Specification
Lugs : 19mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold “Watch Only,” therefore without its original Rolex box and paperwork. It comes paired with its original 19mm folded link Rolex Oyster stainless steel bracelet that will fit up to a 7.3-inch wrist. The watch is from Circa 1970 and is sold in vintage worn condition, with signs of wear throughout. As you can see from the photos, the case and bracelet can be refinished on request. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Sb8aATs37SFmENTf0b7dr27AeMOaALKg?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 25:06 - https://youtu.be/8YANC3aOsbE
The Watch
Here we have a 1970 Rolex Oysterdate Precision on Bracelet 6694 with a 34.5mm stainless steel Oyster case, the slender case has a subtle curve towards the satin-finished drilled lugs with a lug-to-lug length of 41.5mm and a thickness of 10mm ensuring a comfortable fit on your wrist, the case profile has polished and brushed surfaces. On the right side, is a signed screw-down crown. The polished chamfered smooth bezel holds a domed acrylic crystal above a sunburst silver dial, an outer minute track with Tritium lume pips and applied bevel-edged baton indexes mark the hours. At 3 o’clock, there is a date window with cyclops magnification on the crystal. Slender sword hands infilled with Tritium are complemented by a tapered centre second hand, text is precisely printed with “Rolex OysterDate” underneath the applied Rolex crown, at 6 o’clock you find printed “Precision”. On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back, inside a manually wound Rolex Cal. 1225, 17 jewels, 21,600 beats per hour. It comes paired with its original 19mm folded link Rolex Oyster stainless steel bracelet that will fit up to a 7.3-inch wrist.
Personal Note
As the proud owner of a very similar 1969 Rolex 6694, I'm asked regularly about it when customers visit, though once they hear it's a personal watch and not for sale the disappointment is apparent. Luckily for those of you who wanted mine, I have sourced this incredible 6694, one year older, but just as amazing and making for a great watch to pick up for a collector out there!
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 were 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. In 1945, they released the Datejust, which 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.