1946 Rolex Oyster Royal Original 30mm 2280
Ref: 2280
Specification
Lugs : 17mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as “Watch Only”. The watch is from Circa. 1946, and is sold in fair vintage condition, as you can see. The dial with the applied Arabic numerals is in fair condition with even patina. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
The Watch
Hans Wilsdorf founded Rolex in 1905 at the age of 24, along with Alfred Davis in London. In 1919 they moved their operation to Geneva, Switzerland. This move was brought about by high wartime taxes on Gold and Silver in the UK after the Great war 1914-1918. They were now closer to their suppliers in Bienne.
The "Oyster" watch was introduced in 1926 as the very first waterproof and dustproof watch. In 1927 a young swimmer Miss Mercedes Gleitz swam the English Channel wearing the “Oyster”. Later in 1933, the team of the first expedition to fly over Everest wore them. It was also famously worn by Sir Malcolm Campbell, “king of speed”, on the 4th September 1935. An advert of the time made a big splash with him, saying, “The Rolex watch is still keeping perfect time- I was wearing it yesterday when Bluebird exceeded 300 mph” He broke the world land speed record nine times between 1924 and 1936. Sir John Hunt’s expedition in 1953 saw Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Mount Everest, equipped with Oyster Perpetuals.
This classic 1946 Rolex Oyster Royal 2280 has a 30.5mm stainless steel Oyster case. The flowing lines lead your eyes towards the tapered lugs. A lug to lug length of 35mm and a thickness of 12mm ensures a comfortable fit on your wrist. On the right side is a prominent signed screw-down crown. The fine bezel holds a domed crystal above a patinated white dial. An outer minute track is precisely printed. Large applied Arabic numeral indices with thermally blued sword hands that are complemented by a small second register at 6 o’clock. On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back. Inside a Manually Wound Rolex Cal. 10.5H, 18,000 beats per hour. The watch comes fitted on a 17mm leather strap.
Personal Note
At 30.5mm it may be too small for some, but honestly, I wore this watch for an entire day on a NATO and it worked so well, I loved the look! I really do think small is coming back, especially in a fantastic vintage example like this that has so much charge and age that could tell a story! If you comfortably wear down to a 33mm/34mm I'd say give this a try, you may surprise yourself and open up a whole new world of watches!