1975 Rolex Oyster Precision 6426 Manually Wound 34mm
Ref: 6426
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 as "Watch Only". The watch is paired with its original Oyster bracelet with a signed folding clasp, this will fit up to a 7.15inch wrist. The watch is from Circa. 1975, based on the serial numbers, and is sold in worn vintage condition, but in overall very good condition as you can see from the photographs. The dial indexes and luminance are in excellent condition with a new crystal fitted. A full case and bracelet refurb can be provided at an additional cost. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QskQLH990pWREnJE7uV7V2U7CwJW8kIa?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 6:48 - https://youtu.be/VTHvDGc-w64
The Watch
Here we have a 1975 Rolex Oyster Precision 6426 Manually Wound with a 34mm 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 9mm ensuring a comfortable fit on your wrist. On the right side, is a signed screw-down crown. The polished chamfered bezel holds a domed crystal above a sunburst silver dial, an outer minute track with Tritium lume pips and applied bevel-edged baton indexes marking the hours, slender sword hands infilled with Tritium are complemented by a tapered centre second hand. Text is precisely printed with “Rolex Oyster” 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. The watch comes fitted on its original 19mm Oyster bracelet with a signed folding clasp.
Personal Note
Being a proud owner of a 1969 Rolex 6694 it will come as no surprise that this 6426 is a big favourite of mine, essentially the same watch but without a date, arguably a cleaner aesthetic and design! For well under £3,000 you can get yourself a beautiful vintage Rolex on a bracelet, I wouldn't hesitate to snap this one up for yourself or even better as a gift for a loved one!
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. In 1945, they released the Datejust. 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.