Genuine? Where to get it cleaned up?

[jwakeman]

Long-lurked, first post.

Trying to find out whether this watch is actually a Rolex? It is the proverbial, cleaning out my grandmother's dresser and found this with a number of other vintage watches. I see what I think are 5050 and 662,xxx on each side of where the straps would go.


Would appreciate some guidance on who could give this (and possibly some of the other watches I found) a good once over without ruining the existing patina to make an occasional wearer?

Thanks!

[CTech]

This looks like a genuine model 5050 and the 662,xxx serial number dates it to the late 1940s. A 14ct 5050 watch currently for sale by Hodinkee is advertised as a 1948 watch with the serial number 656688, so yours is very close and is probably from around 1948 or 1949.

A member here with the name R.W.T. would be worth contacting about cleaning or servicing as he has a lot of experience with this older movement:

https://www.rolexforums.com/search.p...rchid=34544701

[baumare]

Nice 32mm 5050, looks like the dial was refinished sometime in the past and the second hand replaced.

[offrdmania]

Dial may be ok. Looks like how they were printed back them. Keep in mind that the lettering and numbering back then was all drawn by hand on the master.

[CTech]

Sorry, the link to the posts by R.W.T. doesn't seem to work.

Try this one:

https://www.rolexforums.com/search.p...rchid=34544911

[alwayshere]

Originally Posted by offrdmania

Dial may be ok. Looks like how they were printed back them. Keep in mind that the lettering and numbering back then was all drawn by hand on the master.

No Swiss on the dial though?

[offrdmania]

Originally Posted by alwayshere

No Swiss on the dial though?

It could be there, it sometimes hides below the bezel or gets obscured by the curvature of the crystal

[Tools]

Get it cleaned up.

Looks like it's already been cleaned up.,

[crowncollection]

case looks very nice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nickn]

Nice find
Is it working ok?
May we have some photos of the sides
It might have its original crown

[springer]

The dial looks refinished for me also. It would be unusual to find an old, vintage Rolex with a dial in above average to excellent condition that hasn't been refinished - or any old watch for that matter.

[daysky1]

Originally Posted by jwakeman

Long-lurked, first post.

Trying to find out whether this watch is actually a Rolex? It is the proverbial, cleaning out my grandmother's dresser and found this with a number of other vintage watches. I see what I think are 5050 and 662,xxx on each side of where the straps would go.


Would appreciate some guidance on who could give this (and possibly some of the other watches I found) a good once over without ruining the existing patina to make an occasional wearer?

Thanks!

In my unofficial humble opinion that's awesome nice find

[R.W.T.]

I'm here!

I'm just down the road.

[jwakeman]

Hey! Thank you for the feedback! Apologies for waiting so long to reply, I kept checking for my post and thought it had just been bounced by the mods for something.

A little follow up.
- It definitely runs. Just barely handling it seems to wind it enough to get it going
- The case needs a good cleaning. I cannot get the caseback off with a rubber ball and I don't want to attempt something else to get a look at the movement.
- I do not see swiss or the rolex logo on dial.. is that unusual?
- I wish I knew more backstory, my grandmother never wore it and would have been pretty young when it was new. I wonder how it came to be in her possession.
- I will try to get a few more pictures posted this evening.