ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX
18 May 2011, 10:50 AM | #1 |
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Oyster Watch Co
Anyone have info on the Oyster Watch Co. Rolex brand from the 20s & 30s?
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18 May 2011, 01:34 PM | #2 |
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Actually, 20s-40s. It was one of the less expensive Rolex brands of the time (and most ubiquitous) that used contract movements, such as the Fontmelon caliber FF3,0 subsequently renamed the Rolex (and Tudor) caliber 59 (the movements were stamped Rolex Geneve on the top plate and were not engraved or stamped Rolex on the bridge). These watches otherwise were of high quality, although sometimes those sold in Canada had locally produced dials which were not quite up to the standards of the Swiss dials (IMO). They often had colorful model names (Centregraph, Raleigh, Victory, Lipton, Pioneer) and many were marketed to WWII soldiers in Canada and other Commonwealth countries. The cases tended to be either steel or gold filled, in contrast to many with the Rolex name which were solid gold in addition to steel. Other "lesser" brands were Unicorn and Tudor (which eventually superceded the others, by the late '40s).
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18 May 2011, 06:37 PM | #3 |
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I've tried to find out more about the Oyster Watch Co - such as was it wholly owned by Rolex, where was it registered etc. But like most things about Rolex, they'd have to kill me if I found out. I suspect it might have been registered by Rolex Canada or Rolex UK.
Love to know more.... anybody???
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18 May 2011, 11:33 PM | #4 |
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Thanks for the info so far. I have a model that dates to the 30's
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18 May 2011, 11:54 PM | #5 |
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Here's one that belongs to my friend. Its from Canada, the WW II era.
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19 May 2011, 01:23 AM | #6 |
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Since we're showing pictures
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19 May 2011, 02:10 AM | #7 |
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As far as I have heard, Rolex bought the oyster watch company and used their case - crown design for the Rolex Oyster. The Oyster watch company was their own company not Rolex until Rolex bought them.
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19 May 2011, 02:20 AM | #8 |
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19 May 2011, 09:13 AM | #9 |
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I want to say Rolex bought the Oyster watch co. in the 20's.
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19 May 2011, 09:30 AM | #10 |
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I can not find anything on the internet, I remember seeing it in 80's-90's Rolex booklets. They had the time line of accomplishments and buying the oyster watch co. was one. I will do more research.
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20 May 2011, 02:15 AM | #11 |
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I looked around and could not find anything. All I find is that Hans Wilsdorf was at dinner one night having a hard time getting a oyster open and at that time thought he would like a water proof watch case like that.
Oyster watch Co was a division of Rolex. At that time until the 50's the cases and movements were contracted out. Rolex did not make any of it. In the beginning it was called Wilsdorf and Davis. |
20 May 2011, 06:37 AM | #12 |
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I just bought one of these and will post a pic soon. There are lots of combinations of signatures on the face, inside cover and movement. Some say just "Oyster" on the face, others "Rolex Oyster". The movements look all the same, with different inscriptions. All say "swiss made" and the no. of rubies.
The inside cover engravings say "Oyster watch company", the RWCL logo, Geneva swiss and the model no. Serial number is engraved on the outside back cover. The early auto bubblebacks are expensive, but the 30s and 40s manual Oysters aren't that expensive and are a nice collector piece for an Oyster owner. Canadian Oysters were produced from the 30s to WWII with many different signatures. The movements were made by Fontmelon. The ones pictured here ("Raleigh", etc) are Canadian Rolex oysters. They stopped making these watches when the Tudor was introduced--around 1945, I believe. Many were produced during wwII with military dials. |
22 May 2011, 01:03 PM | #13 |
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Here's my Oyster:
Oyster5.jpg Serial on back dates to 1944. The inside case says Oyster Watch Company, RWCL oval logo, Geneva swiss, model 2784. The case is probably a high nickel SS, 904L. The manual movement is not Fontmelon, but more typically Rolex swiss, 15 rubies. case diam is 30mm. Those fine scratches on the crystal buffed out nicely with cape cod cloth. The face is excellent. These watches have a screw-on two-stop crown which renders them water resistant. Any idea what these watches cost new in the 1940s? I've seen a 1940 ad for Oyster perpetual SS with similar face at $87.50 (today equivalent to $1300.) That's pricey for the times. The manuals like this one had to have been much cheaper. |
22 May 2011, 10:41 PM | #14 | |
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They are likely no longer water-resistant, especially given the age of the crystal (or design of replacement crystal, as originals are no longer available), or unless the gaskets have been changed or crown/case tube have been replaced, so don't swim with one unless it has been particularly determined to be water resistant by a watchmaker.
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22 May 2011, 11:41 PM | #15 | |
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As a rule, I agree you never want to expose a vintage watch to water--even in the shower. |
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23 May 2011, 12:10 AM | #16 | |
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In the Shugart price guide to watches (p.620, 22nd ed.), there is an ad for a 1940 Oyster Perpetual (same case and face as mine, except for signatures). The price is $87.50 (now $1300) for the SS and $97.50 for the "yellow" case (probably gp). The second hand cost an extra $2.50. It talks about a "patented crown construction" making the watch "permanently waterproof." It says "for Army, Navy or Air Force Service, the Oyster is the finest watch made." "The summit of watchmaking science." $90. was a lot of money in those days for a soldier--even for a General. Around $1300 today, which is around what these "bubblebacks" bring these days. More likely a soldier would be wearing a manual Oyster like mine, which probably cost a fraction of the Oyster Perpetual price. $30 maybe? I've read that Oyster watch company production stopped in '45 when Tudors were introduced, so the WWII OWCs were maybe the last ones. What Oysters were sent to the British prisoners in 1943? I don't know, but Wisdorf states in his letters to them the watches are priced at 250 and 267 swiss francs. I don't know how much that was in American dollars in those days. |
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24 May 2011, 01:30 AM | #17 | |
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I don't know what that number refers to. It could be part of the serial number, or relate to the model? The inside cover has the model number 2784 engraved. |
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24 May 2011, 05:59 AM | #18 |
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28 May 2011, 11:33 AM | #19 | |
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The previous owner of my Oyster who bought it at an estate auction says the dial was not redone. But looking at it with a loop, I tend to agree with you. A part of the bottom line below 6 o'clock looks redrawn--perhaps the "swiss made" underneath was brushed out. You also see a name under "Oyster" , like Raleigh, etc. That might have been brushed out. Maybe not, since i've seen just "Oyster" on the dial--but not often. One thing that characterizes these 30s and 40s early Oysters--it is variety. Much more so than the later Oyster perpetuals. Convention had not yet appeared. |
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28 May 2011, 01:46 PM | #20 | |
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Quote:
Centregraph: Raleigh:
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31 October 2013, 02:02 AM | #21 |
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I am looking for an oyster patent crown for my oyster recorda. Anybody would know who I could get in touch with?
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31 October 2013, 02:13 AM | #22 | |
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31 October 2013, 02:17 AM | #23 | |
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31 October 2013, 02:20 AM | #24 |
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31 October 2013, 02:25 AM | #25 |
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31 October 2013, 02:32 AM | #26 |
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31 October 2013, 03:29 AM | #27 | |
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After a couple of years in the desert the RWC decided to give the USA market another try. This was after they had been approached by Zell Brothers, a jewellery store chain in the Pacific North West of the USA, headquartered in Seattle. Zell had seen the great success of Rolex in Canada, and in Vancouver in particular (Seattle and Vancouver are only about 150km apart). They asked to be made the exclusive importer for the RWC in the Pacific North West, and Rolex eager to get a USA foot hold accepted their proposal. The strange thing is that, despite the Canadian success either Zell or Rolex decided not to use the famed "Oyster" name but substituted the name Turtle Timer, (IMHO undoubtedly Zell) Once again these were non-Aegler (non-Rolex made movements), so as not to disturb the three way relationship with Gruen. Zell were much more successful than Abercrombie/Fitch had been, but can hardly be described as having made a major market breakthrough. I have seen around 5 or 6 pictures of these watches and because they were made when Rolex was using real stainless steel the cases looked to have lasted much better than the A&F ones ever did. But Zells had two major problems as far as Rolex were concerned; firstly they were a regional not national chain and their insistence on using their own Turtle Timer name and not Oyster meant that Rolex would never reap the benefit of any of the new oyster case success.Now in these early days of Rolex only about 1 in 5 had the name Rolex on the Dial,the rest were blank dials when they left the factory.But after the arrival of the oyster case most of the oyster cased ones did have the name Rolex on the dial. Zell Rolex Turtle Timer. Now most of these problems were solved when Rolex gained the right to enter the US market themselves when the Gruen brothers left the board of Aegler in mid 1930s selling their shares to the two remaining parties; their place on the board of the company was taken by Emil Borer who really invented the oyster case,and who was Herman Aegler's brother in law, the technical director of the RWC, and much more significantly the man who supposedly invented the Perpetual movement for the company.Now this new movement was the first one from Aegler (Rolex), that was not made available to Gruen, and so gave Rolex a unique advantage when they were able to take advantage of their new found ability to enter the US market; which they did just as the US entered WW11, around 1942.
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31 October 2013, 04:09 AM | #28 |
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Wow thanks padi
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31 October 2013, 09:41 AM | #29 |
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Hi there
I am looking for a gold oyster patent crown to replace the damaged one on my oyster recorda. Would appreciate if you have any advice in where I could get one. |
10 January 2014, 02:07 PM | #30 |
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