Rolex 6694 Vintage

[thatRolexWatch]

I just saw the Rolex 6694 on eBay! Looks like a great deal, I might go after it.

But my question is, it's manual right? Does anyone know how to wind the 6694? I've never owned one so I don't know.

[Chris]

It is a manual, unscrew the crown wind 30-40 times.

[thatRolexWatch]

Okay sounds great!

[thatRolexWatch]

Kind of curious if anyone else owns a 6694? Any collector's here for that piece?

[L.K Johnson]

We have one in the family…bought one that I gifted my wife…she really loves it

[Chris]

My 6694 from 1978.

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[L.K Johnson]

Originally Posted by Chris

My 6694 from 1978.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

That dial is really beautiful!

[thatRolexWatch]

Wow I totally like that dial! Looks amazing!

[TuRo]

Cheapest 34mm model on mkt along with 6426 non-date, very plentiful various dials and should be swiss or t swiss t dial if original dial -$2k upwards!
Little known fact is it comes with either a thin or thick bezel - thin is about 0.5mm shallower....the thin bezel option makes the watch look/wear v slightly bigger.

[mineral]

It is Rolex manual winding reliable workhorse and fun to own. I have few and always enjoy wearing them


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[Chris]

Originally Posted by L.K Johnson

That dial is really beautiful!

Thank you very much congratulations on your post count. I was going to post a DJ in your post count thread as i know you love all things DJ.

[motoikkyu]

It wears bigger than most 34mm Rolex, very attractive and fun. Used to be quite economical to acquire, but the currency is worth less now. They seem to sell for substantially more in the UK than in the US.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by thatRolexWatch

. . .

But my question is, it's manual right? Does anyone know how to wind the 6694? I've never owned one so I don't know.

Most watches used to be manual wind; even the Daytona was manually wound until 1988.

A manual wind watch is wound until you reach the "stop", and can't wind it any more. The 6694 is no different.

[Ascari_2]

Great little watch that, if serviced properly, will give you plenty of enjoyment.

My only comment regarding the winding would be the following. When you unscrew the crown, provide a little positive pressure against the case so that the threads on the crown/tube do not disengage under force. In a normal unscrewed state, the crown is biased away from the case with a spring inside the crown, so you want to reduce the friction at the tips of the threads just before the disengage.

Another thing is when screwing the crown back together. As you push the crown towards the case, slightly rotate is backwards to ensure that you haven't positioned it in some funky way that will cause it to cross thread to otherwise strip the threads. Once you feel that the threads are properly seated, then start rotating it forward to screw it down. As you do this, again, apply slight positive pressure against the case to reduce friction on the threads.

None of the above is "necessary" but it will prolong the life of your tube and crown assuming you'll be winding the watch every morning.

[Dan S]

Did you buy it, OP?

[L.K Johnson]

Here is a size comparison next to my 16000 if OP:s interested:

[L.K Johnson]

Here is another pic when the 6694 was on bracelet…the other watch is a 1600…

[perry911113]

I recently bought a 1957 6494 Precision on EBAY and I love it. It does seem to look and wear bigger than my 5500 Air Kings.
It keeps great time and looks like a million bucks.
I would love to see a picture of your new watch.
Cheers
Peter

Sent from my SM-A426U using Tapatalk

[perry911113]

Originally Posted by Ascari_2

Great little watch that, if serviced properly, will give you plenty of enjoyment.

My only comment regarding the winding would be the following. When you unscrew the crown, provide a little positive pressure against the case so that the threads on the crown/tube do not disengage under force. In a normal unscrewed state, the crown is biased away from the case with a spring inside the crown, so you want to reduce the friction at the tips of the threads just before the disengage.

Another thing is when screwing the crown back together. As you push the crown towards the case, slightly rotate is backwards to ensure that you haven't positioned it in some funky way that will cause it to cross thread to otherwise strip the threads. Once you feel that the threads are properly seated, then start rotating it forward to screw it down. As you do this, again, apply slight positive pressure against the case to reduce friction on the threads.

None of the above is "necessary" but it will prolong the life of your tube and crown assuming you'll be winding the watch every morning.

This is great information to know and utilize.
Thank you for sharing.
Peter

[TuRo]

Wears bigger cos it's a thin bezel version... per my comment. Nice piece btw

[Chris]

Originally Posted by perry911113

I recently bought a 1957 6494 Precision on EBAY and I love it. It does seem to look and wear bigger than my 5500 Air Kings.
It keeps great time and looks like a million bucks.
I would love to see a picture of your new watch.
Cheers
Peter

Sent from my SM-A426U using Tapatalk

How much did you pay for the watch?

[Mendota]

Originally Posted by perry911113

I recently bought a 1957 6494 Precision on EBAY and I love it. It does seem to look and wear bigger than my 5500 Air Kings.
It keeps great time and looks like a million bucks.
I would love to see a picture of your new watch.
Cheers
Peter

Sent from my SM-A426U using Tapatalk

Wow. Yours is beautiful. I like everything about it. Especially those hands and the dial.

[offrdmania]

I miss my 6694. It was my first Rolex. Got it back in the day for $900 and it darn near looked brand new. Got it from Dickson in Hong Kong. Its a great first piece, a couple years later I sold it to put the funds towards a 14060M sub. Memory lane

[bobby75]

I have a black dial 6694, its a lovely watch but a few things I would like to say.

Get it serviced! I have bought a lot of vintage watches and you never know how long they have been sitting around waiting for something to go wrong with them. Better you have it done now than have a huge bill later down the road, that inexpensive watch suddenly becomes less so.

I found the bracelet a bit tight on my wrist, someone with thinner wrists may find it comfortable but I switched to a watch strap (Not much of a fan of bracelets anyway) Black dial 6694 on a nice ostrich grain strap.

Regarding winding, I really like how this one winds up. It just has a nice feel to it similar to a unitas movement if that makes sense? With some vintage watches they feel very fragile but not this movement.

For the size, thats a tricky one. 34mm is pretty small and I say that as someone who has had plenty of small cased vintage watches. It does wear a bit bigger than the 34mm would suggest but just be aware of the size and how its going to look on you.

They are still probably the best priced Rolex watches out there but like any vintage watch condition is everything. I have seen plenty in the low price range that look in terrible condition and then some selling at 3k with obvious aftermarket dial.

In short find one you like. Make sure its in good condition and get it serviced then enjoy several years of peace of mind with a really nice Rolex hand wind watch.

[alexwatchguy]

I have a linen dial 6694, great watch but the bracelet is extremely flimsy. You might want to consider replacing/restoring it.

[Wongster1]

That grey dial looks very nice. I have one of these, 1965 model, with the original bracelet (not too worn). They do wear bigger than 34 mm would suggest, I have a 17.5 cm wrist and it sits fine.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Wongster1

That grey dial looks very nice. I have one of these, 1965 model, with the original bracelet (not too worn). They do wear bigger than 34 mm would suggest, I have a 17.5 cm wrist and it sits fine.