Early ladies Rolex 1920’s?

[Porkyhorse]

Hi all. I hope I’m posting in the correct place.
I have recently acquired an old ladies Rolex and can’t seem to find any information in regards to what it is and an approximate year.
Can anyone steer me in the right direction with any information?
Thanks in advance.

[Porkyhorse]

The band has been replaced no doubt but still can’t find anything specific.
Seems to be anywhere from 1910 on ???

[CTech]

The gold hallmarks on the inside of the case back will help to date the watch. From what I can see so far this looks to be 9ct gold with UK hallmarks, but some clearer photos are necessary to see where and when the case was assayed.

[Porkyhorse]

Thanks Ctech.
I’ll try and take some better shots soon. I’m not sure exactly where all the hallmarks are so apologies for the quality.
Does this pic help or are there others?

[Porkyhorse]

Another pic

[CTech]

Thanks for the clearer photos, they help a lot.

There are four parts to the gold hallmark, one (W&D) being the maker's or sponsor's mark put on before the case was assayed, and the other three (purity, assay office location and date) put on at the assay office.

The sideways 9 and .375 indicate that the case is 9 ct gold, containing 37.5% gold.

The assay city mark is to the right of the 9 .375 mark and I think that is an upside down Omega mark, denoting London.

The date letter is to the left, and if the city is London, the t in an oval shield would indicate this was assayed in 1914/1915. The date letters were not changed on January 1 as you might expect but were changed sometime in May or June, so this dates the assay marks to mid-1914 to mid-1915.

There's no guarantee that the watch was assembled or sold at that time as there are many examples where the watch was assembled a few years later than the assay marks, so presumably batches of cases were made and assayed and then stored until needed to fulfill orders.

The movement looks to be an Aegler Rebberg consistent with that period. The red 12 on the dial and no Rolex name on the dial are also common on watches up to about 1918

One of the best sources of information about this period of watches is:

https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/index.php

and he shows a lot of examples that could help you if you want to do further research.

[Porkyhorse]

Thank you so very much CTech! That is great information. I gave this watch to my partner as a gift and she loves it very much. It’s nice to know a little more.
Thanks again.

[R.W.T.]

Yep. what he said. W & D of course is Wilsdorf and Davis- Mr. Hans Wilsdorf and his Father in Law, Davis started Rolex.

The movement is a Rebberg and a fairly low grade one at that with only 7 jewels.

It's not a super valuable watch except from a historical standpoint. If it's running well that's kind of a miracle. Any decent watchmaker should be able to clean and oil it...if it ran within 2 or 3 minutes a day...it's a home run.

[uhren917]

Originally Posted by CTech

.....

One of the best sources of information about this period of watches is:

https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/index.php

and he shows a lot of examples that could help you if you want to do further research.

Thanks for sharing this link!

[Yzord]

What a great find. Thats what i love about this forum. You can see some pictures of old watches also and this one is practically more then 100 years old. Love it.

Also wondering what the price was back in those days for this watch.

[Porkyhorse]

I’m hoping to have the watch refurbished soon and at present, it needs winding once a day and keeps time within a few minutes. Incredible given the age. Most importantly it’s well loved.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

Yep. what he said. W & D of course is Wilsdorf and Davis- Mr. Hans Wilsdorf and his Father in Law, Davis started Rolex.

I thought Alfred Davis was his brother in law.

[R.W.T.]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

I thought Alfred Davis was his brother in law.

You're probably right. It was his wife's family one way or the other.

[R.W.T.]

Originally Posted by Porkyhorse

I’m hoping to have the watch refurbished soon and at present, it needs winding once a day and keeps time within a few minutes. Incredible given the age. Most importantly it’s well loved.

It's awesome! Sometimes people see "ROLEX" and expect that a watch from 100 years ago will be the same specs as today. They weren't.

It sounds like it is doing very well for its age. Getting a new mainspring that calibrates would help it but it will be hard likely. The new ones are "white alloy" and don't set. Those usually still have old blue spring steel springs that lose their power and "set" over time.

A good reputable repairman there should be able to get you going. It's not complicated but old watches are tricky...especially THAT old. :-)

It's a very nice piece of history.

You will still need to wind it once a day even after servicing. That also helps the accuracy.

[Porkyhorse]

Thanks again R.W.T.
I’m looking into repairman locally (Sydney) and am happy knowing that it is still being worn 100 years later.
Great information.

[R.W.T.]

Fantastic! Please keep us posted. And welcome to the forum for sure! Ladies who like antique Rolex aren't that common :-)

It's great that you "get it" and want to preserve and enjoy that history that was also part of women's accessories as well as men's.

[Porkyhorse]

I’ll keep you posted R.W.T.
Apparently my grandmother also owned a Rolex and knowing my grandfather, it would have been quite the watch. All I know is that it was gold with a rather large face. Unfortunately it mysteriously went missing from her jewellery box. I wished it was still around as I’m sure it was a beautiful piece.