Some Help Identifying a Vintage Rolex

[codename joshua]

This watch was originally owned by a Jesuit priest who unfortunately passed away recently. He was originally from Pecel, Hungary, taught in various places around the world and eventually made his way over to Canada. My girlfriend's mother who works with ageing Jesuits befriended this man over the last few years and she was left with his possessions when he passed away. He had a bag of watches. A Tissot, a Seiko, both from the 1970's I believe. He also had this Rolex. We took the watch to a local watchkeeper to have him look at it. The idea was to have it valued, sell it and the money goes to the Jesuits. The man we brought it to opened it up. I regret that I did not make a note of the serial numbers. He did mention it was 14k and that it was from around 1955. He then told us the watch market isn't that great right now and offered us $350 for it. I should mention that the watch was not working. He said it was fully wound but needed to be cleaned for it to function again.

At this point we decided that since it wasn't worth a lot and because I needed a watch myself that I would just donate the money to the Jesuit society that we would have recieved from the watchkeeper and have it fixed. I reasoned that it was better to pay $350 + $100 for a cleaning/repair for a watch with a story and character than the same amount for a Swiss Army watch or whatever makes are in that price range.

So anyways I am hoping someone here can shed some light on what this watch is for me. The watch has 'J.S.R.' 1930-55 engraved on the back which makes me believe the model is from 1955. There is also the faintest crown etched in the back which I am assuming is normal for Rolexes. On the face it says 'Rolex' and 'Precision' as well as 'Swiss' near the bottom. The 45 minute marker has been replaced at some point. The gold is a slightly different colour and there are scratches around that area. The crystal is also a replacement. Maybe the original was broken taking with it the original 45 min marker. Other than that it is dirty but under all the grime it is in fairly good condition. While trying to discover what it is I have seen lots of the Oyster models from the same era but I have yet to find one that looks exactly like this. It is a very minimal and simple design which I like. Once I get it cleaned up and find a nice leather band for it I plan on using it daily.

Oh and I should mention that it has not worked for quite awhile. We brought it home and put it in my desk. We talked about what the watchkeeper said and decided to keep it. When I took it out later that night it was working again and has kept perfect time all week. I suppose when he opened it up it dislodged some of the grime preventing it from working. Here are some pictures. Sorry they are not the greatest. I could not get my camera to focus properly. Any info you can shed on this Rolex would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Lol-x]

Please post a clear photograph.

It is almost impossible to see the watch you are trying to display.

You need to use much better lighting and focus the camera.

Thank you

[codename joshua]

You're right, those pictures were horrid. Sorry about that. These ones are better.

[Lol-x]

Thanks those photos are much better.
Well it is a non-oyster dress watch, so it is definitely not waterproof.
Looks like 18k gold. The bezel is known as an 'engine turned bezel'.
I would have dated the watch to the mid 1950's judging by the style of the dial and the shape of the hands.
The marks on the dial are unfortunate, but they are part of the character and antiquity of the watch. I would be inclined to leave the dial and hands as they are.
All that you need to do is get it mechanically serviced so the movement is maintained, as oils do perish over time.

[Tools]

Looks like a very nice original watch..

Can't add much to what Steve has said... Definitely not the original band... I would toss that one before it does irreparable damage to the inside of the lugs and put on a nice leather strap. I think the dial damage is just old age where the enamel is splitting or lifting..

Get it serviced... probably a lot of life left in it.. Looks to have an original "Thunderbird" style bezel that is mostly seen on Turn-O-Graph models.

Have the back cover popped off.. There should be a model number inside and a date stamp..such as II 55 for the second quarter of 1955..

It is easily worth the value of a good service, but if you want it restored, then you need to make a commitment to the watch, or have it valued by a professional (Jewelry stores or AD's are not professionals)

[cody p]

try posting those pics on the vintage forum.

[codename joshua]

Well I bought a new leather band for this watch yesterday and while I was there I had the person pop the back open for me. The following serial numbers could be found inside the back casing:

143 8952

87134

Can anyone here help me decipher them? I've found a few registries online that if I am reading the '87134' correctly would put the year the watch was made between 1936 and 1940 but I do not understand what the '8952' or '143' mean. Any help is of course much appreciated.

[jdc]

Originally Posted by codename joshua

Well I bought a new leather band for this watch yesterday and while I was there I had the person pop the back open for me. The following serial numbers could be found inside the back casing:

143 8952

87134

Can anyone here help me decipher them? I've found a few registries online that if I am reading the '87134' correctly would put the year the watch was made between 1936 and 1940 but I do not understand what the '8952' or '143' mean. Any help is of course much appreciated.

My guess is that 8952 is the Rolex reference number for the watch and 143 is first quarter of 1943 when it was made

[codename joshua]

Thanks jdc.