Rolex identification

[Rabbit of Doom]

Hi All, my wife has been clearing her Dad's house after his death some months ago and has stumbled upon a vintage Rolex. Judging by the contents of the box and receipt contained within, it appears to have been purchased by a member of staff from Rolex in Mayfair London in April of 1948, but we don't know Miss Cooper nor her connection to the family. Obviously the external condition is average (at best!) and the strap is nowhere to be seen, but it works just fine and keeps very good time. Judging by the marks on the back of the watch it looks to have been on a NATO for a good deal of time.

My wife thought that since I like watches and own a Rolex, I might have some sort of clue about which model it was but I don't! I thought I'd ask here to see if I could find out a bit more about it.

At this stage she's not entirely sure what to do with it; she never saw him wear it or even knew he had it. If she can establish that it was something he wore then she'll definitely keep it (she's asking around the family), but if it transpired he inherited it from somewhere then she may sell - I'm not sure. Either way, I think it makes a nice set with the box and receipt and would be interested if anyone had a view on potential value.

Thanks All!

[Dan S]

It's really nice that you have that paperwork, and the watch is quite well preserved IMO. The crown looks to be original. It's obviously an early hand-winding Oyster. I don't know the reference offhand, but it should be between the lugs and/or inside the case-back.

[samandglove1]

Love the look of the crown.