A stainless steel manual wind Rolex Precision with an integrated riveted Oyster bracelet. This watch is a very unique offering from a brand that was very well known for its various iterations of the Oyster case. The model was introduced in the early 1950's during the height of some of the most revolutionary and modern design to impact the planet from visionaries like van der Rohe and Charles and Ray Eames. The design approach to this watch very much reflects this new movement. Clean, simple lines and the introduction of the integrated bracelet was very modern for Rolex, and watch design in general. When people look at the revolutionary Royal Oak and Nautilus designs from Genta in the 1970's, this was introduced twenty years earlier.
The watch was made only for the U.K market, and as a result of which is quite rare. It also did not stay in the Rolex line for too long, perhaps because it was a little ahead of its time. On the wrist, it is a pleasure to wear. The thin case holding a manually wound caliber 1210 movement sits beautifully on the wrist, and is a wide 36mm across. This is how it came to acquire the moniker the "U.F.O". It appears to come out of a 1950's sci-fi film!
The dial is all original, with a soft ivory hue and honey comb texture to it. The condition is perfect throughout. This is unusual for these watches as the sealing to the case, and through the crown, is not perfect and they succumbed to moisture and dirt. The applied hour markers and original steel hands are perfect, and show no deterioration, with the added beauty of a blued steel center seconds sweep hand. The applied Rolex coronet sits proudly as the twelve o'clock marker. The minute track is perfect with serif font hour dashes. It is marked correctly below the six o'clock marker "Swiss".
The stainless steel case is unpolished, and is as good as any seen of this model. The case back of these early Rolex precision watches have an engraved coronet on the back. However, the engraving is very fine, and so any polishing tends to remove it completely. Along with the coronet, common at this time, the Rolex serial number is also stamped onto the case back, both perfectly presented. The serial is a 258XXX, which dates the watch to early 1957. This is also validated by the date stamp on the inside of the deployant buckle of "2 57", for the second quarter of 1957.
Along with being perhaps the best example of this watch to come to market, it is also presented with its original and quite rare green fabric wrapped Rolex coffin shaped box in stunning condition. It is fair to say that this has been a superbly maintained watch that is approaching seventy years of age. The original crystal has been replaced, but is included with the watch. There is also one additional link that has been removed included, which, if needed, can be re-attached to the Oyster bracelet. If the desire is there to add an unusual and rare Rolex to a collection, then there will be no better opportunity than this reference 9083.
